Swift Eagle Charitable Foundation

Background Statement

Swift Eagle was founded in 2004 by nineteen longtime Eagle County friends who wanted to give back to their community by starting a charitable foundation. Our mission has remained consistent since our origin: to provide swift financial assistance to Eagle County residents for living and personal expenses during times of crisis or hardship. In determining our mission, and who, how and why to help, we found that many non-profit organizations have guidelines directing their monies towards programs rather than individuals, when a hand up is what many people desperately need. Our principal program is that we assist Eagle County residents who are in crisis situations, providing them with personal and living expenses. Our grants help pay rent, mortgage, utilities, car repairs, and dental and eye health costs when not covered by insurance.

Many people applying to us for help fall under our ongoing "Bridging the Gap" facet. These are people who are maintaining their lives on a responsible level until hardship or a crisis undermines them physically, emotionally and financially. They often don't qualify for specific programs of other agencies or qualify for a certain maximum monetary level that only covers a portion of their needs. We're able to step in to bridge that gap, as well as bridging the gap between their crisis and getting back to normal.

Feedback from grantees and their family, friends and employers is a primary measure of our success. Our foundation has received countless thank you notes from our recipients over the years as well as numerous letters of appreciation and gratitude from those in our community who have observed our work and its effect on those in need in the valley.

Our foundation has always relied 100% on volunteers so our donations go to those in need rather than towards salaries and other high overhead costs. In January, 2017, we received a private grant to be directed towards administrative costs for the position of executive director. All donations continue to go to those in need. We collaborate continuously with other agencies, communicating with them so as to avoid duplicating efforts, but more importantly so as to find the most effective way to pool our resources for the greatest good of our clients. Frequently during a crisis, assistance is needed sooner rather than later. Unlike many organizations Swift Eagle is uniquely set up to respond immediately in emergency situations.