Foundations that fund organizations in Denver, Colorado
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Denver nonprofits
3,487 private foundations gave $826M to Denver organizations in their latest filings; 30 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
9,980 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Denver around $275K. 43 of these funders are based in Colorado; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 3,487
- Accept applications
- 30
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Denver
- $826M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 9,980
- Typical median grant
- $275K
- Based in CO
- 43%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Denver organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ryan Foundation | Greenwood Village, CO | 3 | $124M | $27M | Yes | General Support |
| The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $56M | $56M | Preselected only | To improve outcomes for k-12 students in the u.s. |
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation | Austin, TX | 2 | $52M | $26M | Yes | Accelerating Quality Schools Growth in Texas; Launching the Dell Catalyst Fund to Drive Quality Charter S… |
| The Colorado Health Foundation | Denver, CO | 275 | $48M | $88K | Yes | Thriving young people; General donation to support organization or program; Adult recovery |
| The Colorado Trust | Denver, CO | 2 | $29M | $14M | Preselected only | See detailed attachment; General support |
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 8 | $28M | $50K | Yes | Christian faith&life storytellg init; Employee matching gift(s); Tcu futures project campaign |
| Gates Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 101 | $26M | $35K | Yes | Project support; Construction; Unrestricted |
| Daniels Fund | Denver, CO | 162 | $22M | $50K | Yes | General operating support; 2024 rapid response fund; Boundless opportunity scholarship (bos) |
| Walton Family Foundation Inc | Bentonville, AR | 26 | $19M | $238K | Preselected only | To support general operations.; to build out the Alpha Community Education Initiative, an e…; To implement and promote the use of durable skills with K-1… |
| The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation | Omaha, NE | 11 | $17M | $302K | Preselected only | Program support; General operating support |
| The Robert D and Patricia E Kern Family Foundation Inc | Waukesha, WI | 2 | $14M | $7.2M | Preselected only | Impact-character-cte integration; Embedding em institutionally |
| Blavatnik Family Foundation | New York, NY | 1 | $12M | $12M | Preselected only | To provide agile, thoughtful, and expansive support to indi… |
| Avenir Foundation Inc | Lakewood, CO | 2 | $11M | $5.5M | Preselected only | To Endowment in memory of Jerome Kern, Chairman Emeritus; Establish the St Martin's Chamber Choir Endowment Fund |
| Gates Foundation | Seattle, WA | 16 | $10M | $456K | Yes | Postsecondary education; K-12 education; U.s. economic mobility & opportunity |
| Boettcher Foundation | Denver, CO | 1 | $10M | $10M | Yes | See attachment |
| Foundation 180 | Englewood, CO | 1 | $9.4M | $9.4M | Preselected only | To inspire people and mobilize resources to strengthen the… |
| Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation | Denver, CO | 144 | $6.9M | $30K | Yes | General operating support; General operating support, to be pai; Local ballot measure report |
| Find Us Faithful Foundation | Parker, CO | 1 | $5.5M | $5.5M | Preselected only | Donor Advised Fund |
| The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 8 | $5.1M | $300K | Yes | For general operating support; For groundwork for a new vision for the role of public educ…; For the state conservation program |
| Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation | Erie, PA | 1 | $5.0M | $5.0M | Preselected only | Unrestricted |
| Pema Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | 22 | $5.0M | $11K | Preselected only | Community; Education; Religious |
| Charter Fund Inc D/B/A Charter School Growth Fund | Broomfield, CO | 22 | $3.9M | $145K | Yes | Impact and innovation; Charter school capacity-building; Charter school growth |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 7 | $3.8M | $500K | Yes | To support efforts including an internship program for curr…; To support research and community engagement focused on den…; To support increased participation by humanists in establis… |
| Fidelity Foundation | Boston, MA | 27 | $3.7M | $7,000 | Yes | Fidelity matching gifts to education; Technology & equipment; Property care; buildings; renovation |
| Sturm Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 28 | $3.7M | $50K | Preselected only | Further tax exempt purpose |
| Zoma Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | 26 | $3.7M | $50K | Preselected only | To support general operations; To support strategic capacity support for colorado educatio…; To support homegrown talent initiative, a joint effort betw… |
| Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art C/O Denver Art Museu | Denver, CO | 2 | $3.6M | $1.8M | Preselected only | Kirkland-dam integration |
| Bettye Poetz Ferguson Foundation | San Francisco, CA | 1 | $3.5M | $3.5M | Preselected only | General operating |
| Laura and John Arnold Foundation | Houston, TX | 22 | $3.5M | $108K | Preselected only | To fund a randomized controlled trial of fostering opportun…; To strengthen statewide definitions of degree and non-degre…; To provide general operating support. |
| Margaret a Cargill Foundation | Eden Prairie, MN | 5 | $3.4M | $750K | Preselected only | Cultivating native student college success; Empowering relatives emergency funds; Support for tiyata wan unkagapi (we are making a home) |
| Schlessman Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | 76 | $3.3M | $18K | Preselected only | General operations; Statewide family support services; Home modification & repair |
