Search Through Grants for the Arts in Denver, Colorado in the U.S.

Community Giving

As a financial cooperative, Bellco Credit Union’s mission is to improve our members’ quality of life by building their wealth and securing their financial future.

When it comes to our community engagement and financial support for charitable organizations, we focus our efforts on Financial Education, Quality of Life, and Arts & Culture initiatives, as well as initiatives that support our business priorities. Rather than making several small donations, Bellco makes larger contributions to fewer organizations so that we may have a more significant impact.

Focus Areas

• Financial Education
  • Helping provide the best tools and resources so our community can feel financially empowered is why we teamed up with EconLitCO, EVERFI, GreenPath, and Junior Achievement to provide financial education and learning solutions.
• Quality of Life
  • All Coloradans deserve to have access to food, water, and other basic needs.
  • Our support of Food Bank of the Rockies, Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope Distribution Center, and various Front Range and Western Slope food pantries helps to combat food insecurity and provide health and wellness support to those in need.
• Arts & Culture
  • Bellco believes access to arts and culture are fundamental to strong and vibrant communities, which is why we support the Denver Art Museum, Lone Tree Arts Center and Colorado Business Community for the Arts.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

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.

- 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. 

– 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. 

– 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.

– 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.

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

Corporate Contributions

Community involvement and corporate citizenship are an example of Insperity’s mission in action. We are committed to helping the communities where we live and work because together, we know we can make great things happen.

Grants

Philanthropic grants are a strong part of our community outreach and aid institutions needing financial support to meet important service goals.

Event Sponsorship

Fundraising events are an important part of nonprofit support. Insperity provides event sponsorships to approved charities to assist them in meeting their financial and community goals.

We award a Major Grant annually for up to $75,000. Past recipients include Craig Hospital Therapy Garden, Colorado State University, City of Brighton, Colorado Mental Health Institute of Pueblo, Denver Botanic Gardens, Hudson Gardens, Vail Alpine Gardens, Boys & Girls Club, Englewood Public Schools, Sewall Child Development Center, WOW! Children’s Museum, Denver Art Museum, Judi’s House, and many more!

Purpose

The organization supports horticulture and horticultural related projects and those groups and individuals that are involved or directly related.

About

The Mabel Y. Hughes Charitable Trust was established under the Last Will and Testament of Mabel Y. Hughes, a resident of Denver, Colorado. Ms. Hughes died on April 9, 1969. Her legacy of giving continues through grants to charitable organizations in the state of Colorado.

Mabel Y. Hughes Charitable Trust Grant

The Mabel Y. Hughes Charitable Trust supports charitable, educational, religious, and hospital institutions in the state of Colorado.

Program Areas

• Arts, culture and humanities 
• Education 
• Environment, animals 
• Health 
• Human services 
• Religion

Shoup Foundation

For the support of a Protestant Church, or an organization which benefits needy people or supports disaster relief efforts in Northern Colorado (North of Denver).

Program Areas

• Animal Welfare,
• Arts and Culture,
• Civic Activities,
• Community Development,
• Education,
• Environment,
• Health and Medical Research,
• Human and Social Services,
• Religious

About the Foundation

Ralph L. Burgess and Florence R. Burgess were a generous couple who cared greatly about the arts. In 1968, Mr. & Mrs. Burgess made a decision to share their wealth by creating the Ralph L. and Florence R. Burgess Trust with the expressed desire to assist charities who support the performing arts.

Mission

To promote, advance, and further the interest in the performing arts for the benefit of the people of the city and county of Denver, Colorado, and to provide support for specific charities named by the donor.

Program areas

• Arts, culture, and humanities 

Think 360 Arts for Learning

Mission

To engage Coloradans of all ages in innovative arts programming that inspires creativity, builds community, & advances equity.

Vision

All communities can experience the transformative benefits of arts education.

Values

• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility
• Creativity & Delight
• Learning & Curiosity

Equity in Arts Learning for Colorado Youth

Equity in Arts Learning for Colorado Youth (EAL) seeks to increase access to arts education for historically marginalized youth. Grants of $10,000-$25,000 are available to support projects that bring professional artists and culture bearers into educational settings to lead programming with youth ages 4-21. Projects supported by EAL will exemplify the value of arts education, encouraging ongoing community support.

