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the Daniels Fund awarded Climb Wyoming a $100,000 prize to support the organization’s job-training and skill-building programs for single mothers.

The award was presented at the Daniels Fund’s inaugural Salute to Excellence reception held at the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver to recognize the work of three top-performing grantees: Climb Wyoming, Gold Crown Foundation and Step Denver. Each advanced pioneering solutions and demonstrated community impact aligned with the Daniels Fund’s mission and founder Bill Daniels’ legacy.

“Bill Daniels’ vision for lasting and meaningful change would not be possible without the tireless efforts and dedication of our grantees,” said Daniels Fund President and CEO Hanna Skandera. “Bill had great compassion for people struggling to meet basic needs and this fueled his desire to help them get back on their feet,” added Skandera. “We are thrilled to support Climb Wyoming’s work, uplifting low-income single mothers in their discovery of self-sufficiency through career training and placement.”

Climb Wyoming, a statewide organization operating with six regional offices across Wyoming, serves low-income single mothers through immersive job-training programs in the state’s most in-demand industries, including health care, commercial driving, and professional office careers.

“In recent years, we have seen a substantial increase in the need for our services,” said Climb Wyoming CEO Katie Hogarty. “Single moms and their children experience the highest rates of poverty among families in Wyoming. When a mom moves out of poverty, it has a ripple effect on her children’s lives, schools, communities and Wyoming’s economy for generations to come.”

In addition to comprehensive initial and ongoing support, Climb’s 12-week program features industry-specific training as well as mental health services, life skills classes and connections to critical resources for housing, childcare and more. After completing the program, most graduates doubled or tripled their wages and significantly reduced their food stamp use. In its nearly 40-year history, the organization has helped more than 12,000 single mothers and 25,000 children move out of poverty.

“We are grateful for our long-standing partnership with the Daniels Fund,” said Hogarty. “Over the past 10 years, they have been a critical partner in our work to help single mothers gain job skills and new careers that move their families from poverty into financial stability and self-sufficiency. We appreciate the deep and lasting impacts this partnership has on the entire state of Wyoming.”

The three finalist organizations received a total of $450,000 for the awards. These awards are in addition to funding support the Daniels Fund has given to each organization over the past several years as longstanding grantees. The Daniels Fund has distributed more than $1 billion in grants and scholarships throughout its nearly 25-year history.

If you are interested in donating to Climb Wyoming, please visit their website: climbwyoming.org

Photography and Interview Opportunities: Professional photographs, video, and other information from the event are available here: https://www.danielsfund.org/salutetoexcellence

Interviews with Daniels Fund leadership and grantees may be scheduled for expanded stories.