NOTE: For nonprofit organizations new to U.S. Bank Foundation, a Letter of Interest is available. Community Affairs Managers will review Letter of Interest submissions periodically to learn about new and innovative programs and organizations in their regions and markets. After reviewing a Letter of Interest, a Community Affairs Manager may reach out with a request for a full application. You can access the Letter of Interest by clicking the “Submit a letter of interest” link at the bottom of this page. Letters of Interest may be submitted at any time during the year.

Community Possible Grant

Through U.S. Bank’s Community Possible® grant program, we invest in efforts to create stable jobs, safe homes and communities.

Funding Types

Within these general guidelines, we consider the following funding request types:

Operating grants

An operating grant is given to cover an organization’s day-to-day, ongoing expenses, such as salaries, utilities, office supplies and more. We consider operating support requests from organizations where the entire mission of the organization fits a Community Possible grant focus area.

Program or project grants

A program or project grant is given to support a specific, connected set of activities, with a beginning and an end, explicit objectives and a predetermined cost. We consider highly effective and innovative programs that meet our Community Possible grant focus areas.

Capital grants

A capital grant is given to finance fixed assets. The U.S. Bank Foundation considers a small number of requests for capital support from organizations that meet all other funding criteria, whose entire mission statement fits a Community Possible grant focus area, and with which the Foundation has a funding history. All organizations requesting capital funding must also have a U.S. Bank employee on the board of directors. U.S. Bank does not fund more than 1% of the non-endowment total capital campaign fundraising goal. All capital grant requests are reviewed and approved by the national U.S. Bank Foundation Board or by the U.S. Bank Foundation President.

Focus Area: PLAY

Creating vibrant communities through play.

Play brings joy, and it’s just as necessary for adults as it is for kids. But in low-income areas there are often limited spaces for play and fewer people attending arts and cultural events. That’s why we invest in community programming that supports ways for children and adults to play and create.

Access to artistic and cultural programming and arts education

Our investments ensure economic vitality and accessibility to the arts in local communities, as well as support for arts education. Examples of grant support include:

• Programs that provide access to cultural activities, visual and performing arts, zoos and aquariums and botanic gardens for individuals and families living in underserved communities
• Funding for local arts organizations that enhance the economic vitality of the community
• Programs that provide funding for arts-focused nonprofit organizations that bring visual and performing arts programming to low- and moderate-income K-12 schools and youth centers

Supporting learning through play.

Many young people across the country do not have the resources or access to enjoy the benefits of active play. Supporting active play-based programs and projects for K-12 students located in or serving low- and moderate-income communities fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration and impacts the overall vitality of the communities we serve. Funding support includes:

• Support for organizations that build or expand access to active play spaces and places that help K-12 students learn through play and improves the health, safety and unification of neighborhoods in low- and moderate-income communities
• Programs that focus on using active play to help young people develop cognitive, social and emotional learning skills to become vibrant and productive citizens in low- and moderate-income communities

Focus Area: WORK

Supporting workforce education and prosperity.

We know that a strong small business environment and an educated workforce ensure the prosperity of our communities and reducing the expanding wealth gap for communities of color. We provide grant support to programs and organizations that help small businesses thrive, allow people to succeed in the workforce, provide pathways to higher education and gain greater financial literacy.

Investing in the workforce.

We fund organizations that provide training for small business development, as well as programs that support individuals across all skill and experience levels, to ensure they have the capability to gain employment that supports individuals and their families. Examples of grant support include:

Small business technical assistance programs

Job-skills, career readiness training programs with comprehensive placement services for low- and moderate-income individuals entering or reentering the labor force

Providing pathways for educational success.

To address the growing requirements for post-secondary education in securing competitive jobs in the workplace, we support:

• Organizations and programs that help low- and moderate-income and at-risk middle and high school students prepare for post-secondary education at a community college, university, trade or technical school and career readiness
• Programs and initiatives at post-secondary institutions that support access to career and educational opportunities for low- and moderate-income and diverse students

Teaching financial well-being for work and life.

