Converting Funding into Rippling Impact
$2M+
45 grants
to projects strengthening Colorado’s communities
alongside
$260K
in Catalyst Grants
(10 Leadership Practitioner & 35 Rural)
Our grantmaking touched
35 counties & 1 tribal nation
across Colorado, elevating the impact of organizations and communities doing transformative work.
We completed
36 site visits
which have been highlighted by grantees as instrumental in building trust and explaining the nuances of grant requests.
To date, Boettcher’s historical philanthropic giving exceeds
$448M
These grants support initiatives and infrastructure projects that foster stronger connections between individuals and organizations.
This grant investment created a ripple effect by helping catalyze the University of Northern Colorado’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, transforming a critical need into a sustainable pathway for addressing Colorado’s physician shortage. By strengthening rural clinical partnerships and expanding access to medical education, the impact extends far beyond the campus, increasing healthcare access, supporting underserved communities, and shaping future physicians committed to serving where they are needed most.
This grant empowers organizations working across Colorado’s food system in areas from emergency food distribution to long-term community food sovereignty. By expanding capacity, partnerships, and local leadership, the funding helps ensure more Coloradans can access nutritious food today while building resilient, community-driven food systems that reduce hunger and strengthen local economies over time.
The Early Childhood Learning Center is a bold effort to address two critical challenges in the Valley – childcare and substance abuse – through a 17,000-square-foot facility including ten classrooms, a kitchen, and a playground. The Boys & Girls Club of the San Luis Valley is partnering with Adams State and Trinidad State College to strengthen its employment pipeline and will use the space to offer internships and on-site licensure training, along with providing prevention programming in partnership with the Region 18 Opioid Abatement Council and Valley Wide Health.
This investment funded capital elements of Colorado State University’s Veterinary Health & Education Complex, most directly the Atrium Learning Wall (to be named for Trustee Dr. Tony Frank), a new
20-person classroom, and the south-facing plaza. This will expand education and clinical infrastructure. This investment deepens partnerships with rural clinics, builds hands-on training for future veterinarians, and strengthens animal health, public-health outcomes, and resilient, locally rooted veterinary services across Colorado.
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in Colorado without a public recreation center or YMCA. This 83,000-sq-ft Community Recreation Center and Burkey Park is an all-ages hub with an aquatic complex, three indoor courts, walking track, fitness and childcare spaces, a senior lounge and physical-therapy center, plus a 250-person events hall that opens onto a pavilion, playground and turf field.
Anchored in a repurposed hotel, this facility will bring 15+ partners together, offer 200+ medical-respite and short-term housing rooms, and serve 600+ people daily with the long-term goal of reducing Aurora’s homelessness by 50% in five years. This grant will fund facility upgrades including a real-time technology platform for partner coordination and outcome tracking, trauma-informed furnishings (private interview rooms, improved lighting), and flexible meeting and training space to support on-site partners.
Serving roughly 2,300 people (≈10% of the county) each year, LiftUp meets basic human needs and promotes self sufficiency. The organization is expanding its facility by approximately 6,000 square feet to boost food-storage and distribution capacity, enlarge the Donation Center and Thrift Store (projected to double current revenue), and add meeting rooms, staff offices, and a conference/wellness room. These upgrades will improve dignity, capacity, and collaboration.
Sedgwick County is launching a community-driven initiative to renovate the old Julesburg High School into the county’s first community center. This multi-use facility is designed to bring together youth, families, seniors, nonprofit organizations, schools, and civic leaders under one roof and will house a variety of spaces to meet local needs. This includes a fitness and recreation area, a commercial kitchen, spaces for seniors, a dedicated classroom wing for early childhood care, a gymnasium for sports leagues, and multipurpose rooms to accommodate community events. With changing demographics and community needs, rural towns like Julesburg are creatively repurposing schools and other spaces to invest in their futures.
After leading a county-wide needs assessment, UWPC is renovating its office building to be the home of the LEAD Center. This facility will support Pueblo County nonprofits through below-market office rentals, shared meeting and training rooms, technical assistance, and ongoing capacity-building opportunities in one centralized location. The organization supports four pillars: Community Resilience, Economic Mobility & Opportunity, Nonprofit Capacity Development, and Youth Success, along with providing Community Investment Grants supporting mental health, housing, and senior services. This nonprofit resource hub will improve the operational sustainability of all partners involved and facilitate deeper collaboration.
