The La Plata Electric Round Up Foundation Board approved a total of $31,269 in grant funding to local non-profit organizations at its meetings in April, May, and June of 2021. Dancing Spirit Community Arts Center, Durango Botanical Gardens, Durango PlayFest, Wildfire Adaptive Partnership, Seed Studio, Community Treehouse, Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration, and the Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County received funding as part of these three grant cycles. The board has approved 22 grants so far in 2021 totaling $65,353. In 2020, the board approved 44 grants totaling $115,785.

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 are available at lpea.coop/grant-programs.

LPEA members wishing to round up their bill can sign up on SmartHub or at LPEA Round Up Foundation. The average LPEA member contribution is just $6.00 annually. Members can also elect to automatically donate more each month if they would like to contribute additional money to local non-profits.

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.