Financial well-being is not only critical for financial stability, it’s crucial in helping individuals be successful in the workplace. Examples of grant support include programs that positively impact:

• K-12 and college student financial literacy
• Adult and workforce financial literacy
• Senior financial fraud prevention
• Military service member and veteran financial literacy

Focus Area: HOME

Working to revitalize communities one neighborhood at a time.

Children and families are better positioned to thrive and succeed in a home that is safe and permanent. Access to sustainable low-income housing is increasingly challenges for low-moderate income families. In response, our giving supports efforts that connect individuals and families with sustainable housing opportunities.

Access to safe, affordable housing

We provide financial support to assist people in developing stability in their lives through access to safe, sustainable and accessible homes. Examples of grant support include:

• Organizations that preserve, rehabilitate, renovate or construct affordable housing developments for low- and moderate-income families, individuals, seniors, veterans, and special-needs populations
• Organizations that provide transitional housing as a direct steppingstone to permanent housing
• Organizations that focus on Veterans housing and homeownership
• Construction of green homes for low- and moderate-income communities
• Energy retrofit programs for low- and moderate-income housing developments

Home ownership education

Owning and maintaining a home requires significant financial knowledge, tools, and resources. We support programs that assist low- and moderate-income homebuyers and existing homeowners. Examples of grant support include:

• Homebuyer education
• Pre- and post-purchase counseling and coaching
• Homeownership-retention programs designed to provide foreclosure counseling

Overview

The Daniels Fund provides grants to support highly effective nonprofit organizations in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through the Daniels Fund Grants Program.

Bill Daniels helped a tremendous number of people during his lifetime, and continues to do so in extraordinary ways through the foundation he established. The Daniels Fund honors Bill’s direction and carries forward his legacy of generosity. We strive to be compassionate, approachable, and responsive. 

The Daniels Fund focuses on supporting highly effective and ethical nonprofit organizations that achieve significant results in the community. The geographic regions we serve, as well as our grant funding areas, were personally defined by our founder, and they do not change.

Funding Areas

These funding areas were established by our founder and they do not change:

Aging

Bill Daniels' Motivation

Bill helped to fulfill his mother's wish to remain in her own home and maintain her independence as she aged. In his later years, Bill gained additional insight from his own personal experiences.

Desired Result

• Older adults achieve maximum independence and quality of life.

Our Strategy

• In-Home Services:
• Seniors receive the services they need to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Respite care and navigator services are readily available to support family members caring for their elderly loved ones.
• Community Engagement:
• Seniors enjoy the benefits of remaining physically and mentally active, and participate in meaningful activities that contribute to their sense of purpose.
• End-of-Life/Palliative Care
• Seniors nearing the end of their lives have access to high quality, compassionate hospice and palliative care.

Amateur Sports

Bill Daniels’ Motivation

Bill loved sports and knew from personal experience that participation in sports and the influence of quality coaches could change the direction of a young person's life for the better.

Desired Result

Youth experience the benefits of participating in sports programs. Elite amateur athletes have the opportunity to participate in national and international competition.

Desired Outcomes:

• Youth Sports
• Affordable, community-based, multi-sport activities are available for youth, led by coaches trained to build a positive youth sports culture that promotes confidence, discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
• Competition
• National and international amateur sports competitions take place in the community. The costs of participation in national or international competitions — such as training and travel expenses — are offset for elite athletes.

Disabilities

Bill Daniels’ Motivation

One of Bill's sisters was born with developmental disabilities. Bill observed how his parents' choice to provide compassionate care at home enhanced his sister's health and happiness. Later in life, he suffered from his own disability — severe hearing loss.

Desired Result

People with disabilities achieve dignity through maximum independence and quality of life.

Our Strategy

•  Developmental Disabilities
• People with developmental disabilities receive the supportive services they need to achieve the greatest level of independence and quality of life possible. Respite care is readily available to support family members caring for loved ones.
• Physical Disabilities (Equipment)
• People with physical disabilities gain access to life-altering equipment that maximizes their independence and quality of life.