CCC is the region’s only public art center offering clay work, pottery classes, and kilns. The organization is building a new 8,500-square-foot facility which will include adaptive classrooms, sensory-friendly and ADA-compliant studios, a professional gallery three times larger than the current space, and flexible communal gathering areas. These spaces will allow CCC to double its classroom capacity and serve at least 500 additional participants annually. Expanded programming will include bilingual instruction, therapeutic ceramics classes, intergenerational workshops, and an enhanced Artist Residency program with four slots instead of one. The new CCC facility will greatly expand capacity for programming and pivot the organization’s impact to that of a community arts hub with space for events, on-site partners, and galleries featuring work from local artists of all backgrounds.
These funds provide capacity-building support to community nonprofits that participate in Boettcher’s Leadership Practitioners Collaborative, which unites program directors and leaders across the state with a goal to create a more inclusive and accessible leadership ecosystem in Colorado.
This funding is helping to run an impact evaluation of ULF’s paid summer fellowship for professionals who come from various backgrounds, professions, ideologies and experiences. This program trains leaders to transform communities through people, partnership, and policy.
CYL develops a sense of purpose, passion, and community in high school leaders across the state through leadership exploration, programming, and service adventures. Grant support is helping CYL to develop a blueprint for Youth Leadership Expansion.
This grant supports the launch of the ACFC’s inaugural program, supporting their mission of providing opportunities and resources for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community focused on higher education and career development.
RIHEL provides leadership training and strengthens the relationships among health professionals, environment professionals, the academic community, and the public and private sectors. The grant supported the completion of a feasibility study and program redesign effort.
These awards empower creative projects designed to meet the distinctive challenges of Colorado’s rural communities.
This organization has led a multi-phase restoration effort to save and restore the Leadville opera house as a community and economic development opportunity.
Teacher shortages–often due to a lack of available housing for educators–have posed an ongoing challenge for the school district. With support of several community partners, the school district purchased and is renovating a triplex that can be used for teacher housing. This catalyst grant will support some of the final renovations needed to make the triplex ready for occupancy.
WHE is a 12-week, science-based intervention based in Morgan County designed by a clinical psychologist to motivate people to move their bodies and connect with supportive others. This grant supports a pilot partnership with mental health organizations in a rural Colorado community. WHE will focus on reaching individuals who are often excluded from mainstream mental health services, while enhancing the experiences of those already engaged in care.
Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year program recognizes educators who go above and beyond to inspire, uplift, and empower their students. Janet Damon, the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year, is a Denver Public Schools graduate and has taught in DPS for more than 25 years. She currently teaches at DELTA High School. Janet has dedicated her work to disrupting book deserts, supporting teacher wellness, and creating communities where all voices matter.
Becoming an Anchor of Care
This Colorado Leadership Stories podcast episode features Janet Damon, the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year, discussing how educators can champion wellness. Damon shares her journey of supporting students, disrupting book deserts, and fostering inclusive communities, reminding listeners of the power educators have to lead with care.
Voices from the Classroom
Great teachers like Janet Damon (featured above) do more than instruct — they inspire. Each year, the Colorado Teacher of the Year program recognizes educators who go above and beyond for their students and communities. In partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, Boettcher proudly sponsors this award, which includes a financial gift to support their school communities.
Hear from all eight of the 2025 finalists to gain a better sense of their passion for teaching, their deep connections to their communities, and their plans for further impact.
Grantmaking & Fellowship
Click on a county to learn about which Catalyst Grants were received.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Community Builders
Tabor Opera House
City of Leadville - Leadville Community Center
Community Connections Grantees:
Center for Independence
Center for Independence (CFI) is the largest nonprofit provider of services for disabled Coloradans, offering resources, services, and technology. This funding supports renevations and upgrades to CFI's facility.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Unify Montrose
San Miguel Resource Center
Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club
Unify Montrose
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Alejandro Salazar
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Town of San Luis
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
We Hate Exercise
United Way Morgan County
The Block Commissary Kitchen & Events
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Julie Stiewig
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Telluride Institute
San Miguel Resource Center
Community Connection Grantees:
Ascendigo Autism Services
Ascendigo Autism Services is working to create a new, high quality community center featuring social rooms, physical activity spaces, and professional development opportunities for Ascendigo clients, local students, and other non-profits. This funding will be used to further these renovations and bring Ascendigo's vision to life.
