The organizations listed below have been awarded Rico Center grants.
The descriptions of the award purpose were provided in the grant applications.
Community Grantees
2026 Grantees
The Artists of Rico’s funds will be for their “RICO SPEAKS” program. This monthly meetup is designed to celebrate the poetry, storytelling and songwriting of Rico residents.
The Historical Society received this grant to help subsidize the Museum Office Manager position.
The Rico Land Collaborative’s award will support the community garden, located in the geodesic dome in the Piedmont neighborhood. Open to all Rico residents, the RLC strives to enhance their watering, heating and cooling systems and incorporate organic wood sponges for their fruit trees.
The Rico Public Library’s award be applied to the purchase of a Magic Desktop computer for children. Additionally, it will support the courier that brings inter-library loans to the Rico library.
Rico residents and founders of Telluride Curling Club want to bring curling to Rico! With hopes of a future Rico Curling Club, they have applied for funds to establish curling events in the new town park’s ice rink.
This grant will be used to continue focusing on: repairing family plots, fallen or leaning headstones; general annual maintenance and tree/vegetation management and expanded website development including features to relate website information to on-the-ground visits.
2025 Grantees
$75,000 will go towards purchasing a new light rescue truck (the 2024 grant was never paid out).
The Historical Society received grant awards for the following projects: $3,090 towards museum building exterior maintenance and improvements; $15,000 for the salary of the Museum Office Manager and $2,000 to support continued Oral History recordings.
The Rico Land Collaborative’s mission is to encourage our Rico community’s connection with place and local lands, through the stewardship of intergenerational connection and regional education. This year’s grants will support two projects: $4,075 will help pay start-up costs for the Community Garden; $2,890 will support redesigning the website for the Rico Geothermal Project in order to communicate and educate Rico on this long-standing project.
The grant awarded to the Rico Public Library will be allocated entirely towards the library’s computer modernization efforts.
Rico Skatepark BIO
Rico Trails Alliance’s mission is to steward local and regional trail systems in and around Rico, focusing on user educations and the access, development and use of non-motorized trails. $6,000 will be used to support RGS trail construction and 2025 summer trail work crews; $25,500 will be used for general operating support for fundraising outreach.
This grant will be allocated towards the town park pavilion project and installation of electricity/power to the pavilion.
This grant will be used to continue website development and upgrades, including features to relate website information to on-the-ground visits. It will be a user-friendly interface to encourage participation with the site.
2024 Grantees
A. Mann’s World is an artistic entity dedicated to finding new and creative ways to be vulnerable and make space for oneself through writing, graphic design, photography and cooking. This grant will support a five week long creative writing workshop and will cover supplies, guest speakers and venue rental.
Friends of CAIC was created to support the CAIC (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) while contributing to avalanche awareness and education throughout Colorado. This grant will support the Trailhead Outreach Program which includes in-person trailhead visits, installation of avalanche safety signage, transceiver checkpoints and training parks, and distribution of safety brochures.
Rico Elevated Collective’s mission is to promote a healthier and more active community by providing accessible, inclusive, and high-quality fitness facilities and programs to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. This grant will be used to purchase fitness equipment for various community classes.
$50,000 will go towards purchasing a new light rescue truck; $21,785.75 will support annual firehouse operations; $12,356.25 will support 2024’s Tri-State Fire Event, hosted in Rico this year; $1,490 will go towards annual 4th of July activities.
The Historical Society received grant awards for the following projects: $3,090 towards museum building exterior maintenance and improvements; $15,000 for the salary of the Museum Office Manager and $2,000 to support continued Oral History recordings.
The Rico Land Collaborative’s mission is to encourage our Rico community’s connection with place and local lands, through the stewardship of intergenerational connection and regional education. This year’s grants will support two projects: $4,075 will help pay start-up costs for the Community Garden; $2,890 will support redesigning the website for the Rico Geothermal Project in order to communicate and educate Rico on this long-standing project.
Rico Trails Alliance’s mission is to steward local and regional trail systems in and around Rico, focusing on user educations and the access, development and use of non-motorized trails. $6,500 will be used to reroute a section of the RGS-Burnett Connector trail with the help of a certified trail construction contractor; $20,000 will be used for the hiring of a Development Director to create and execute a fundraising campaign strategy and to build RTA’s organizational capacity.
This grant will be used as partly matching funds to support the Rico Town Park and Outdoor Recreation Hub project.
This grant will be used to continue website development and upgrades, including features to relate website information to on-the-ground visits. It will be a user-friendly interface to encourage participation with the site.