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: Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation to determine potential fit before submitting a Letter of Inquiry. A Letter of Inquiry can be submitted at any time. We will typically notify you within four to six weeks if we are able to invite a Full Proposal.

Program Overview 

The main objective of the foundation is to carry on the legacy of Joseph and Vera Dresner by supporting the work of organizations in our focus areas. It was the Dresner’s mission that the foundation would provide a channel to improve the lives of people and animals in their communities. 

The foundation’s approach empowers community members to benefit from the grant investments that we make. We partner with organizations that are committed to creating opportunities for the underserved in our communities. Those partners include a wide-range of entities, including hospitals, community centers, and other nonprofits. 

Our goal is to provide organizations with the necessary resources, so they can continue offering services to those most in need. We seek to test innovative approaches, determine lessons from current commendable activities, and promote the adoption of creative thinking on a broad scale through direct grant making and support for research and other ventures that advance community support. 

We Offer 3 Types of Support: 

• Project – Development of new programs, expansion of existing programs, or continuation of sustainable, recognized effective current programming. 
• Capital – Equipment purchase, acquisition, construction and/or renovation of facilities. 
• Funding for special circumstances, in support of existing grantee  programs, will be considered on a case by case basis. Please note the foundation will not accept unsolicited proposals for this type of support. 

Our Focus Areas Include: 

Health 

We fund projects that support institutions conducting medical research and clinical trials specifically related to Myelodysplastic Syndromes. We also fund projects that improve access to health care and health outcomes. Click here to view information about the Foundation's Myelodysplasia Research Grant.

Access - support for programs that improve the health outcomes of vulnerable people, particularly underserved, low-income individuals who don’t have adequate access to health care. 

The foundation is equally interested in efforts that have broad and meaningful impact and focus on intervention and prevention beyond the boundaries of any one disease. 

Therefore, we seek to support a network of hospitals and community-based organizations that work to improve the health outcomes of these individuals through enhanced access to health care.

Youth and Family 

It is critical that disadvantaged, underserved, and special needs children have access to programs that allow them to learn and foster important life skills. We help organizations develop and sustain programs that empower children and their families and offer opportunity to improve their lives. 

Self-Discovery – support for youth programs that foster self-empowerment and self-esteem through academic, artistic, personal or social enrichment. 

Regardless, if a child lives in poverty or has a chronic disease, it is essential that they have access to programs that encourage self-expression and move their lives forward in a meaningful way. Therefore, we support organizations that empower children and optimize their development by providing access to programs that promote academic, artistic, personal and social enhancement opportunities. 

Strengthening Families – support for programs that reinforce families. 

We are also interested in organizations that support youth through the provision of services that strengthen their families such as, but not limited to, workforce development, housing and family food assistance.

Animal Welfare 

We work with animal care organizations to make certain that they have the resources needed to ensure the best care and secure shelter for animals and offer corresponding public education initiatives.

Shelter and Aid – support for state-of-the-art facilities and services and corresponding public education initiatives.  

The foundation works with animal welfare organizations to make sure they have the resources they need to advance their work. We are interested in supporting state-of-the art facilities and services. Animal welfare efforts that the foundation will consider are, but not limited to, providing adequate treatment resources, upgrading equipment, improving and maintaining facilities, aiding in the shelter of animals in communities, and public education initiatives.

NOTE: While the Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding in these areas, we encourage you to browse our grants and investments database and strategic priorities to determine our scope of interest — and if you believe you might be a fit, reach out to one of our program officers.

Strategic Grants

The Gates Family Foundation uses a portfolio approach to grant making in three priority areas: K‐12 Education, Natural Resources, and Community Development. Overall, strategic grants constitute about 60% of the Foundation’s annual grant making budget (with the remaining 40% dedicated to capital grants). This approach allows the Foundation to pursue ambitious, large-scale outcomes with a set of key partners while also remaining responsive to the broader community’s needs.