Carbondale Clay Center
The Carbondale Clay Center (CCC) is a staple of the Carbondale community, offering arts education, mental health, youth development, and immigrant support programming. This funding aids the construction and operation of a new center, doubling CCC's classroom capacity and allowing at least 500 additional programming opportunities.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
The Meeting Place
Youth Zone
Community Connections Grantees:
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Luis Valley
The Boys and Girls Club of the San Luis Valley (BGCSLV) is building a 17,000 square-foot Early Childhood Learning Center in Alamosa. Through their partnership with the Region 18 Opioid Abatement Council, they are addressing both the need for childcare and substance abuse.
Community Resources and Housing Development Corporation
Community Resources and Housing Development Corporation (CRHDC) works to expand access to affordable housing and economic opportunities across Colorado through affordable housing development. This grant supports a multi-use community clubhouse in the center of their Tierra Azul development, bringing connection, education, and wellness opportunities into the community.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
The Space
Yuma County Economic Development
Community Connections Grantees:
North Fork Senior Connections
The Paonia Senior Center has long been the sole gathering space for older adults in Western Delta County, providing vital programing and opportunities for connection. This grant supports the facility's renovation, which will increase its accessibility and usability.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Friends of Youth and Nature
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Hope House NE Colorado
Community Connection Grantees:
LiftUp of Routt County
LiftUp of Routt County is a social service nonprofit working to fulfill the needs of Routt County resident by focusing their support on food security, housing, utility assistance, and employment. This funding supports the expansion of their facilities, including their donation center and thrift store, conferencing spaces, intake and meeting spaces, and additional staff and volunteer spaces.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Routt County Human Services
Integrated Community
True North Incorporated
United Way of the Yampa Valley
Yampa Valley Autism
Community Connection Grantees:
Community Food Bank of Grand Junction
The Community Food Bank of Grand Junction, which distributes over 900,000 pounds of food each year, is seeking to transform a previously closed deli into a low-cost dining option for the public and food education space. With this funding, they plan to revive a local café while creating affordable, healthy food options for community members and bringing learning and employment opportunities to students.
City of Grand Junction - Community Rec Center
This funding supports the creation of Grand Junction’s first public recreation center, an 83,000-square-foot, all-ages hub with aquatics, courts, fitness, childcare, and event space, expanding access to wellness, connection, and community gathering.
Hilltop Community Resources - New Facility and Community Collaboration Room
Hilltop Community Resources is a non-profit that provides support and resources to families and children across the Western Slope. This grant supports planning to renovate a historic Grand Junction bank building into a new and expanded Family Resource Center which will provide support programing for community members in need.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Loving Beyond Understanding - Statewide Rural LGBTQ+ Coalition & Leadership Capacity (Grand Junction)
Gunnison County Juvenile Services - Community and Regional Strategic Planning
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Chris Masters
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Cottonwood Restoration - Collaborative Restoration Pilot for Youth Wellness
Community Connections Grantees:
Vail Valley Foundation
The Vail Valley Foundation works to enhance the Vail Valley through initiatives in athletics, arts, and education. They are working to create the Avon Childcare Center, which will offer childcare services to 165 children and address the need for affordable, high quality childcare in the area.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Family Learning Center
Education Foundation Eagle County
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Phillips County Fmaily Education Services
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Las Animas County - Countywide Study of Public Communications
Community Connection Grantees:
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The DMNS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship will serve the Colorado State Legislature by preparing experts to engage and work on policy issues in science, technology, engineering, health, and medicine. This program provides technical experts available to support evidence-driven policymaking.
WeeCycle
WeeCycle, a nonprofit centered around recycling essential baby gear and providing it to families in need, recently purchased a large warehouse in Denver to consolidate its operations under one roof. Using the new facility, their operations will be greatly increased and they will be better equipped to meet the needs of the families in Colorado.
Denver Film - CO 150 Film Festival
The Colorado 150 Film Festival, an official program of the State of Colorado's 250–Colorado 150 Commission, will celebrate the state's 150th year with curated screenings of films by 15 regional partners. Funding will be used to bring the Commission's vision of 150 film screenings with at least 100 viewers each to fruition.
Sims-Fayola Foundation
The Sims-Fayola Foundation was designated as the main My Brother's Keeper agency by former Mayor Michael Hancock, which means they were tasked with addressing the persistent opportunitiy gaps facing boys and young men of color. This grant funds the planning, software design, branding, and website development to assist the initiative's mission and success.
Community College of Denver Foundation
Community College of Denver (CCD) is seeking to expand and remodel its Boulder Creek Building, allowing them to consolidate their health programs and clinics into one purpose-built hub. CCD will use this grant to conduct the renovations and expand access to medical learning and resources for students and community members alike.
Commún Denver Inc.