| Margulf Foundation | Glendale, CO | 40 | $3.1M | $38K | Preselected only | General operating grant; Emergency health and human services programming grant; Restricted grant to capital campaign |
| Nextfifty Initiative D/B/A Next50 | Denver, CO | 39 | $3.1M | $61K | Yes | General support |
| Singer Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 34 | $2.9M | $20K | Yes | Charitable |
| The Anna and John J Sie Foundation | Denver, CO | 23 | $2.4M | $17K | Preselected only | Financial relief and crisis response; For performances/training/education.; For exhibitions/programs/collection. |
| The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation | Atlanta, GA | 3 | $2.4M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Pediatric day program and pediatric charity care; General operating support in montana; Good governance |
| Oneroot Foundation | Ketchum, ID | 2 | $2.3M | $1.2M | Preselected only | To advance research, fast-track effective treatments, and f…; To provide support to the bruce d. benson center for the st… |
| Young Americans Education Foundation | Denver, CO | 2 | $2.3M | $1.2M | Preselected only | Grant for operations |
| The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust | New York, NY | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | Transformative connectivity in rural zambia |
| The Baszucki Family Foundation | San Mateo, CA | 1 | $2.3M | $2.3M | Preselected only | For unite america fund ($1.8m) and unite america operations… |
| Adolph Coors Foundation | Denver, CO | 27 | $2.2M | $40K | Yes | General operating grant; Program specific grant; Capital grant |
| Schmitz Family Foundation Co Ann McBournie | Denver, CO | 9 | $2.1M | — | Preselected only | To provide children of low-income families with scholarship…; A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in…; To cultivate minds and hearts for Christ by striving to mak… |
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | New York, NY | 6 | $2.1M | $214K | Yes | For training, research, and outreach to bridge the gap betw…; For one time support of Fund IV and Fund V; As a one-time grant for leadership training for women in Ea… |
| Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation | Redmond, WA | 1 | $2.0M | $2.0M | Preselected only | To increase access to affordable child care |
| Wm Keck Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 2 | $2.0M | $1.0M | Yes | To understand molecular vulnerabilities in cells that produ…; To test the role of extreme conditions in early animal adap… |
| Jpmorgan Chase Foundation | New York, NY | 27 | $1.9M | $559 | Preselected only | Matching contribution (general operating support); In support of creating economic mobility and career pathways; In support of underserved small business expansion |
| Thiry-O'Leary Foundation | Cherry Hills Village, CO | 21 | $1.9M | $35K | Preselected only | Support for students; Support and promote democracy reform initiatives across the…; Protect and expand voting rights and representation |
| Leo Hill Charitable Trust C/O Wayne Hutchens | Denver, CO | 4 | $1.9M | $202K | Preselected only | General fund |
| John S and James L Knight Foundation | Miami, FL | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Yes | To support high-quality local news in macon, advance the su… |
| The Patten-Davis Foundation | Denver, CO | 3 | $1.8M | $250K | Preselected only | Denver Digs Trees, incentive matching fund & emergency resc…; Ludeman Family Center; Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at UC Anschutz |
| Andre & Katherine Merage Foundation - Colorado | Englewood, CO | 1 | $1.8M | $1.8M | Preselected only | General Operations |
| The Ford Foundation | New York, NY | 9 | $1.7M | $150K | Yes | General support; Tie-off core support to abolish the detention-and-deportati…; Recoverable core support grant for the program and operatio… |
| The Morgridge Family Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 28 | $1.7M | $19K | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted; Student Support Foundation Clubs; National Philanthropy Day in Colorado |
| Lindmor Foundation Inc | Albany, NY | 1 | $1.7M | $1.7M | Preselected only | General Purpose |
| Louis Calder Foundation | Denver, CO | 4 | $1.7M | $275K | Yes | Growth of charter schools; Science of reading |
| Zarpet Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 2 | $1.7M | $829K | Preselected only | Sustainability; Health |
| The Solich Fund | Denver, CO | 8 | $1.6M | $38K | Preselected only | General support; Education general support; Ca wildfire support |
| Kaphan Foundation | Seattle, WA | 1 | $1.6M | $1.6M | Preselected only | General support |
| The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Princeton, NJ | 13 | $1.6M | $46K | Yes | Matching gifts; 79984 general operating support for the colorado consumer h…; 80498 supporting homeownership and wealth-building, wrap-ar… |
| Zellis Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 7 | $1.5M | $200K | Preselected only | Cultural and Religious; Social Services; Education |
| The Galena Foundation | Denver, CO | 5 | $1.5M | $125K | Yes | Program development; Educational |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | Chicago, IL | 3 | $1.5M | $375K | Preselected only | To support a demonstration project testing an innovative in…; To provide information and assistance to its membership on…; In support of general operations |
| Kenneth Kendal King Foundation | Denver, CO | 59 | $1.5M | $25K | Yes | Program support; General operating; Pri forgiveness |
| Ttee University of Colorado UW | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M | Preselected only | General operating |
| McPherson Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 4 | $1.4M | $71K | Preselected only | To support families across metro denver.; To provide low-barrier, trauma-informed care to women, gend…; To fight poverty and cultivate hope for future generations… |