Please note that this type of funding is not an opportunity for ongoing operating or program support, though it does allow us to work over multiple years with grantees focused on a specific set of goals and outcomes. While we continually work with grantees to adjust strategies and approaches, we expect to maintain a commitment to these broad priority areas over time.

Education

Approximately 23% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to strategic efforts to increase the quality and equity of Colorado’s public K-12 education system. Our K-12 education team uses this portfolio to support three key strategies: innovative learning environments, school system innovation, and conditions for sustained innovation.

• Innovative Learning Environments
• School System Innovation
• Conditions for Sustained Innovation

Natural Resources

Approximately 23% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to strategic efforts to protect and steward our state’s precious land and water resources. Our natural resources team uses this portfolio to support three key strategies: balanced water management, forest health and watershed restoration, and landscape conservation and land trust capacity building.

• Balanced Water Management
• Forest Health and Watershed Restoration
• Landscape Conservation and Land Trust Capacity Building

Community Development

Approximately 12% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to strategic efforts to increase the vitality and resilience of Colorado’s urban and rural communities. Our community development team uses this portfolio to support two key outcomes: economic mobility for families and individuals, and equitable community assets.

• Economic Mobility for Families and Individuals
• Equitable Community Assets

Informed Communities

Approximately 5% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to catalyzing innovations in Colorado’s civic news ecosystem that make it more collaborative, sustainable, and responsive to the communities it serves. Our Informed Communities team uses this portfolio to support three key priorities: a stronger civic news ecosystem, more coverage of Gates’ core issue areas, and more diverse and inclusive local news leadership, voices and models.

• Evolve and Strengthen the Civic News Ecosystem
• Address Gaps in Civic News Coverage
• Build Inclusive News Leaderships, Voices and Models

NOTE:  The application deadline has been  extended to December 1, 2023.

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

NOTE: Grant seekers must register for access to the online grants portal. If you have previously registered for an account, you do not need to register again. Registration deadline is the "pre-proposal" deadline above. 

Caring For Colorado Grant Program: Public Policy Advocacy focus area can be found here.

Our Approach

With optimism and dedication, we work to improve the lives of children and families in Colorado through collaboration, partnership, shared knowledge and grantmaking. We take a long-term view of our work as we seek to address root causes, promote prevention, improve systems and advance policy change.

Focus Areas

Caring for Colorado’s vision is that Colorado’s children and families are happy, healthy and thriving and our purpose is creating equity in health, well-being and opportunity for Colorado’s children and families. Given this, we focus our grantmaking in four primary areas. 

Healthy Beginnings

We believe infants, young children and their caregivers need and deserve equitable access to supportive resources that nurture healthy development.

We want Colorado’s children to have healthy beginnings — brain development is most rapid in the first three years of life and early experiences and relationships have significant impact on health and well-being.

Healthy Youth

We believe promoting youth-friendly services, centering youth voice and addressing systemic inequities are foundational to the healthy development of youth.

Adolescence is a time of significant brain, body and emotional growth. The changes in brain structure and connectivity that occur between the ages of 10 and 25 present important opportunities for positive, life-shaping development, and for recovering from past adversity.

Strong & Resilient Families

We believe all families need support and deserve equitable access to resources that nurture development, behavioral health, stability and healthy relationships.

Families need support to provide stable and responsive environments for children to grow. Children deserve to have safe and happy experiences throughout their childhood and adolescence and to grow up to have full adult lives.

NOTE: No Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is required if you have received funding within the past three years and still meet our general rules of eligibility. (If funding from the McGowan Fund was received more than three years ago, you must go through the LOI process.)

What We Do

The McGowan Fund is the living legacy of William G. McGowan, an entrepreneur and change-maker. We give priority to programs that have demonstrated success, have measurable outcomes and plans for sustainability, and aim to end cycles of poverty and suffering. 