Commún Denver was established to strengthen community resilience in Southwest Denver by supporting local food entrepreneurship, health equity, and cross cultural connection. The organization plans to further this goal through the renovation of a historic 100,000-square-foot building that will offer nonprofit and mental health provider offices, small business and individual development spaces, and community gathering spaces, simultaneously uniting Southwest Denver community members and organizations under one roof.
Downtown Denver Partnership
The Downtown Denver Partnership drives the economic vitatlity and vibrancy of Downtown Denver through planning, advocacy, and programs. Using this funding, they will convene planning partners, develop funding pathways, and create and advance design concepts with key partners.
Colorado Cattlemen's Foundation
The Colorado Cattlemen's Foundation (CCF) seeks to promote stewardship, support rural communities, and build a resilient agricultural economy through education and leadership development. CCF will use this funding to further this vision and transform a portion of the historic Livestock Exchange Building into the Heritage and Education Center.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Upstream Education
Ednium
Downtown Denver Partnership
RIHEL
Colorado Changemakers Collective
Asian Chamber Foundation of Colorado
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: James Roy II
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber Education Foundation
The Urban Leaders Fellowship
Women's Community Leadership Initiative
Community Connections Grantees:
Community Connections, Inc.
Discovery Museum at the Powerhouse
The Discovery Museum at the Powerhouse has provided informal science education for children and families through their hands-on STEM experiences since its establishment in 2010. Using Boettcher Foundation grant funds, they will continue renovations to establish a licensed childcare center with affordability and access at its core, increasing the availability of high quality, affordable childcare in the Durango community.
Good Food Collective
The Good Food Collective (GFC) is a nonprofit working to build a resilient food system in Southwest Colorado. This grant supports the creation of a Southwest Community Food Hub that will bring entrepreneurial, non-profit, and community stakeholders under one roof.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Boys & Girls Club La Plata County
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Enrique A. Orozco-Perez
Catalyst Grant Grantees
Custer County Tourism Board
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Genoa Hugo School District
Community Connections Grantees:
Littleton Town Hall Arts Center
The Littleton Town Hall Arts Center serves as a hub for performing and visual arts in the area. This funding supports the remodeling of their facility to improve accessibility, safety, and comfort in their space.
Catalyst Grant Grantees:
Colorado Young Leaders
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Ginger Williams
Community Connections Grantees:
Aurora Regional Navigation Campus
The Aurora Regional Navigation Campus (ARNC) aims to support unhoused populations by creating a homelessness resource center that emphasizes employment, housing, recovery support, and wraparound case management. This grant supports renovations and technological infrastructure needed to achieve ARNC's goal of decreasing homelessness in Aurora by 50% over the next five years.
Project Worthmore
Project Worthmore is a community-centered nonprofit that offers language learning classes, community navigation, dental care, and employment opportunities. The organization recently bought a former office building to serve as a hub for immigrant support services and will be using this Community Connections grant to add a large food pantry, medical and mental health services, offices for legal services and a community garden to the space.
Catalyst Grant Grantees
Rocky Mountain Partnership
Community Connections Grantees:
Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital and Education Complex
This investment advances Colorado State University’s Veterinary Health & Education Complex, expanding clinical and classroom space while deepening rural clinic partnerships and strengthening hands-on training and animal and public health outcomes.
Crossroads Safehouse
Crossroads Safehouse, the only emergency family shelter and comprehensive domestic violence service provider in Larimer County, will apply these funds to transform an underused wing in their current facility into a multi-use space for organizational partners and people experiencing abuse. The wing will feature improves accessibility measures, heightened security, and provides easier service navigation for survivors of violence.
Grace Village
Grace Village has operated the Wellington Food & Clothing Pantry for the past 9 years, serving hundreds of families and offering other social supports for community members. They are converting a local warehouse into a "one stop" social services center that includes a dedicated and expanded food and clothing pantry and social service offices.
Estes Valley Library
The Estes Valley Library has been a staple in the Estes Valley area since its establishment in 1916. This grant supports work to renovate their space to make it more accessible, safe, and community-focused.
Regional Engagement Programs
In addition to current convening, this grant supports the NoCO Foundation in launching several programs and initiatives including convening municipal leaders from small and rural northeastern Colorado, supporting early and mid-career philanthropy professionals, creating an Eastern Colorado Intersections program, and regional landscape mapping.
Community Connections Grantees:
Community of Caring Foundation
The Community of Caring Foundation is working to provide high quality child care to the community of Cripple Creek. This grant supports the construction of a community childcare center that can accommodate 60 students and will address the childcare desert in the area.