Drug & Alcohol Addiction

Bill Daniels’ Motivation

Bill suffered from alcoholism and embraced sobriety after seeking treatment. He talked openly about his ongoing recovery as a way to educate and provide hope to others. Bill personally helped countless friends and business associates seek treatment and regain control of their lives.

Desired Result

Adults and youth with drug and alcohol addiction challenges achieve and maintain stability.

Our Strategy

• Prevention (Emphasis on Youth)
• The risks and repercussions associated with drug and alcohol addiction are effectively conveyed to young people, resulting in positive behavioral and perceptional changes.
• Treatment & After-Care Services (Recovery)
• Individuals maintain long-term sobriety by having access to high quality treatment programs and supportive after-care services.

Early Childhood Education

Bill Daniels’ Motivation

Bill saw the need for healthy, safe, and nurturing early childhood experiences in the home and beyond. He wanted to ensure early childhood education started children on a path to success.

Desired Result

Kindergarten readiness is ensured through an improved early childhood system.

Our Strategy

• Teacher/Leadership Quality
• Teachers, leaders, and caregivers receive the essential training and support that ensures children in their care are well-prepared for kindergarten.
• Program Quality
• System-level investments improve curriculum, materials, and resources across multiple learning sites.
• Parental Engagement
• Parents and other caregivers are empowered to become "first teachers" by gaining awareness of important developmental milestones and knowledge of effective strategies to ensure children reach them.

Note: We typically do not provide funding for individual child care centers.

Homeless & Disadvantaged

Bill Daniels’ Motivation

Bill's great compassion for people struggling to meet basic human needs fueled his desire to help them get back on their feet. He wanted to offer disadvantaged individuals and families a hand-up and spark their motivation to reenter the workforce.

Desired Result

Homeless individuals and families achieve and maintain self-sufficiency without the need for public assistance.

Our Strategy

• Transitional Housing & Supportive Services
• Individuals and families who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless break the cycle of poverty and attain economic self-sufficiency by receiving access to transitional housing, comprehensive supportive services, and employment opportunities.
• Emergency Services*
• Individuals and families experiencing the initial stages of homelessness move from crisis toward economic self-sufficiency by receiving overnight shelter and food assistance in a structured manner that encourages both accountability and participation in case management.

* Our investment in this area is limited

K-12 Education Reform

Our Strategy: Support innovative efforts to reform the K-12 education system, resulting in a wider range of high quality school choices and increased student achievement.

Desired Outcomes:

• Reform/School Choice
• Achieve systemic education reform by supporting high-performing charter schools and tuition assistance programs (portable vouchers) that broaden quality educational options for families. Competition prompts challenges to the status quo.
• Teacher/Leadership Quality*
• Teachers and school leaders receive innovative training and support to maximize student achievement.
• Parental Engagement
• Parents are better educated in the areas of school quality and choice, and understand how to be effective advocates for their children.

* Emphasis is on charter schools

Youth Development

Bill Daniels' Motivation

Bill supported character-building programs that help youth become confident, patriotic, and independent. He wanted kids to develop personal accountability and responsibility. He also wanted them to understand the value of money, the free enterprise system, and that success is earned through hard work.

Desired Result

Youth develop character and gain the necessary life skills to become successful adults.

• Career & Technical Education
• All youth — whether planning to earn a college degree or not — develop clear pathways to meaningful employment through opportunities for career exploration, job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships.
• Civic Engagement
• Youth actively contribute to bettering their communities as engaged, informed citizens with strong American values.
• Financial Literacy & Free Enterprise
• Youth become active participants in the free enterprise system by developing a strong understanding of economics, business, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.

We Would be Delighted to Visit with You

The Daniels Fund grants team spends time visiting the communities we serve to get to know area nonprofits, learn about effective programs and projects, and understand how needs vary from place to place.

