Western Colorado Community Foundation

Promoting Philanthropy in Ouray County

For more than two decades, the Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) has worked closely with local leaders to identify and address needs in Ouray County. A notable figure in this effort, long-time Ouray resident Dave Wood, played a significant role as a founder, board member, and legacy donor of our Community Foundation. WCCF funding supports a range of basic needs and human services, youth development, arts and culture, environment, and other projects that that have touched the lives of many in Ouray County.

We believe in the power of place-based giving and take pride in partnering with dedicated individuals that strive to make a difference locally. Thanks to the generosity of donors who have established charitable funds —including Donor-Advised Funds, Designated Funds, Field of Interest Funds, Nonprofit Agency Funds, Scholarship Funds, and Local Community Funds—the Western Colorado Community Foundation has distributed more than $2M to organizations in Ouray County.

We invite you to learn more about how you can become a part of this legacy of giving, whether through establishing your own fund or by contributing to an existing one. Together, we create a brighter future for all.

As a newcomer to Ridgway, Mary Aliota was eager to connect with local nonprofits and give back to her community. To make a difference, she joined the boards of Weehawken and the Food Pantry, and in 2019, she established a donor advised fund at the Western Colorado Community Foundation. This fund allows her the flexibility to support causes close to her heart, such as housing, food security, human services, and recovery programs. Mary is particularly passionate about initiatives that help individuals regain stability and provide second chances to those in need. Mary expresses, "I consider myself incredibly fortunate to live in this beautiful place, and I want to be able to give people the opportunity to enjoy that as well. I feel truly blessed to be able to pay it forward."

Whether through volunteering, donating, or raising awareness, Mary's efforts inspire a culture of generosity and community involvement. Her story highlights the impact an individual can have by choosing to invest in the future of their community.

Vickery Hall was raised in Wapiti, WY, near the East Gate of Yellowstone where her family has owned and operated Rimrock Dude Ranch since 1956. After many summers cleaning cabins and washing dishes at Rimrock, Vickery graduated from the University of Wyoming where she studied Political Science and American Studies.

Vickery has been a professional do-gooder since 2003. She has worked for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Catholic Charities Catholic Youth Organization, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Children’s Resource Center. For the past 12 years she worked at the Wyoming Community Foundation as the Director of Donor Relations.

We are excited to have Vickery join our Community Foundation team as the first Regional Outreach Director based out of Ouray County. Vickery loves working with donors on their charitable legacies and helping people to 'give where they live'.

When she is not working, Vickery enjoys road trips, knitting, camping, skiing, and mountain biking. Vickery lives in Ouray, CO with her husband, Bryant, and their two children. 

Local Community Funds play an important role for the Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF) in promoting local philanthropy. WCCF collaborates with local leaders to establish and build these funds, which provide support to nonprofit organizations and programs within specific geographic areas. These funds are permanent charitable endowments, distributing annual grants to the community for many generations to come.

The Ouray County Community Fund (OCCF) serves as your Local Community Fund, supporting the residents and communities of Ouray County. Each year, a volunteer steering committee made up of local leaders is responsible for raising funds and deciding on grant awards. This year's committee is co-chaired by Maureen O'Driscoll and Hazel Stevens Price, who is also a member of the Western Colorado Community Foundation regional board of directors. In addition to these two co-chairs, other committee members include: Kevin Chismire, Jenny Hart, Francie Tisdel, and Heather Greisz.

2023 Ouray County Community Fund awardees and committee members

Thanks to generous donors, 23 Ouray County nonprofits received a total of $47,400 in grant awards from the Ouray County Community Fund for 2024. The OCCF Steering Committee reviewed grant applications totaling over $95,000 in funding requests this year.

Since its inception in 2016, OCCF has distributed nearly $400,000 to 57 nonprofits. Click here to see a list of this year's organizations to receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

Citizens State Bank is a proud supporter of the Ouray County Community Fund

OCCF Grantee Highlights

Home Trust of Ouray

Home Trust of Ouray is rising to meet the challenge of affordable housing in Ouray County. Their mission is to grow an inclusive, economically diverse community by providing permanently affordable housing and housing-related resources to modest income households in Ouray County. The Ouray County Community Fund committee recently awarded them a grant to support the building of Riverwalk Rental Project from predevelopment to construction in 2025.

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Cimarron Athletic Field

Recently the Ridgway School District requested and received a grant to support their Cimarron Athletic Field project from the Ouray County Community Fund. When it is finished the Cimarron Athletic Field will host over 3,300 student athletes from Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton, Telluride, Norwood and the West End in its first year alone. This $3.3 million project will fill the gap of a publicly available track in a five-county area and will be open to the public outside of school hours and practice and competition times. 

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If you are interested in promoting local philanthropy and supporting a number of worthy projects benefiting your community, consider giving to your Local Community Fund, the Ouray County Community Fund! Gifts of any size are appreciated and are tax deductible. Learn more here.

Donations by check should be payable to the Western Colorado Community Foundation. If giving to Ouray County Community Fund, please include the name in the memo line, or donate online.

Mail to

WCCF

P.O. Box 4334

Grand Junction, CO 81502

If you'd like to learn more about setting up your own charitable fund please contact our experienced Development Team at (970) 243-3767.

To make stock gifts, please initiate the transfer by December 13 with your financial institution. This will help ensure that the stocks and other securities arrive to WCCF by December 31 since they can take some time to process. Please remember to notify the WCCF Development Team that a transfer is in progress. 



Learn more about our year-end giving deadlines and our holiday hours here.

The Western Colorado Community Foundation is a nonprofit, public charity established by local community leaders in 1996. We serve a seven county region that includes Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and Rio Blanco Counties. We are growing steadily and now manage over 330 charitable funds totaling over $184 million in assets and will award over $7 million in grants and scholarships this year.