Community Connections Grantees:
Greeley Creative District
The Greeley Creative District, one of Colorado's first Creative Districts, offers diverse opportunities for creatives and community alike. Using Boettcher Foundation grant funding, they will renovate a historic building to include office spaces, an artisan goods shop, workshops, classrooms, a theatre, art gallery, and art studios, creating a central hub for creative life in Greeley.
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Nicole Armstrong
Community Connections Grantees:
Loaves & Fishes Ministries
Loaves & Fishes Ministries serves Cañon City as a resource center for struggling families and the homeless by providing shelter, food, hygiene facilities, and restorative support resources. This Community Connections grant supports the construction of a new food warehouse and Service Navigation Center that will expand the organization's operating capacity and ability to serve their community.
Community Connections Grantees:
Pueblo Zoo
The Pueblo Zoo serves approximately 100,000 people per year and is currently working to create a new Woods of Wonder adventure area. The space will be transformed into a nature-inspired play zone for children to explore natural elements and rodent enclosures.
United Way of Pueblo County
The United Way of Pueblo County (UWPC) is working to renovate its office building to be the new home of the Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (LEAD) Center. This facility will house offices for UWPC staff, office spaces for external nonprofit organizations, and community resources.
Colorado State Fair Foundation - Sam Brown Family Livestock Pavilion
The Sam Brown Family Pavilion will serve as a state-of-the-art, multipurpose facility at the State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. Spanning 83,000 square feet, this facility will host horse and livestock shows, athletics and community events, educational activities, and other major events year-round while functionally replacing several smaller and outdated agricultural barns.
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellows: Kennedy Pugh, Randi Addington
Community Connections Grantees:
Tall Tales Ranch
Tall Tales Ranch is constructing the Community Clubhouse and Resource Center to act as the social hub for the Tall Tales Ranch community. The Center will house community spaces, a commercial kitchen, café, and job training opportunities for students and adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Community Connections Grantees:
The Action Center
The Action Center, founded to provide compassionate support to Jefferson County families, is constructing the Commons at Emory, which will act as a centralized hub for families to access a wide range of essential services. Services to be provided include be mental health and behavioral health care, workforce development, educational opportunities, immunizations, and reproductive health services.
Chanda Center for Health
The Chanda Center for Health provides healthcare access for individuals with long-term physical disabilities through a variety of services, including acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, adaptive yoga and exercise, physical therapy, behavioral health, and care coordination. To meet growing demand for their services, the Center will use funding to expand its current facilities and add 2,400 square feet of space along with excercise machines and spaces.
Mountain Area Land Trust
Community Connections Grantees:
Sedgwick County Community Center
Sedgwick County will be transforming the old Julesburg High School into the Sedgwick County Community Center that is designed to bring together youth, families, seniors, nonprofit organizations, schools, and civic leaders. The space will offer a variety of opportunities for community members of all ages.
Community Connections Grantees:
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - Pocket Parks
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is creating a pocket park that offers recreation and gathering spaces within a five minute walk of 90% of Towaoc's residents. This pocket park project aims to address a lack of exercise and recreational amenities in the community while centering the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe's mission of preserving and protecting the land for their people.
Community Connections Grantees:
Boulder Food Rescue
Boulder Food Rescue (BFR) is developing a collaborative infrastructure program to strengthen connections among small food access organizations. This grant supports the platform's continued development.
Boulder Chamber Foundation
The Boulder Chamber Center serves the Boulder community as a professional hub and a gathering space for community members. Funding will be used to upgrade renovate the space, simultaneously increasing its usability and accessibility.
TLC Learning Center
TLC Early Learning Collaborative is a large hub for early childhood education located in southeast Longmont. It seeks to provide early childhood education to over 250 children, pediatric therapy services, and professional development opportunities for early childhood educators, staff, and home-based care givers.
Community Connections Grantees:
Mountain Area Land Trust
The Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT), a Colorado-based nonprofit committed to protecting the natural environment and educating communities on conservation, will use Community Connections grant funding to renovate an existing barn on their Sacramento Creek Ranch. These renovations will create an education center on the property, greatly expanding the area's educational opportunity and ensuring visiting students have a place to learn.
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Jocelyn Catterson
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Pamela Denahy
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Amanda Leck
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: John Mitchek
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Dencia Raish
Doers & Difference Makers Fellowship:
2025 Fellow: Ricardo Esqueda
Previous Section
Next Section