Chaffee County Commissioners approved $2,448,241 in grant awards to 18 recipients during the Spring 2021 Chaffee Common Ground grant funding cycle. Recommendations by the Citizens Advisory Committee were approved recently. Twenty applications requesting $2.92 million were received. The grant funding package includes $2,015,600 for forest health and wildfire resilience, $249,640 to sustain rural landscapes, and $183,001 for recreation management that protects watersheds and landscapes in Chaffee County. Matching cash and in-kind funds total $10.5 million. This marked the third funding cycle since the ballot measure generating Common Ground revenues passed in 2018. To date, more than $5 million has been awarded to 23 local groups and partnerships for 36 programs and projects. Matching investments for these grants will bring $22 million in value to the community by 2026.Â