We continually look for opportunities to support excellent programs that align with our funding priorities. We look forward to speaking with you.

Our State-Specific Grantmaking Approach

The Daniels Fund has tailored its grantmaking strategies and objectives for Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming to address specific needs in each state.

National Grant Funding

The Daniels Fund supports select programs with a nationwide focus by invitation only. We do not provide funding for regional, local, or community-based programs outside our four-state region.

Due to our focused strategy, we do not accept unsolicited national grant applications.

NOTE: Grant submissions by invitation only until further notice.

Our Mission

The Kampe Foundation is a private foundation that provides programs and funding to nonprofit organizations in the fields of community development, social justice, and environmental issues.

How We Accomplish Our Work

The Kampe Foundation serves nonprofit organizations and communities in most of the western United States. Special project areas include San Mateo County, California and Western Colorado, especially the North Fork of the Gunnison River Valley.

Grants are awarded in our 4 program areas:

• Healthcare and education for special populations (youth, disabled, low-income and senior citizens)
• Christian ministry, ethics and social justice.
• Science and engineering
• Sustainable agriculture and environmental issues.

CHFA’s Direct Effect Awards recognize Colorado nonprofit organizations whose missions align with CHFA’s work to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development.

Does your mission align with CHFA’s mission to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development in the following ways:

Affordable Home Ownership - Strengthening low- and moderate- income Coloradans ability to achieve or sustain affordable homeownership, financial literacy and education, home maintenance repairs and renovations, housing counseling, or foreclosure prevention.

Affordable Rental Housing - The development or preservation of affordable rental housing, or providing support and wrap-around services for residents, rental assistance, tenant legal aid and fair housing support, or rental housing search services, or eviction prevention, or support for people experiencing homelessness.

Economic Development - Strengthening economic development and small business access to capital, fresh food access in food deserts, entrepreneurship, leadership, business-readiness, job training and skill development, or nonprofit-sector development and support.

Does your organization work in any of the following areas that further CHFA’s vision that everyone in Colorado will have the opportunity for housing stability and economic prosperity?

Education - Increasing access to or achievement in early childhood education, K-12, higher education, or financial education; mentoring and scholarships; or narrowing the education gap particularly among diverse, rural, and economically disadvantaged populations.

Mobility - Mobility, transit, and alternative modes of transportation, increasing access and affordability, jobs and housing in proximity to transit.

Health - Increasing health access and affordability, improving health outcomes for underserved populations inclusive of either physical, mental, or behavioral health.

Energy - Providing energy cost assistance for low income households, weatherization, retrofits, or upgrades for energy efficiency.

About

The Preservation Leadership Forum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a network of preservation leaders — professionals, students, volunteers, activists, experts — who share the latest ideas, information, and advice, and have access to in-depth preservation resources and training.

Southwest Intervention Fund

Grants from the National Trust’s Southwest Intervention Fund are intended to further preservation efforts of the traditional cultures of the Southwest region, exclusively in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, West Texas (West Texas is defined as the area west of US Route 281 from the Oklahoma border to San Antonio proper and north of US Route 90 from San Antonio proper to Del Rio) and Utah. The Fund provides support for preservation planning efforts and enables prompt responses to emergency threats or opportunities in the eligible states. Local partners, nonprofit organizations and government agencies that have strategic opportunities to save sites or help jumpstart preservation projects are eligible for the fund’s small, catalytic grants. Grants generally range from $2,500 to $10,000.

The Fund can support assistance for a single prehistoric or historic place or actions affecting an entire state or part of a state, or several states, so long as all of the states are among the five designated states. Actions aimed at direct intervention to save historic and cultural sites and at capacity building are eligible.

The decision to pursue project funding through the Southwest Intervention Fund must be made in consultation with the National Trust grants office. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your project.  

The Supporting Holistic, Culturally Responsive and Youth-Driven Physical Well-being funding opportunity will support high-quality, high-impact youth programs or projects that advance physical well-being programming that is holistic, culturally responsive and informed or driven by youth and their families.