Our active, strategic grant-making focuses on three areas: Education, with an emphasis on improving academic achievement, high school graduation rates, and college success; Human Services, with an emphasis on homelessness; and Healthcare & Medical Research, with an eye to prevention of cardiac disease and reversal of metabolic syndrome through intensive lifestyle management. We also support access to healthcare.

In our grant making, we focus on three areas

Education Initiatives- with an emphasis on improving academic achievement, high school graduation rates, and college success

Education makes all the difference. It is the most powerful point of departure for children struggling with poverty, community disruption, family stress, or failure. It’s the prerequisite for most long-lived careers that provide sustainable wages.

Through our grant-making in five geographic regions, the McGowan Fund focuses on innovative programs that show measurable improvement in addressing achievement gaps, improving teaching and learning, and reducing disparities among students.

Areas of support in this initiative include:

• Out-of-school Programs
• Charter, faith-based, and alternative schools
• Scholarships for high achieving students in private education.

Human Services Initiatives- with an emphasis on homelessness

The cycles of poverty and homelessness can seem intractable. Homelessness attenuates access to food, health, and work; this limited availability in turn hinders access to long-term housing. Recognizing the complexity and dependencies of the problem, the Fund focuses on projects that address basic human needs and stabilize individuals and families. 

Areas of support in this initiative include:  

• Stabilized Housing
• Food/Clothing Security
• Adult Education (e.g. ESL, Financial Literacy, GED Attainment)
• Homelessness Remediation/Prevention

Healthcare Initiatives- with an eye to providing access to families living without readily available care.

Lack of healthcare can be a barrier to work, education, and a family’s mobility out of poverty. We fund programs that seek to remove this barrier by providing quality care to those who may not have other care options.

Areas of support in this initiative include:

• Primary Care
• Dental/Vision
• Mental Health Services
• Pharmacy

NOTE: Prior to submitting a proposal, many applicants find it useful to contact a program officer of the Foundation to review the substance of the proposed project.

Land, facilities, and civic infrastructure are long-term assets that can transform the ability of nonprofit and community organizations to serve Colorado communities. For this reason, the Gates Family Foundation invests in capital projects across the state, in both rural and urban areas. We strive to be responsive to each community’s unique needs and opportunities.

Our capital grants are generally limited to comprehensive capital campaigns, which are typically for building purchases, construction, expansion, renovation, and/or land acquisition. Only nonprofit organizations with capital projects that benefit Colorado and its residents are qualified to apply. When making funding decisions, we prioritize:

• Projects that address root problems with substantive solutions
• Projects with strong evidence of support from the community and the organization’s board
• Projects in rural and low-income areas across Colorado where there are fewer individuals and institutions providing support for capital projects
• Projects that serve individuals and communities of color who have faced historic inequities and lack of access to funding
• Projects that reinforce the foundation’s strategic priorities in K-12 public education, natural resources, community development, and informed communities
• Projects that address climate change, and/or incorporate green building and sustainable development practices

Priority Funding Areas

We fund capital projects within five categories that overlap somewhat with the Foundation’s strategic priorities, but are broader in scope in order to be more responsive to community needs.

Arts & Culture

The Foundation supports cultural organizations that:

• enhance the quality of community life while also strengthening the economy
• link a community with its heritage and contribute to usable community infrastructure
• serve as an educational resource for children, youth, and adults.

Funding examples in this area are:

• libraries & museums
• community theaters
• performing arts organizations
• historic preservation that contributes to community revitalization

Education

The Foundation supports major capital projects for:

• charter schools that serve a substantial proportion of low-income students (generally, at least 50% of the student body will qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch), have demonstrated high academic achievement, and are utilizing a sustainable financial model
• public schools in rural areas that have planned capital improvements which are heavily used by the community, and that reinforce the long-term viability of the area
• licensed early childhood education centers with particular, but not exclusive, interest in rural areas of the state to assure readiness for elementary school and to strengthen rural economies
• organizations that provide life-long learning and experiential learning to a broad audience
• independent school and public and private university capital campaigns on a highly selective basis

