Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form<\/p>\n
Organization Name: Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
\nLegal Name (if Different):
\nAlso Known As: SWCEC or The Collaborative
\nMailing Address: 1000 Rim Drive
\nCity: Durango
\nState: CO
\nPostal Code: 81301
\nMain Phone: 9704265323
\nMain Fax:
\nOrganization Website: https:\/\/www.swcoedcollaborative.org\/
\nEmployer ID Number: 86-2475305
\nOrganization Tax Status: 501(c)(3)<\/p>\n
Proposal Information<\/p>\n
Today’s Date: 3\/13\/2026
\nRequested Amount: 10,000<\/p>\n
Project Title: Bridging the Rural Divide: Scaling Career Exploration for SW Colorado Youth
\nProject Description:<\/p>\n
The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC) requests $10,000 to scale our Work-Based Learning (WBL) programming, specifically targeting career exploration for middle and high school students across our seven-district service area. In our remote region, geographic isolation often limits a student\u2019s vision of what is professionally possible. This project provides the tools to succeed by bridging the gap between rural classrooms and high-wage industries.<\/p>\n
We aim to move students beyond theoretical learning into active career simulation and exploration through two primary delivery models:<\/p>\n
Career Immersion Days: We will coordinate hands-on "Career Days" where students engage with professionals in Health Sciences, Building Trades, and Environment & Natural Resources fields. These sessions move beyond a simple lecture; students use industry-standard equipment to perform job-shadow tasks, demystifying the path from graduation to a career.<\/p>\n
Regional Futures Fairs: We will host two marquee Futures Fairs\u2014one in each of our primary service hubs\u2014to ensure equitable access for all students. These fairs serve as a central marketplace for careers, allowing students to interface with over 70 regional employers, nonprofit partners, and post-secondary mentors in a single day.<\/p>\n
Funding will directly cover the logistical barriers that often prevent rural participation, including student transportation, venue costs, event supplies, and hands-on demonstration materials. By the end of the 12-month grant period, 1000+ students will have participated in at least one high-impact exploration event.<\/p>\n
As a collaborative, we maximize the Hermanowski Foundation\u2019s investment by sharing resources across district lines. This grant provides the direct, tactile experiences that empower Southwest Colorado youth to visualize and reach their full potential.<\/p>\n
Total Project Budget: 20,000<\/p>\n
Other Funding
\nSources For The Project (Committed & Potential): State grant & private foundation grant (potential)<\/p>\n
Project Duration: 1 school year (2026-2027)
\nGeographical Area Served: Southwest Colorado (Counties: La Plata, San Juan, Dolores, Montezuma)
\nAge Group To Be Served: 13-18<\/p>\n
Contact Information<\/p>\n
Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mr
\nContact First Name: Patrick
\nContact Last Name: Fredricks
\nContact Title: Executive Director
\nContact Phone: 9704265323
\nContact Email: pfredricks@swcoedcollaborative.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form Organization Name: Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative Legal Name (if Different): Also Known As: SWCEC or The Collaborative Mailing Address: 1000 Rim Drive City: Durango State: CO Postal Code: 81301 Main Phone: 9704265323 Main Fax: Organization Website: https:\/\/www.swcoedcollaborative.org\/ Employer ID Number: 86-2475305 Organization Tax Status: 501(c)(3) Proposal Information Today’s Date: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10025,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10024\/revisions\/10025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/hermanowskifoundation.org\/members\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}