N.E.O.N.

Society Vies for $100,000 Grant

Jul 13, 1999

Larry Gloss, of Gloss and Company, is helping the Society conduct a major gifts campaign, with the goal of raising $550,000 in grants, donations, and related contributions. On behalf of the Society, he submitted a grant application to the Colorado State Historical Fund on April 1st. The Society is vying against 150 other applications for part of the $12 million available. Assembling the application was a group effort. Members obtained letters of support from a number of community organizations to be included. Our architect, Dana Rickli, produced drawings of floor plans and exterior platform and garden areas, along with estimates for the costs of interior renovations. Dottie Rust unveiled her proposed vision of museum displays and traffic flow, and input was obtained from Colorado Historical Society staff. Artist's renderings of the Museum interior were also included in the submittal.
The Colorado Historical Fund will announce the grant award in August. If the Society is successful, we will receive a grant of $99,975, with the requirement that we raise a minimum of $36,000 in matching funds during the remainder of 1999. These funds will be earmarked for restoration of the interior of the Depot/Museum. This will put a large dent in the estimated $550,000 required for complete restoration of the interior and exterior of the Depot/Museum and installation of display cases.
Our goal is the complete renovation of the Santa Fe Depot as a Museum and professional office. It will provide visitors with an opportunity to learn from the past and gain new insights about the people who homesteaded and lived in the area. The Museum will also become a center for the collection and preservation of local history, and a site where volunteers can actively pursue an interest in history. We anticipate an active partnership with local schools, and estimate there are between 14,000 and 23,000 students in the Englewood, Littleton, and Cherry Creek schools who could visit the Museum each year.
The retirement of our debt to the Englewood Housing Authority provides a tremendous boost to our fundraising campaign. The Society currently owes $76,000 to the City of Englewood for purchase of the building. The first $76,000 in funds raised for restoration of the interior of the Depot will do double duty - they will be applied to erasing this remaining debt and can be spent to perform the actual restoration! Another milestone in the fundraising effort was the completion of the audit in February, which gave the Society a clean bill of financial health.