News & Updates

Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust Donates over $2.8 Million to Support Mental and Behavioral Health Efforts in Mountain Resort Communities across the West

Boulder, Colo – November, 2024 – Mountain communities across the Western states are making significant strides to improve access to vital mental and behavioral health care. Today, the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust announced over $2.83 million in grants aimed at bolstering these efforts in ten mountain resort communities.

Since 2016, Katz Amsterdam has contributed over $27 million to organizations in mountain resort communities, including $19 million to support initiatives that enhance access to services and reduce stigma around mental and behavioral health. Founded by Vail Resorts executive chairperson, Rob Katz, and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, New York Times bestselling author and founder of Elana’s Pantry, the Foundation and Trust have championed community-based efforts and fostered collaboration across mountain towns. The 11 grants announced today will further enable innovation in behavioral health across 10 communities in Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Vermont.

“We continue to be inspired by the dedication of our mountain community partners, and are honored to support their vital work,” said Beth Ganz, executive director of the Katz Amsterdam Foundation. “We are particularly excited about the efforts to develop community-driven, culturally responsive services tailored to meet the needs of communities of color.”

Katz Amsterdam strives to be a catalyst for eliminating inequities, increasing access to opportunity, and improving outcomes for all. As a foundation, their priority is to support community-driven work that meaningfully improves the lives of all individuals and the social well-being of communities. Since 2016, the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and Charitable Trust have made a total of $68 million in grants.

The Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust grant recipients announced today include:

ASPEN, COLORADO

  • Aspen Community Foundation – $200,000
    To develop bilingual bicultural peer support training, provide scholarships for treatment and sober living, and increase access to culturally affirming mental behavioral health care and substance use treatment for the Latine community in the Roaring Fork Valley. Sub-grantees include: Valley Settlement and A Way Out.

CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO

  • Crested Butte State of Mind – $70,000
    To create substance use prevention programming and to expand equitable access to mental behavioral health support by providing therapy scholarships and community connection events for communities of color.
  • Gunnison Valley Health Foundation – $105,000
    To provide training and hire a substance use recovery peer support specialist and in-person interpreters, and to support an indigenous population’s mental health needs by employing a bilingual patient navigator.

EAGLE COUNTY, COLORADO

  • Vail Health Behavioral Health – $525,000
    To provide psychiatric and care coordination services and increase equitable access to, and awareness of, mental health and substance use services in Eagle County through partnerships with the local Federally Qualified Health Center and non-profits that serve Spanish speaking youth and residents seeking to recover from substance use. Subgrantees include: My Future Pathways, Reconnected, and Mountain Family Health Centers.

JACKSON, WYOMING

  • Community Foundation of Jackson Hole – $175,000
    To provide peer support specialist trainings, youth day treatment, bilingual bicultural facilitation of substance abuse recovery groups, and Latina Empowerment Circles. And to enable focus groups to inform mental behavioral health strategy in Teton County. Subgrantees include: Voices of Jackson Hole, Community Safety Network, Teton Youth and Family Services, and Mental Health and Recovery Services of Jackson Hole.

PARK CITY, UTAH

  • Park City Community Foundation – $500,000
    To provide substance use recovery and mental health support in Summit County, UT, including scholarships for treatment, training, and bilingual services. Sub-grantees include: Latino Behavioral Health Services, Jewish Family Services, People’s Health Clinic, Peace House, Christian Center of Park City, Holy Cross Ministries, Live Like Sam, Summit County Clubhouse, and the Summit County Recovery Foundation.

SUMMIT COUNTY, COLORADO

  • Building Hope Summit County – $500,000
    To support the mental health of the Spanish-speaking community through improved access, an alcohol awareness and reduction campaign, withdrawal management treatment and staffing, and medication assisted alcohol and substance abuse treatment. Subgrantees include: Recovery Resources, Front Range Clinic, Summit County Care Clinic, and Family Intercultural Resource Center.

SUN VALLEY, IDAHO

  • St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation – $58,675
    To gather Blaine County community and provider survey data for upload into the KAF Shared Measurement Framework Data Dashboard, where it will be used to track community mental behavioral health needs and to inform strategic direction. Subgrantees include: Blaine County’s Well-Being Initiative.

TAHOE/TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA/NEVADA

  • Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation – $300,000
    To support implementation of the North Tahoe Truckee Regional Road Map mental behavioral health priorities, including an alcohol reduction campaign, peer services, and substance use recovery and mental health programming in Spanish for youth and adults. Sub-grantees include: Sierra Community House, Gateway Mountain Center, Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, The Speedy Foundation, and the Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee.

TELLURIDE, COLORADO

  • Telluride Foundation – $100,000
    To provide medically assisted substance abuse treatment, immigrant mental health and navigation services, and domestic violence and sexual assault mental health support for the Latine Community in San Miguel County. Subgrantees include: Tri County Health Network, Telluride Regional Medical Center, and San Miguel Resource Center.

VERMONT

About Katz Amsterdam Foundation

The Katz Amsterdam Foundation strives to be a catalyst for eliminating barriers to health, increasing access to opportunity, and improving outcomes for all. The Foundation believes that everyone benefits from living in healthy and cohesive communities, but access to these benefits is unequal. KAF works in partnership with communities to advance just and equitable approaches to accessing mental, behavioral and reproductive health care and protect civil rights by increasing civic engagement and participation in a multiracial democracy. The Foundation does this work by addressing systemic injustice, racial and social disparities in mental health, reproductive health and civic engagement. KAF’s priority is to support community-driven work that meaningfully improves the lives of individuals and the social well-being of our communities. For more information, visit www.katzamsterdam.org.

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