Steamboat Springs Education Fund
The Steamboat Springs Education Fund (SSEF) is a public charity based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It is an independent nonprofit corporation that administers proceeds from the city’s half-cent sales tax for public education in Routt County. The tax was approved in 1993 and most recently extended in 2018 for ten years; the Fund says more than $95.5 million has been granted directly for public education in Routt County since 1993.
Steamboat Springs Education Fund at a glance
In short: Steamboat Springs Education Fund gave $6.6M across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $413K), mostly in Colorado. 6% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,604,042
- +0.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $412,753
- -5.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $26,260
- Total assets
- $3,204,387
- -8.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 6% first-time grantees (1 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Steamboat Springs Education Fund
- How to Apply
-
Applications are reviewed through the Fund’s competitive grant process. Community Grant applications are due January 27, 2027, with awards scheduled for May 12, 2027. The published school-district application dates—April 3 and April 17, 2026, with awards on May 13, 2026—are past.
- Review Cycle
- January 27, 2027, for Community Grant applications.
- Deadline
- January 27, 2027, for Community Grant applications.
- Contact
Mailing address: 35 5Th Street, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Phone: (970) 819-1628
Website: https://steamboateducationfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Steamboat Springs Education Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Steamboat Springs School District RE-2 ($5.5M). Together the top 10 received $6.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
61 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 61 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
SSEF’s grantmaking supports public education in Routt County, Colorado. Its 2025 filing reported that 100% of grant dollars went to Colorado recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Steamboat Springs Education Fund open to new grantees?
6%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 16 grantees (6%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $440K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $28K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3.3M (2021) to $6.8M (2023). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $6.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Steamboat Springs School District RE-2 Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $5,459,678 |
| Hayden School District No RE-1 Hayden, CO | educational | $328,616 |
| Steamboat Montessori Charter School Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $303,532 |
| South Routt School District RE-3 Oak Creek, CO | educational | $262,844 |
| Partners for Youth Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $45,708 |
| Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $45,000 |
| Northwest Colorado Health Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $37,645 |
| Yampatika Environmental Literacy Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $28,000 |
| Integrated Community Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $24,519 |
| Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports Steamboat Springs, CO | educational | $15,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Steamboat Springs Education Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,204,387 | $6,329,274 | $6,670,616 | $6,604,042 | 16 | $119,933 |
| 2024 | $3,515,359 | $6,463,450 | $6,472,751 | $6,569,492 | 15 | $148,396 |
| 2023 | $3,652,791 | $6,093,343 | $7,021,034 | $6,825,983 | 12 | $131,944 |
| 2022 | $4,415,852 | $5,543,622 | $5,279,242 | $3,668,920 | 10 | $9,101 |
| 2021 | $2,567,860 | $4,522,783 | $2,789,163 | $3,283,789 | 8 | $2,128 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
SSEF’s stated mission is to enhance academic accomplishment in Routt County through student-facing investments in staff, facilities, infrastructure, technology, and curriculum made available through public schools. Its grants support public preK–12 school districts and public charter schools, as well as nonprofit community organizations providing educational programming for public-school students.
Among its community grantees, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps describes its work as engaging young people in outdoor service and experiential education. Steamboat Reading describes its work as supporting struggling readers and their families through tutoring, evaluations, advocacy, parent education, and dyslexia awareness. Integrated Community describes itself as an educational and human-service organization supporting immigrant families’ linguistic and cultural competency.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, SSEF reported 16 grants totaling $6,604,042. The median grant was $26,260; grants ranged from $5,500 to $5,459,678. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado.
The largest reported grants were $5,459,678 to Steamboat Springs School District RE-2, $328,616 to Hayden School District No RE-1, $303,532 to Steamboat Montessori Charter School, and $262,844 to South Routt School District RE-3. Each was listed for educational purposes. Other 2025 recipients included Partners for Youth ($45,708), Rocky Mountain Youth Corps ($45,000), Northwest Colorado Health ($37,645), Yampatika Environmental Literacy ($28,000), Integrated Community ($24,519), Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports ($15,000), and Steamboat Reading ($15,000).
Community grants require collaboration with the school districts and a close connection to school programming. Applications are reviewed on merit and available funds; past funding does not guarantee future funding. School district grants are made to eligible public districts and charter schools in Routt County. Community organizations must provide educational programming for students in Routt County’s preK–12 public schools.
For approved awards, the Board approves grants in an April or May meeting. The recipient must sign and return the award contract, including its federal employer identification number, for the award to become official. Funds are for expenses incurred during the school year running July 1 through June 30; unspent funds are rescinded unless the Board authorizes otherwise. District grants are paid in three or four installments, with spending and accountability reports required. Community-group grants are reimbursed against invoices and the submitted budget, and unspent funds are subject to rescission unless authorized by the Board.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lisa Ruff, Lisa Lorenz, Mandy Maass, Danielle Skov, and Amanda Koziar as directors; Adam Alspach as president; Kipp Rillos as secretary; Kandise Gilbertson as vice-president; and Mary Johnston as treasurer and GC chair.
Steamboat Springs Education Fund is led by Adam Alspach, President since 2023 (on filings since 2021); none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Adam Alspach
President
Director → Vice President, 2022
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2021
3.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Johnston
Treasurer & Gc Chair
Gc Chair → Treasurer & Gc Chair, 2023
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amanda Koziar
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Ruff
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mandy Maass
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Hughes
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Steck
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Danielle Skov
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Lorenz
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kandise Gilbertson
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kipp Rillos
Secretary
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Jim Beers (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Jon Wade (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Cristina Magill (2021–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Sam Jones (2021–2022) — President
- Former: Jeanne Mackowski (2021) — Vice President
- Former: Jill Brabec (2021) — Director
- Former: Julie Tourigny (2021) — Director
- Former: Norbert Turek (2021) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Steamboat Springs Education Fund
How much does Steamboat Springs Education Fund give each year?
Steamboat Springs Education Fund gave $6.6M across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $6.6M across 15 grants.
What is Steamboat Springs Education Fund's typical grant size?
Steamboat Springs Education Fund's median grant in 2025 was $26,260, and its average grant was $412,753, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Steamboat Springs Education Fund that year got $6K on average.
Where does Steamboat Springs Education Fund give grants?
Steamboat Springs Education Fund gives mostly in Colorado: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Steamboat Springs, CO (13 grants).
Does Steamboat Springs Education Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Steamboat Springs Education Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Educational" (16 grants).
Who are Steamboat Springs Education Fund's largest grantees?
Steamboat Springs Education Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Steamboat Springs School District RE-2 ($5,459,678), Hayden School District No RE-1 ($328,616) and Steamboat Montessori Charter School ($303,532), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Steamboat Springs Education Fund?
Steamboat Springs Education Fund reported $3.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.3M.
What does Steamboat Springs Education Fund fund?
SSEF’s stated mission is to enhance academic accomplishment in Routt County through student-facing investments in staff, facilities, infrastructure, technology, and curriculum made available through public schools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Steamboat Springs Education Fund?
Applications are reviewed through the Fund’s competitive grant process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Steamboat Springs Education Fund's EIN?
Steamboat Springs Education Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1256891. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 20, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS October 30, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Steamboat Springs Education Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Steamboat Springs Education Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/steamboat-springs-education-fund-morg_456ca1305e564962b52ecbb727aca21c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_841256891_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Steamboat Springs Education Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/steamboat-springs-education-fund-morg_456ca1305e564962b52ecbb727aca21c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Steamboat Springs Education Fund's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Steamboat Springs Education Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?