This funding opportunity will help to elevate the assets of youth and their families, so they have the agency and self-determination to make decisions related to good physical well-being that pull from their cultural background and experiences.

We anticipate funding requests from youth-serving nonprofit organizations and schools that currently have or wish to provide age-appropriate physical well-being programming for children and youth in their communities.

Two funding pathways:

• Pathway 1: Scale
  • Existing programs are already holistic, culturally responsive and informed/driven by youth and families. These programs are ready to scale and provide greater access and opportunities for our priority populations.
• Pathway 2: Capacity

• • Programs are holistic, culturally responsive and informed/driven by youth/families, but need to deepen their practice and expertise to deliver impactful programmatic opportunities that best serve the needs of our priority populations.

Proposed program and/or projects must reflect the Foundation’s cornerstones, found here. These outline who we serve, how our work is informed and our intent to create health equity (see here).

Organizations must be able to demonstrate- at varying levels of readiness for- programs/projects that are:

Holistic

• Programming that leverages appropriate opportunities to address factors that create barriers to good physical health, such as:
  • Confidence and self-efficacy: This includes physical activity literacy, mentorship and skill-building.
  • Psychosocial factors: This includes work that builds positive associations with physical activity, nutrition and other factors addressing body image and self-esteem.

Culturally Responsive

• Programming must be inclusive of cultural identity, language and traditions while leveraging youth's strengths and building on the assets of the communities served.

Youth and Family Driven

• Programming must be deeply informed and driven by youth and can range from being youth-developed to creating spaces for robust youth and family input.

NOTE: Applicants are strongly encouraged to speak with a staff member prior to applying. Calls will be scheduled starting March 23, 2023. Call 303-547-1800 or email [email protected] to schedule.

NextFifty Initiative

NextFifty Initiative is a Colorado-based private foundation dedicated to funding mission-driven initiatives that improve the lives of the older adult population and their caregivers. We seek to fund game-changing efforts to improve and sustain the quality of life for people in their second 50 years. NextFifty Initiative educates about proven initiatives and advocates for transformational change. We consider ourselves an engine for innovation that transforms aging. Our work will impact lives for generations to come.

Advancing Equity in Aging

The purpose of Advancing Equity in Aging is to provide financial support to organizations that serve and/or seek to serve historically marginalized communities. Through this opportunity, NextFifty Initiative seeks to address systemic barriers to care and/or other types of services and supports for older adults with intersectional identities and increase the capacity of the organizations that serve (or seek to serve) them. Grants will provide flexible dollars to address healthy aging, access to care and support, ageism, racism, and systemic inequities, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of marginalized older adults.

This grant opportunity embraces a trust-based approach with a simple application, lower barrier of entry, minimal reporting, and opportunities for relationship building. Instead of being asked to articulate a specific project plan and budget, Advancing Equity in Aging Grant applicants will be asked about their organization’s and/or program’s goals, how the funding will support the achievement of those goals, and the organization’s need for these funds. Our goal for this funding opportunity is to help organizations and programs serving historically marginalized older adults achieve their goals and improve their work toward enhancing the lives of older adults.

For purposes of this grant, NextFifty defines marginalized as “a person or group consistently treated as insignificant or peripheral, on the margin (including individuals or groups lacking access to basic services and opportunities").

NextFifty Initiative is committed to social equity and expects grantees to demonstrate performance accountability that is free from discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, religion, national origin, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other protected status. In addition, NextFifty Initiative seeks proposals that focus on the most underserved in the aging sector including but not limited to: communities of color, disabled, homeless, LGBTQ+, low-income, rural, immigrant/refugee, and other marginalized and/or vulnerable communities.

What will NextFifty Initiative consider funding?

