The Daniels Fund, a private charitable foundation benefitting Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah – now entering its 25th year – today announced that it has awarded more than $113 million throughout its history in grants to Wyoming nonprofit partners and higher education scholarships to students across the state. In 2024 alone, the Daniels Fund distributed more than $6.2 million in grants and scholarships in Wyoming.

“For 25 years, the Daniels Fund has been positively impacting American life – and improving millions of lives – one life at a time,” said Hanna Skandera, Daniels Fund President and CEO. “Whether it’s helping a child with developmental challenges, supporting people struggling with homelessness and addiction to seek independent, healthy lives, or making the dream of higher education come true for young people, it is an honor to steward the mission Bill Daniels gave the Daniels Fund a quarter century ago.”

On January 29, the Daniels Fund honored the Child Development Center of Natrona County (CDC) as one of its top-performing grantees with its prestigious Medal of Excellence Award and a $250,000 prize to support its mission. The CDC provides early childhood education to children with and without developmental disabilities, helping them reach their full potential through early intervention and compassionate care.

Over the past 25 years, the Daniels Fund has given more than $1.2 billion in grants to nearly 6,000 nonprofit partners and scholarships to more than 5,200 students across its four-state region.

Bill Daniels launched his first cable television business in Casper in 1954 and established the Daniels Fund to give back to people in the communities that contributed to his success.

The Fund focuses the majority of its giving in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah – four states pivotal in Bill Daniels’ life. The Fund also invests in select notable national projects that align with Bill Daniels’ values.

The Daniels Fund grants program focuses on eight funding areas originally designated by Bill Daniels at the Fund’s founding:

• Aging
• Amateur Sports
• Disabilities
• Drug & Alcohol Addiction
• Early Childhood Education
• Homeless and Disadvantaged
• K-12 Education Reform
• Youth Development

Among the Daniels Fund’s grants are several major signature programs, including the National Civics Bee, which emphasizes the importance of teaching young Americans about the basics of their government so that they become active and informed citizens. Students across Wyoming – and the country – have just completed essays for entry into the 2025 National Civics Bee. Each state winner earns the chance to compete in the national finals for a $100,000 prize.

Building on over 15 years of ethics education funding, the Daniels Fund is launching a national business ethics case competition in 2025 with participating teams from universities across the country.

High-school graduates from the Daniels Fund’s four state region apply for the highly selective Daniels Scholarship Program, which makes college possible for motivated, ambitious students. In addition, the Boundless Opportunity Scholarship program provides funding for non-traditional students to obtain credentials that lead to upward mobility and meaningful employment.