Goals of this Initiative

The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Denver Arts and Venues, the Gates Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, and The Denver Foundation have partnered with Think 360 Arts to realize a nearly half-million dollar fund. The goal of the initiative is to dismantle the systemic barriers that have long prevented marginalized youth from experiencing the life-altering benefits of arts learning. Specifically:

• Strengthen regional efforts to improve sustained access to arts education for historically marginalized and minoritized youth (including youth who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual), a person with a disability, and/or living in a rural community).
• Provide opportunities for youth ages 4-21 to work with professional artists in an educational setting, especially youth who have limited or no access to high quality, sustained arts learning.
• Heighten awareness of the impact of arts education, so that resources both financial and curricular increase state-wide, leading to more equitable access to arts education for youth.

Project Design

Projects may involve any arts & culture discipline or genre, such as theater, dance, music, visual arts, media arts, literary arts, folk and traditional arts, or interdisciplinary art forms. Arts integration projects (connecting an art form with another subject area) are encouraged. Projects should:

• Take place over a period of time that allows for depth of learning and relationship building. Ideally, projects take place over the course of six weeks or longer.
• Center the identities and needs of youth. Youth should be consulted in the project’s design and be able to influence the project’s evolution along the way.
• Fill a clear gap in the school or community. The rationale for the project should be informed by the stated needs of the student and community.
• Engage experienced artists and culture bearers. Teaching artists should have a successful record of working with youth, and whose identities reflect the youth participants.
• Be highly accessible to youth participants. A fee may not be charged for participation, and it must take place in a setting that youth are able to easily get to.
• Allow for time and resources to measure and communicate the project’s value and impact. Evaluation results will be collectively shared.

Best and Brightest Management Internship Program (CO)

The Department of Local Affairs Best and Brightest Management Internship and Fellowship Program partners with counties, municipalities and universities across the state, striving to meet the needs of communities, engage future leaders, and meet students where they are in their professional development, connecting them to community work in public service.

Initially named in recognition of a former Department of Labor Affairs Regional Manager, Cathy Shipley, whose career trajectory, dedication and love of local government exemplified the model of earning a Master’s in Public Administration while working in the field, this program combines classroom studies with the real world experience of working in the public sector. Cathy’s professional life proved to be an inspiration to those who followed her footsteps and it is with this model in mind that the Department of Local Affairs has long supported increasing capacity in rural Colorado, finding innovative ways for communities to meet their current administrative needs and look towards the future. This program actively forwards equity, diversity, and inclusion in public service and public administration studies. An integral component of that work is helping to mold new community leaders and setting the stage for their success.

It is important that future leaders of our communities reflect our communities and this Internship and Fellowship Program is a natural pipeline to make that happen.

The program will work with local governments, students and educators in various ways:

• Paid summer or semester internships for high school seniors
• Paid summer or semester internships for undergraduate students
• Two-year paid fellowship for MPA and MPPA students studying at the CU Denver’s Center for New Directions (Political Science), CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs, Adams State University, or College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University

These partnerships meet the following objectives:

• To increase the likelihood of high school students choosing a public service path once they enter post-secondary education
• To introduce local government real-world work at the undergraduate level, ensuring higher success at the graduate level
• To provide a unique opportunity for students to complete their graduate degree while gaining invaluable real world learning experiences
• To develop potential local government managers, planners, economic and community development directors
• To provide a way for the Department of Local Affairs to support small and/or rural jurisdictions in meeting their administrative staffing needs in the most cost effective way possible

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver Failure Award Scholarship (UA1)

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver is awarding a $20,000 college scholarship to a graduating high school senior who demonstrates innovation, creativity, fearlessness, and a willingness to risk failure in the pursuit of something new. The Failure Award Scholarship rewards a Colorado student who embraces the spirit of creative risk taking with scholarship dollars that can be used at any accredited, post-secondary institution or trade school towards educational expenses.

While so much of student life is focused on achievement, MCA Denver believes that in order to create something original and authentic, it is necessary to risk failure. The Failure Award is given not on the basis of academic merit or athletic prowess, but rather on a student’s demonstration of a willingness to take these risks.

Selection

The scholarships will be awarded through a competitive process based on documentation of a project the student created or produced while in high school that demonstrates originality and creativity. This includes:

• Project description
• Supporting documentation
• Demonstration of creative risk-taking
• Presentation

The winner of the Failure Award Scholarship will receive a college scholarship in the amount of up to $20,000. The award will be distributed for up to four years in $5,000 increments.

