Lore Foundation community officer Jen Burton outlines quick-turnaround grants for Buffalo
June 09, 2026 | Johnson County School District #1, School Districts, Wyoming
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Jen Burton, community officer for the Lore Foundation in Buffalo, told the board the private foundation focuses on small, place-based grants led by local “community champions.” She said the foundation funds projects — not operations or private businesses — and emphasizes quick, community-driven solutions.
Burton said the foundation’s “mini and mighty” offerings include mini grants under $10,000 that can move from application to funding in a matter of weeks, and awards up to $30,000 for larger projects that require more review. “There’s four or five questions that involve you understanding the problem, solution, what success would look like to you, the budget, and then I help you with that and we move it through the system,” Burton said.
The foundation works across eight Mountain West communities and places local staff in towns for roughly five years before transitioning out, Burton said, noting the goal is to seed projects that communities will sustain. She described examples from other towns — safety clinics for scooter and e-bike riders, digitizing county records, museum lighting, crosswalk lighting, free business workshops, 3D scanners at schools and food-pantry birthday bags — as models Buffalo could adapt.
Burton said the Lore Foundation does not accept fundraising from the public; it operates as a private grantmaker and connects local projects to regional and national opportunities through a Denver-based business development team. She encouraged local leaders and the school district to propose projects, stressing that school and nonprofit partners can apply multiple times, though the foundation generally funds a single request for a given ask.
She closed by inviting residents and organizations to contact her, distribute her business cards, and meet with her in upcoming outreach sessions the foundation has scheduled with the baseball board and the YMCA.
The board acknowledged Burton’s presentation and moved on to the rest of the agenda.
Burton said the foundation’s “mini and mighty” offerings include mini grants under $10,000 that can move from application to funding in a matter of weeks, and awards up to $30,000 for larger projects that require more review. “There’s four or five questions that involve you understanding the problem, solution, what success would look like to you, the budget, and then I help you with that and we move it through the system,” Burton said.
The foundation works across eight Mountain West communities and places local staff in towns for roughly five years before transitioning out, Burton said, noting the goal is to seed projects that communities will sustain. She described examples from other towns — safety clinics for scooter and e-bike riders, digitizing county records, museum lighting, crosswalk lighting, free business workshops, 3D scanners at schools and food-pantry birthday bags — as models Buffalo could adapt.
Burton said the Lore Foundation does not accept fundraising from the public; it operates as a private grantmaker and connects local projects to regional and national opportunities through a Denver-based business development team. She encouraged local leaders and the school district to propose projects, stressing that school and nonprofit partners can apply multiple times, though the foundation generally funds a single request for a given ask.
She closed by inviting residents and organizations to contact her, distribute her business cards, and meet with her in upcoming outreach sessions the foundation has scheduled with the baseball board and the YMCA.
The board acknowledged Burton’s presentation and moved on to the rest of the agenda.
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