Boulder County received $309,220 from the sale of the Denver Broncos. And local youth organizations can now apply for a piece of the funding.
Several area government agencies formed the Metro Football District which used tax dollars to fund 75% of the Mile High Stadium (Empower Field) costs. The tax, which was one penny on every $10 began in January 2001 and ended in 2011.
Communities in the metro area received a combined $41,037,951 when Pat Bowlen sold the Denver Broncos team in 2022.
There was one string attached — the money had to be allocated to youth activity programs.
Marta Loachamin, Boulder County Commissioner, was part of a group that decided the distribution method for the funds received by Boulder County.
The group landed on creating a one-time advisory committee made up of 10 individuals from across the county. Two of those members are youth representatives, she said.
The formation of the committee was important to Loachamin because the county decided the funds should especially support youth “that don’t otherwise participate,” she said. The committee is made up of a diversified group of individuals from every corner of the county, she said.
Lochamin’s group also decided the funds would be dispersed through a series of small grants ranging from $2,000 to $40,000.
“Our leadership here at Boulder County is really focused on racial equity,” Loachamin said.
This focus led the group to look into activities that could include youth who may not have access traditionally and programs with entry barriers.
“We were really looking at how can we not necessarily fund the traditional programs,” Loachamin said.
Through the process Loachmin has heard families share their stories and concerns about youth mental health and academic achievement. She hopes that organizations that can provide these wrap-around services to support local youth will apply.
The funding will only be available this one time, so the county is looking for programs that can serve a diverse population of youth in a sustainable manner.
The Metro Football district is asking for a report a year after the funding is granted and Loachamin said the county will put that together with the help of the funding recipients.
Applications are due on July 25. Those with questions can email Natalie Springett at the Boulder County Commissioner’s Office at [email protected] or call 303-441-4571.
“The hope is that we can provide some funding for a variety of different organizations, here in Boulder County, that are serving youth that otherwise would not have the opportunity to participate in some type of youth activity,” Loachamin said.