Best and Brightest Management Fellowship Program (CO)

The Department of Local Affairs Best and Brightest Management Internship and Fellowship Program partners with counties, municipalities and universities across the state, striving to meet the needs of communities, engage future leaders, and meet students where they are in their professional development, connecting them to community work in public service.

Initially named in recognition of a former Department of Labor Affairs Regional Manager, Cathy Shipley, whose career trajectory, dedication and love of local government exemplified the model of earning a Master’s in Public Administration while working in the field, this program combines classroom studies with the real world experience of working in the public sector. Cathy’s professional life proved to be an inspiration to those who followed her footsteps and it is with this model in mind that the Department of Local Affairs has long supported increasing capacity in rural Colorado, finding innovative ways for communities to meet their current administrative needs and look towards the future. This program actively forwards equity, diversity, and inclusion in public service and public administration studies. An integral component of that work is helping to mold new community leaders and setting the stage for their success.

It is important that future leaders of our communities reflect our communities and this Internship and Fellowship Program is a natural pipeline to make that happen.

The program will work with local governments, students and educators in various ways:

• Paid summer or semester internships for high school seniors
• Paid summer or semester internships for undergraduate students
• Two-year paid fellowship for MPA and MPPA students studying at the CU Denver’s Center for New Directions (Political Science), CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs, Adams State University, or College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University

These partnerships meet the following objectives:

• To increase the likelihood of high school students choosing a public service path once they enter post-secondary education
• To introduce local government real-world work at the undergraduate level, ensuring higher success at the graduate level
• To provide a unique opportunity for students to complete their graduate degree while gaining invaluable real world learning experiences
• To develop potential local government managers, planners, economic and community development directors
• To provide a way for the Department of Local Affairs to support small and/or rural jurisdictions in meeting their administrative staffing needs in the most cost effective way possible

White Rose Foundation Community Grant

The White Rose Foundation is the fiscal sponsor for the Denver (CO) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, a volunteer-powered organization of Black women who have served Denver’s Black community for over 70 years. The purpose of the White Rose Foundation is to promote, encourage, assist, and engage in any and all kinds of charitable work to improve the educational, social, and economic welfare of people of color and other disadvantaged persons.  The organization is especially focused on transformational programs that reduce educational inequality, increase access to social determinants such as food, housing, transportation, and leadership development for Black women, teens and girls.   

Priority Areas

• Arts
• Services To Youth
• National Trends and Services
• International Trends and Services, 
• Health and Human Services

Additional Information

• In the area of education, the White Rose Foundation is responsive to the task of strengthening education at the primary and secondary school levels, with consideration given to selected higher education initiatives. Services include college scholarships for cross-cultural community interaction and philanthropic support of Black youth in the State of Colorado.
• In the area of health and welfare, activities that promote a healthy heart, women’s wellness, tissue donor awareness, and mental health are given priority.
• We support activities that promote equal opportunity, equity, diversity, advancement, and recognition for the Black community.
• We will continue to support a wide range of worthy activities, including matching challenge funds in collaboration with other educational, civic, or cultural organizations encompassing national and international trends and the arts.
• To assist with our learning and evaluation, please select your organization’s primary service area.
  • Along with our priority areas, you will have the option to select “other.” and write in your primary service area. Your grant application will be evaluated according to fit with the guidelines and the goals of the White Rose Foundation.

Background

For almost 100 years, Denver residents have trusted The Denver Foundation to steward charitable funds to meet today's needs and tomorrow's opportunities. It's a growing legacy and a community-wide effort to build a better future for everyone. As a tax-exempt, nonprofit, philanthropic organization, The Denver Foundation stewards more than 1,000 funds established by engaged philanthropists. In partnership with the foundation, our donors make gifts to organizations throughout the Seven- county Metro Denver region, across Colorado, and beyond.

Mission

We inspire people and mobilize resources to strengthen our community.

Vision

A Metro Denver that is racially equitable in its leadership, prosperity, and culture.