| Colorado Access Foundation | Aurora, CO | 11 | $1.4M | $25K | Preselected only | Charitable support |
| Seed the Dream Foundation | Gladwyne, PA | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Preselected only | To support the mission of the organization |
| Wal-Dot Foundation | Allen, TX | 3 | $1.3M | $25K | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Xcel Energy Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 161 | $1.3M | $450 | Yes | Match a previous donation (501(c)3) grant; Match payroll deduction (501(c)3) grant; Match credit card donation (501(c)3) grant |
| The Wana Brands Foundation | Boulder, CO | 32 | $1.3M | $12K | Preselected only | General Operating; Event sponsorship that will go to the organizations' genera…; Scholarships, Belonging, Leadership and Support Services |
| The Rifkin Foundation | Denver, CO | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Preselected only | Unrestricted general purpose of the grantee |
| J Landis and Sharon Martin Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 7 | $1.3M | $50K | Preselected only | To further program services |
| Leverlab Foundation | Denver, CO | 2 | $1.3M | $633K | Preselected only | General contribution |
| Dick and Betsy Devos Family Foundation | Grand Rapids, MI | 2 | $1.3M | $625K | Yes | Project/program - devos institute of arts and nonprofit man…; Project/program - dvianm capacity building grand rapids |
| Quadrivium | New York, NY | 1 | $1.3M | $1.3M | Preselected only | General |
| Hummel Family Foundation C/O Bessemer Trust Co | New York, NY | 2 | $1.3M | $625K | Preselected only | General support; Scholarships |
| The Heising-Simons Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 4 | $1.2M | $190K | Preselected only | For general support; To strengthen indigenous early childhood workforce pathways…; To strengthen indigenous early childhood pedagogy and workf… |
| Valhalla Foundation | Woodside, CA | 1 | $1.2M | $1.2M | Preselected only | Scaling early childhood development programs |
| The Martin Family Foundation C/O Larry Bean | Casper, WY | 12 | $1.2M | $50K | Preselected only | General operations; Seminarian formation program; General operating |
| Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 8 | $1.2M | $30K | Preselected only | Employee or trustee recommended gift for general operationa…; In support of a multi-actor online wildfire network to faci…; To support marine habitat education and outreach. |
| Wk Kellogg Foundation | Battle Creek, MI | 9 | $1.1M | $150K | Yes | Jobs and Family Economic Security; Promise of an Equitable Future; Early Care and Education |
| The John a Miller Family Foundation C/O Rellim Capital Management LLC | Glenview, IL | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Charitable |
| Ronald and Carol Moore Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 10 | $1.1M | $63K | Preselected only | General Donation; Research Grant |
| Priem Family Foundation C/O Dan Moreno Cpa | Burlingame, CA | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Educational |
| The Kresge Foundation | Troy, MI | 4 | $1.1M | $150K | Yes | Project support for 30 colleges and universities to increas…; Project support grant to assist higher education systems to…; Project support grant to promote college affordability and… |
| Wells Fargo Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | 16 | $1.1M | $50K | Preselected only | General Operating Support; Workforce Development Program; Elevating Impact through the Denver Scaleup Network |
| Albuquerque School of Excellence Foundation | Albuquerque, NM | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Construction of school facilities |
| Jacques M Littlefield Foundation | Menlo Park, CA | 4 | $1.0M | $108K | Preselected only | Operating support; Montessori on wheels; Fresh & local school fund |
| Liberty Ears Inc | Longmont, CO | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | To achieve the vision of being a proactive, collaborative,… |
| Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation Inc | Greenville, NC | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Tdi1831 for als |
| The Karsh Family Foundation | Beverly Hills, CA | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Preselected only | Philanthropic activity |
| Hca Healthcare Foundation | Nashville, TN | 4 | $980K | $25K | Yes | Operational funding request; Program funding request |
| The Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation | Torrance, CA | 1 | $972K | $972K | Preselected only | Ph.d scholars program |
| The Strear Family Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | 32 | $971K | $25K | Preselected only | General purpose |
| Hugh and Michelle Harvey Family Foundation | Denver, CO | 16 | $960K | $15K | Preselected only | General operating; Program specific |
| United Health Foundation | Eden Prairie, MN | 1 | $958K | $958K | Preselected only | Health care scholars united program |
| Erik E and Edith H Bergstrom Foundation a Charitable Trust | Wilmington, DE | 1 | $937K | $937K | Preselected only | To support work in Guatemala and Uganda |
| Tyl Foundation | Denver, CO | 12 | $931K | $23K | Preselected only | General operating support; Educational (school) |
| The Fisher Foundation | Englewood, CO | 2 | $907K | $453K | Preselected only | Fisher preschool scholarship |
| The Nord Family Foundation | Amherst, OH | 26 | $901K | $40K | Yes | Continued general operating support; Grant for match; Continued general operating support, over two years |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Denver, Colorado?
The Ryan Foundation, The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust and 95 others reported grants to Denver organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Denver. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.