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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Colorado
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 11,224 grantmakers listed 85,959 grants totaling $4.9 billion to 21,634 organizations in Colorado. 10,470 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 754 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 1,296 are based in Colorado; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Colorado organization was $8,607. Denver County received the most grants (21,864, from 3,816 funders), followed by El Paso County (8,312) and Boulder County (6,895). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (10,988 grants), children & youth (7,399 grants) and health & mental health (6,220 grants).
Colorado Gives Foundation (Arvada, CO) funded the most different Colorado organizations: 2,116, through 2,117 grants with a typical size of $17,906.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Colorado organizations
Ranked by the number of different Colorado organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to CO organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Gives Foundation Arvada, CO · EIN 51-0157964 | 2,117 | 2,116 | $17,906 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | The Colorado Health Foundation Denver, CO · EIN 74-2568941 | 1,277 | 869 | $80,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | The Denver Foundation Denver, CO · EIN 84-6048381 | 862 | 862 | $30,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 4 | Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation Denver, CO · EIN 84-6037604 | 1,401 | 627 | $28,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Anschutz Family Foundation Denver, CO · EIN 74-2132676 | 832 | 522 | $8,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | Gates Family Foundation Denver, CO · EIN 84-0474837 | 719 | 491 | $30,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Daniels Fund Denver, CO · EIN 84-1393308 | 718 | 430 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | Rose Community Foundation Denver, CO · EIN 84-0920862 | 411 | 411 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 9 | Rocky Mountain Health Foundation Grand Junction, CO · EIN 84-1424932 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 869 | 352 | $11,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Mile High United Way Inc Denver, CO · EIN 84-0404235 | 281 | 281 | $15,249 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 11 | Christian Community Foundation Inc Colorado Springs, CO · EIN 75-1750059 | 398 | 272 | $17,862 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 12 | Community Foundation of Northern Colorado Fort Collins, CO · EIN 84-0699243 | 385 | 263 | $21,255 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 13 | Western Colorado Community Foundation Inc Grand Junction, CO · EIN 84-1354894 | 331 | 229 | $17,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | Enterprise Holdings Foundation Saint Louis, MO · EIN 43-1262762 | 395 | 223 | $2,500 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Shell USA Company Foundation Houston, TX · EIN 13-6066583 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 472 | 214 | $900 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver County | 21,864 | 3,816 | $2.0 billion | Top 5 funders |
| El Paso County | 8,312 | 2,457 | $535.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Boulder County | 6,895 | 1,846 | $476.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Arapahoe County | 5,003 | 1,567 | $211.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Jefferson County | 4,232 | 1,501 | $200.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Pitkin County | 4,125 | 876 | $141.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Larimer County | 2,851 | 761 | $112.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Adams County | 2,688 | 1,081 | $185.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Eagle County | 2,589 | 745 | $106.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Weld County | 1,498 | 480 | $53.6 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 10,988 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 7,399 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 6,220 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 4,561 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 3,633 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 3,116 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 3,047 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 1,935 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 1,328 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 772 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 614 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 540 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 251 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Colorado ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.