Steamboat Education Fund

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

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Get Involved

There are several ways you can help support local students through the Steamboat Springs Education Fund:

  • Attend a meeting.  All board and commission meetings are open to the public.  We encourage the community to attend and participate in the public commentary. Click here for Calendar.
  • Stay informed about the Education Fund.
  • Apply for a seat on the Education Fund Board or Grant Commission. SEE BELOW.

We are currently looking for people interested in serving on the SSEF Board of Directors and Grant Commission. Participation on the SSEF Board or Grant Commission is a great way to learn about Routt County public school programs and funding. Candidates should have an interest in achieving excellence in public schools. Applications are due June 14, 2019.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS DESCRIPTION: SSEF Board is responsible for awarding grants from the proceeds of the half-cent sales and use tax assessed by the City of Steamboat Springs, and as approved by City voters. The proceeds are distributed through an annual grant request and award cycle. Grantees are primarily public schools in Routt County but can include non-profits whose missions directly benefit public K-12 students through school-based programming. Board members also review grantee accountability reports to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent as granted. The primary duty of the board is oversight and distribution of the funds. CLICK HERE TO APPLY.

Applicants must live in the Steamboat Springs School District but aren’t required to have children in any public school. SSEF directors are asked to commit to three-year terms and attend between seven and 10 meetings per year. Meetings are held approximately once a month, September through May, with several board workshops during the summer. There is no fundraising requirement or expectation of financial contribution. Directors are volunteers. Directors must live in the Steamboat Springs School District but aren’t required to have children in any public schools. There is no age minimum or maximum. Interviews will be held during the September 2019 Board Meeting.

GRANT COMMISSION DESCRIPTION: Grant Commission members read and consider grant requests for the funds generated by the City of Steamboat Springs voter approved half-cent sales tax. Total grant funds vary by year; in 2019, nearly four million dollars were distributed to Routt County K-12 public schools and nonprofits working with those schools.

The duties of a Grant Commission member include all portions of the annual grant cycle: review applications, applicant interviews, deliberation and recommendation of grant recipients and funding amounts, and review of grantee accountability reports. The Grant Commission makes a unified recommendation regarding proposed funding to the SSEF board of directors.

Applicants from all areas of Routt County are encouraged to apply. There are typically six commission meetings during the school year, two in the fall,  and four in the spring, as well as three two-hour summer workshop sessions. Commission members are volunteers. Applicants should have good communication and analytical skills and be well-organized. CLICK HERE TO APPLY.

The Steamboat Springs Education Fund (SSEF) is a nonprofit, independent corporation that administers the proceeds of the half-cent sales tax—five cents on a $10 purchase. The half-cent city sales tax was originally approved by Steamboat voters in 1993 to fund “public K-12 educational purposes.” The tax was extended by voter approval in three subsequent elections. In 2009, voters extended the tax and expanded the purpose to share a portion of the proceeds of the tax with other Routt County public schools. Since 1993, more than $61M has been granted directly for public K-12 education in Routt County.

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