The La Plata Electric Round Up Foundation Board approved 38 grants in 2021 totaling $118,754 for non-profit organizations in La Plata and Archuleta counties. In 2020, the board approved 44 grants totaling $115,785.
Recipients of the 2021 grants were 4Core, Animas High School, Aspire Medical Services, Bear Smart Durango, Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County, Cancer Coalition of Southwest Colorado, Chimney Rock Interpretive Association, Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration, Community Treehouse, Dancing Spirit Community Arts Center, Durango Botanical Gardens, Durango Meltdown, Durango PlayFest, Durango Trails, ELHI Community Center, Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center, Friends of the San Juans, La Plata Search and Rescue, League of Women Voters, Merely Players, Music in the Mountains, Pagosa Play Place, Pine River Valley Historical Society, Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation, Ruby Sisson Memorial Library Foundation, Seed Studio, Seeds of Learning, Silver Spruce Academy, The Good Food Collective, Veterans for Veterans of Archuleta County, Weasel Skinners 4-H Club, and the Wildfire Adapted Partnership.
Round Up Foundation grants are made possible, in part, by the generosity of La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) members who choose to round up their electric bill each month to the next highest dollar. $60,000 in unclaimed LPEA Capital Credits are also provided annually to the La Plata Electric Round Up Foundation Board, on behalf of the LPEA Board of Directors, to support these grants.
Grants are available to registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in La Plata and Archuleta counties and usually range from $500 to $5,000. Application forms and more details are available at lpea.coop/grant-programs.
LPEA members wishing to round up their bill can sign up on SmartHub or at lpea.coop/round-foundation. The average LPEA member contribution is just $6.00 annually. Members can also elect to donate more each month if they would like to contribute additional money to local non-profits automatically.
Established in 1997, the La Plata Electric Round Up Foundation is a non-profit, community-support fund for organizations and individuals in LPEA’s service territory. A local, eleven-member volunteer board reviews applications and allocates funds. 100% of the tax-deductible donations stay in the communities LPEA serves.
LPEA is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving La Plata and Archuleta, with segments of Hinsdale, Mineral and San Juan counties. LPEA is the fifth largest cooperative of 22 in Colorado and aims to provide safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost to its approximately 34,500 members. For additional information, contact LPEA at 970-247-5786 or visit lpea.coop.