Grant requests must intentionally focus on the marginalized aging or aging-disabled populations age 50 and over, or the caregivers of these populations. In addition, applicants must demonstrate a connection/commitment to serving and/or working with historically marginalized populations and that funding will directly benefit two or more of the populations listed below:

• Low-income
• Rural
• Frontier
• Communities of Color
• LGBTQ+
• Immigrant/Refugee
• Physical/Cognitive/Behavioral Disability
• Other

In addition, organizations that are led by people of color (including the organization’s CEO/Executive Director and/or 51% or more of the organization’s leadership team or board) may qualify if they also meet one of the above criteria.

Examples of requests NextFifty will consider include:

• Work to support marginalized caregivers and/or work that promotes healthy aging in marginalized communities
• Project-based initiatives aiming to better the lives of marginalized older adults
• Increasing an organization’s capacity to serve marginalized older adults

Funding Information

Community Grants

The Colorado Respite Care Program periodically awards Community Grants to qualified for-profit, nonprofit agencies or governmental entities currently providing respite services.

This program is an effort to respond to the respite care needs of Colorado's family caregivers of individuals with special needs, chronic conditions, older adults, foster children and kinship relations and more. 

Organizations will be awarded funds to support families in need of respite care

Purpose of Request

Easterseals Colorado is seeking applications from qualified entities currently providing respite services in an effort to respond to the respite care needs of Colorado’s family caregivers. Respite care provides family caregivers with a break. Respite can be provided in a home, at a center or in the community. The key is that the caregiver must have the opportunity to leave and know their loved one is being well cared for. This grant program supports services across the lifespan and health and disability spectrums, and serves the entire state of Colorado.

The grant program is funded through Colorado State General Funds, and is managed by Easterseals Colorado and the Colorado Department of Human Services, State Unit on Aging. The intent of these funds is to increase access to respite care options for family caregivers and help agencies build capacity to provide additional services. All funds are specified to be used to support families as a Payer of Last Resort (i.e. families who do not actively receive respite allocations through Medicaid waivers or other funds). Grant applicants must define how agency will determine populations most in need within its application.

Special Note: Easterseals Colorado also offers a separate respite voucher program, where families can apply directly for financial assistance for respite services. Agencies are able to participate in both the voucher and grant program, but cannot serve families simultaneously using both funding sources. If an agency is awarded a grant and also actively participates in the voucher program, the agency must work with Easterseals Colorado to ensure proper allocation of funds and prevent duplication of families served during the grant period.

Award Amount and Term

Organizations will be awarded funds to support families in need of respite care. Agencies are not required to provide a match or in-kind donations, but it is encouraged when available to stretch the funds further. Agencies that receive funds must currently provide respite services. These funds cannot be used for startup programs or brick and mortar. No funds may be used for food or beverage at any time. The anticipated award range is $5,000 – $35,000

NOTE: Applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule a call.

Flexible Support

Flexible Support Funding is designed to help Colorado organizations make progress toward their goal of improving the lives of older adults while also helping to increase or sustain an organization’s capacity to serve older adults. Flexible Support embraces a trust-based approach with a simple application, lower barrier of entry, minimal reporting, and opportunities for relationship-building.

Flexible Support Grants are restricted to organizations or programs that currently serve older adults and are addressing healthy aging, access to care and support, ageism, racism, systemic inequities, and improving the lives of older adults. Instead of being asked to articulate a specific project plan and budget, Flexible Support Grant applicants will be asked about their organization’s and/or program’s goals, how the funding will support the achievement of those goals, and the organization’s need for these funds.

NextFifty Initiative is committed to social equity and expects grantees to demonstrate performance accountability that is free from discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, religion, national origin, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other protected status. In addition, NextFifty Initiative seeks proposals that focus on the most underserved in the aging sector including but not limited to: communities of color, disabled, homeless, LGBTQ+, low-income, rural, immigrant/refugee, and vulnerable communities.

NextFifty will consider requests for:

• Programs aiming to better the lives of older adults
• Funding existing programs/services
• Increasing an organization’s capacity to serve older adults

Requests are strengthened by:

A focus on a historically marginalized community or communities