Funding examples in this area:

• participation in the matching requirement for a charter school receiving a BEST grant
• rural school improving its auditorium or athletic field for school and community use
• rural community establishing an early childhood education center to fill an unmet need
• early childhood education center making significant facility improvements in order to advance the quality of care for the children served
• facility improvements for an organization that provides adult GED, literacy, or vocational training
• on a highly selective basis, support for public and private universities with campaigns to improve their science, technology, library, and engineering related facilities

Well-being of Children, Youth & Families

The Foundation supports organizations that encourage individuals to:

• develop greater self-sufficiency, including the well-being and independence of disadvantaged families and the elderly
• increase leadership and life skills
• maintain good health and well-being rather than cure disease

Funding examples in this area:

• human service organizations promoting self-sufficiency
• community and senior centers
• family resource centers
• youth mentoring organizations
• nonprofit dental clinics
• residential treatment centers for youth
• transitional housing facilities
• job training
• rural health centers (non-FQHC)

Parks & Recreation

The Foundation supports capital projects that:

• invest in land and water protection that safeguards important natural resources, habitat, and the health of natural systems
• help preserve the state’s ranching and agricultural legacy and encourage smart land use patterns
• construct and improve urban and mountain parks and open space for public recreation and access
• maintain the state’s urban and mountain trail systems
• provide recreation, environmental education and leadership opportunities for young people
• encourage the spirit of scientific inquiry as well as the preservation of natural habitat

Funding examples in this area:

• land conservation and easement purchases
• greenways and trail systems
• outdoor/indoor recreation facilities
• urban public spaces and community gardens

Community Development & Revitalization

The Foundation invests in projects that:

• have the potential to reinforce and enhance the economic vitality of a community
• involve partnerships between public and private sector organizations that seek to improve the economic and cultural health of communities

Funding examples in this area:

• restoration of historically significant architecture that contributes to community revitalization
• development of rural main streets as a means of promoting community revitalization
• heritage tourism as a means of promoting economic health for rural areas
• public-private partnerships for economic development

Herbert Parker was a lifelong resident of Denver, Colorado who worked as a tile contractor in the construction industry. The Herbert E. Parker Charitable Trust was established in 1982, pursuant to the terms of his Last Will and Testament, to fulfill his desire to further cancer research and to improve the lives of underprivileged children and children with special needs.

Mission

To carry out the donor’s stated preferences to support cancer research, the care and education of children with intellectual disabilities, and sporting programs for youth, particularly underprivileged children.

There are no program limitations; however, in accordance with the donor’s stated preferences, the foundation has a practice of primarily supporting cancer research, the care and education of children with intellectual disabilities, and sporting programs for youth, particularly underprivileged children. The trust has a practice of primarily supporting organizations that operate in Denver, Colorado due to the donor’s ties to this area.

Program areas:

• Education
• Health
• Human services

Incorporated in 2019, the Colorado Energy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) subsidiary supported entirely by the oil and natural gas industry. The foundation is devoted to amplifying the philanthropic efforts of the oil and gas industry in Colorado and developing new community partnerships through strategic investment. ​

As we deepen our understanding of inequity in our community, systemic barriers, and disproportionate impact, our mission has never been more important or relevant. Through the Colorado Energy Foundation, the oil and gas industry leverages its established presence in Colorado as a philanthropic partner, and accelerates our impact directly to the most vulnerable and underrepresented members of our community.

The Colorado Energy Foundation is focused on community partners who meet the immediate needs of those in crisis while simultaneously investing in partners that remove systemic barriers to success. This means supporting direct relief efforts, such as food insecurity and high housing costs, while also targeting resources to long-term outcomes and investment in education and workforce development. This dual approach addresses immediate needs while also creating pathways to opportunity and reversing generational cycles of poverty and lack of economic advancement.