Colorado

The Community First Foundation in Arvada has announced the appointment of Erica Thornley as vice president of product development for ColoradoGives. In the newly established position, Thornley will focus on identifying opportunities to enhance the ColoradoGives platform and provide new products and services for donors and nonprofits. Prior to joining the foundation, she served in leadership roles at Cro Metrics, an experimentation and optimization agency, and Vail Resorts.

The Community Foundation Boulder County has announced that five startup companies participating in its Pledge 1% program were acquired in 2020, generating more than $750,000 in revenue for the foundation. Through the program, participating startups receive seed funding in return for 1 percent of their equity, which the foundation uses to support local nonprofits. Established thirteen years ago, the program has generated more than $11 million for the foundation from more than three hundred companies.

Connecticut

The Connecticut Community Foundation has announced grants totaling $337,923 in support of more than two dozen nonprofit organizations serving residents of the greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills area. Grants were awarded in the areas of youth mentoring and early childhood development ($61,630), support for basic needs ($100,000), the environment ($75,025), and quality of life for seniors ($70,648) and to benefit the residents of Southbury ($30,890).

Louisiana

The Greater New Orleans Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $1 million to twenty-eight Black-led organizations through its Greater Together Fund for Racial Equity. Funded in part by a $1 million investment from Facebook, the fund awards grants to organizations working to end institutional racism, address race-based inequities, and narrow the racial wealth gap. To date, GNOF has awarded a total of $1.45 million through the fund.

Massachusetts

The Cambridge Community Foundation has announced "surprise" grants totaling $45,000 to nine organizations working to provide emergency housing to people facing eviction. Grants awarded through the Cambridge COVID-19 Emergency Fund are designed to help nonprofits working to meet emergency needs in the areas of food and housing insecurity, shelter for the homeless, access to connectivity, emergency childcare, and cash assistance.

Michigan

The Impact Investment Committee at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation has approved loans to Black Wall Street Kalamazoo and the LIFT Foundation. The former works with community-based and national organizations to increase awareness of Black business in Kalamazoo, while the LIFT Foundation makes impact investment loans in support of efforts to increase access to housing, support and expand BIPOC wealth-building opportunities, and develop nonprofit infrastructure in western Michigan.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has named Randy Ross vice president of philanthropic services. Ross, who joined the organization in 2005 as a program officer, most recently served as its associate director of donor engagement.

New Mexico

El Paso Electric and the Infrastructure Investments Fund have announced the launch of the El Paso Electric New Mexico Economic Development Fund with a twenty-year, $20 million commitment. To be administered by the Las Cruces-based Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, the fund will provide grants to organizations and businesses making a measurable impact on economic growth and development in the region.

Oregon

Options for Helping Residents of Ashland will receive the first Project Turnkey grant from the Oregon Community Foundation to purchase and turn an Ashland motel into a resource center and shelter facility. In November, the state legislature's Emergency Board allocated $65 million for the purchase and conversion of financially distressed motels across Oregon into shelters for community members impacted by recent wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. OCF will administer the funds and convene a statewide community advisory committee to select qualified applicants for the program.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Foundation has announced nearly $75,000 in grants through the Black Philanthropy Bannister Fund to nonprofits serving the state's Black community. Established in 2007, the fund supports nonprofits in the areas of youth development and mentoring, the history and achievements of African Americans in Rhode Island, African-American cultural preservation, and scholarships for students who are pursuing or advancing a career in health care in college or a technical school.