Purpose

To achieve our vision, we will be proactive, collaborative, and resolute leaders in reducing racial disparities

Grants

The Denver Foundation is pleased to invite qualified nonprofits to apply for funding for The Gorham/McGee Early Learning Fund. The Gorham/McGee Early Learning Fund is a new fund that The Denver Foundation created to support programs that further the education of children aged 0-12 by focusing on literacy, nature and the environment, and/or arts, including visual arts, music and theater.

Grants from the fund are currently $5,000. This year the fund will award two grants.

Background

The Denver Foundation is pleased to invite qualified nonprofits to apply for funding from Eulipions, Inc., a nonprofit organization that fosters, promotes, and preserves artistic expression with an emphasis on Colorado African-American heritage and lifestyles. The Eulipions Fund provides grants to generate, assist, increase, and encourage the performing arts in Colorado African-American communities.

Grants from the fund typically range from $4,000 – $10,000.

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Founded in 2008, and located in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, RedLine Contemporary Art Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting emerging artists and providing creative opportunities for local residents. We work to provide equitable access to the arts for under-resourced populations and grassroots organizations. This includes cultivating diverse communities of emerging artists to use socially-engaged art as a tool for positive change.

RedLine has launched more than 130 resident artists, engaged more than 10,400 students at under-resourced schools, provided space and resources for dozens of artists who are unhoused or experiencing hardship, and responded to community needs with creative solutions. 

Applying a community-responsive model by first listening to our local communities, we co-create innovative solutions to social challenges alongside artists young and old, housed and unhoused, emerging and seasoned, with these strategic program areas:

• Artists-in-Residence Program
• Youth Art Education
• Contemporary Art Exhibitions
• Community Art Programs
• Regranting & Artist Grants
• Creative Place-Keeping

With a history of responding to local societal needs through artistic interventions, RedLine is an essential and profoundly connected member of Denver's creative ecosystem and the go-to resource for professional artists and local communities to create positive social change.

INSITE Fund

The INSITE Fund is a grant program administered by RedLine and made possible by the The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting program. This fund responds to the gap in funding support for artist-driven projects on Colorado’s Front Range. INSITE is a 2-year, $60,000.00 per year, grant program, adding to and reinforcing the importance of funding opportunities that are accessible directly to artists working in an expansive field of ideas, audiences and visual arts practices.

• Funded projects challenge traditional notions of the visual arts and take place outside the studio, museum, art center or traditional gallery setting.
• The Fund specifically seeks to support projects that expand the public’s understanding of the visual arts.
• The intended outcome of the funding is to make visible often unseen and under-supported artistic activity, and to cultivate engaged communities around the work.

In 2025 INSITE Fund will award 6-12 grants of $5,000-$10,000 each for a total $60,000 in grant funding. Projects must take place within a 115 mile radius of Denver, within the state of Colorado. Geographic boundaries for the grant funding area are Norfolk to the North, Pueblo to the South, Akron to the East, and Wolcott to the West.

About the Denver Foundation

For almost 100 years, Denver residents have trusted The Denver Foundation to steward charitable funds to meet today's needs and tomorrow's opportunities. It's a growing legacy and a community-wide effort to build a better future for everyone. As a tax-exempt, nonprofit, philanthropic organization, The Denver Foundation stewards more than 1,000 funds established by engaged philanthropists. In partnership with the foundation, our donors make gifts to organizations throughout the Seven-county Metro Denver region, across Colorado, and beyond.

Greenwood Fund

The Greenwood Fund is a donor-advised fund of The Denver Foundation that provides small grants for the conservation of museum artifacts and collections care for museums in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

The focus of this funding opportunity is on small museums with collections and conservation budgets less than $1 million. The Greenwood Fund gives priority to smaller museums.

Types of Projects:

The Greenwood Fund supports two types of museum projects:

• Conservation treatment of art and objects and
• Collections care, including supplies, equipment, and personnel including contract personnel.

Conservation is a discipline that seeks to extend the lifespan of artworks and cultural heritage objects through interventive treatments such as cleaning, reassembly, stabilization, or by providing an environment that helps protect against agents of deterioration including insect pests, light, vandalism, and chemically unstable storage materials.

An important aspect of collections care is the use of appropriate, approved storage materials and furniture which is typically the purview of a curator/collections manager.

