Longmont startup for mothers lands $3,000 grant

LONGMONT — Family Village, a destination for mothers re-entering the workforce, has received a $3,000 Advance Longmont Startup Grant through the Longmont Economic Development Partnership.

The Advance Longmont Startup Grant program assists local startups that have been in business for less than two years.

Family Village, located at 350 Terry St. in the CoSolve building, incorporate a daycare center for children, with the ecosystem allowing mothers to find suitable/flexible daycare for their children while looking to network and pick up new skills to enter back into the workforce.

“Family Village is a cooperative community center providing support, fitness, therapy and professional classes, community space, events and childcare for local families,” Family Village owner Melanie Piazza said in a prepared statement. “The idea is to build this village to give parents the chance to take care of their personal, business and social needs without the need to pay enormous childcare costs.”

Piazza said the Advance Longmont funds will be instrumental in helping launch the early phase of Family Village. The organization is funded without loans or investment income and functions solely on income provided by memberships and donations, Piazza said.

“While it is a challenge to sustain ourselves this way, it enables us to function with the sole focus on our members’ needs and our role in fulfilling those needs,” Piazza said. “This money gives us some relief in being able to operate while we continue to increase our membership count.  What an incredible gift.”

The Advance Longmont Startup Grant program is funded by the city of Longmont and awards grants of up to $3,000 to startups that have launched or will launch in Longmont.

More information about the Longmont Economic Development Partnership and all grant programs, including their respective applications, can be found on the Longmont Economic Development Partnership website at www.longmont.org.