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation strategically provides grants and fellowships to advance the arts and inspire creative leadership in Denver. Our foundation is richly steeped in Denver’s cultural history, but we are also a contemporary leader in fueling innovation and exploration in our creative economy.Denver is a diverse, vibrant community where arts and culture are essential, relevant and accessible to all, and nonprofit leaders have the tools and support they need to lead with vision, creativity, compassion and equity.Each year we give more than $3.5 million to arts organizations and nonprofit leaders, because we believe these entities and individuals are critical to building and sustaining a vibrant and just community.

Equity-Focused Leadership Grants

The Equity-Focused Leadership Grants program seeks to nurture a pipeline of diverse leaders committed to driving positive change within their communities. The nonprofit sector has consistently struggled with a lack of diversity of staff – especially at the executive level. This persistent racial leadership gap negatively impacts the career trajectories and well-being of BIPOC professionals who face systemic barriers that prevent them, and others from historically marginalized communities, from pursuing pathways to executive leadership. To help address these disparities and build on our longstanding commitment to support leaders who affect change, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation seeks to support the pipeline of potential leaders through the Equity-Focused Leadership grants which provide up to $10,000 to six (6) organizations that support the leadership development of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or adults with disabilities aspiring to lead in the nonprofit sector. 

Process

Grant awards will be determined by a panel of BSF staff and community members who will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

• Development and use of innovative, culturally relevant methods to supporting leaders
• Degree and depth of community involvement in both identifying and addressing the issue(s)/need(s) of aspiring leaders
• Centering BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disability and/or other underrepresented communities and their lived experiences in program design and implementation
• Potential for the program to cultivate leaders who champion systems change
• Organizational commitment to fair wages/stipends for program staff/collaborators

What is the Arts in Society Grant?

Arts in Society is a collaborative grant-making program that fosters cross-sector work through the arts by supporting the integration of arts and culture into multiple disciplines critical to the health and well-being of Coloradans.

Administered by RedLine Contemporary Art Center and funded through a cohort of Colorado foundations and government agencies, the program provides grants to individuals and organizations seeking to implement projects that utilize the arts as an integral element in promoting social justice and community welfare. 

The program supports projects that engage a wide range of issues and media. 

Whether it be a dancer working within a hospital system to bring awareness to nurse burnout and compassion fatigue, a coalition of community organizations using art to engage neighbors in participatory budgeting, or The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment working with artists to communicate the priorities of its public health improvement plan, the Arts in Society grant program funds projects that engage arts organizations and artists as partners in illuminating and finding solutions to a wide array of civic and social challenges faced by Colorado communities.

Grants are determined by a selection panel, which seeks projects that best illustrate artistic excellence, broaden the understanding of the role arts play in society, demonstrate cross-sector work, exhibit cultural relevancy, foster community engagement, and present opportunities for shared learning. . 

In addition to receiving financial support, Arts in Society grantees participate in a learning community program through which they share expertise and learn with like-minded practitioners from across the state.

About Arts in Society Support

Arts in Society provides both financial and organizational support. In addition to receiving project funding, Arts in Society grantees benefit from the following resources:

Learning Community Meetings

Arts in Society grantees participate in a learning community program through which they meet three times with their annual cohort of grantees throughout the first year following funding. Through these meetings they share resources and learnings, and build a coalition of support.

Evaluation Support

Through a collaboration with University of Colorado Denver's School of Arts and Media, Arts in Society grantees are provided an evaluation toolkit to aid in collecting program feedback and data.

Mini-Documentaries

All Arts in Society grantees will get assistance in filming a 2-minute documentary so that they can share their work with the world.

Marketing and Communications

Grantees receive marketing and communications support through various Arts in Society marketing channels, including the Arts in Society Facebook page, Instagram, and by contributing blog posts to the Arts in Society blog. 

The Denver Foundation

Our Mission

We inspire people and mobilize resources to strengthen our community.

Our Vision

A Metro Denver that is racially equitable in its leadership, prosperity, and culture.

Our Purpose

To achieve our vision, we will be a proactive, collaborative, and resolute leader in reducing racial disparities.

Latinos Impacting our Future Together (L.I.F.T.) Fund

The Denver Foundation is pleased to invite qualified organizations to apply for funding for the L.I.F.T. Fund. Our giving circle will support work that meets one or all of the following: 

• Latino/male Empowerment
• Latino Advocacy and Justice
• Meeting basic needs of the Latino community
• Latino Health and Wellness
• Educational Supports/Services for Latinos
• Latino Arts and Culture