The Denver Foundation received the 2023 Community Investment Network (CIN) Honors Leadership award for racial equity work related to five giving circles for communities of color. These circles include Asian American Pacific Islander Circle, Denver African American Philanthropists, LatinasGive!, Latinos Impacting Our Future Together (L.I.F.T.), and Women of Color Making a Difference.
The board of directors selected The Denver Foundation because of its long-standing commitment of leveraging time, talent, treasure, and testimony to champion giving circles and as a CIN Community Partner.
According to the nomination, “The board of directors selected The Denver Foundation because of its long-standing commitment of leveraging time, talent, treasure, and testimony to champion giving circles and as a CIN Community Partner.”
CIN Honors is a national recognition program designed to showcase and celebrate individuals and institutions that inspire and drive collective giving efforts among people of color. The CIN Honors Leadership Award recognizes individuals or organizations that support or drive initiatives that encourage leveraging time, talent, treasure, and testimony.
“It is such an honor to be recognized by CIN,” said Genevieve Laca, director of engaged philanthropy. “We are so proud of our five giving circles and the opportunity they provide to communities of color to give and create an impact in our communities.”
The Denver Foundation has several giving circles, which is a way to help democratize philanthropy, welcoming people of all giving levels to the power of giving. Giving circles and affinity groups connect individuals who donate their money to pooled funds shared with other donors. The donors decide together which nonprofit organizations or community projects to support. Through the process, donors build strong connections and increase their engagement in the community.
Through Elevating Philanthropy in Communities of Color (EPIC), The Denver Foundation works to diversify donors engaged in institutional philanthropy by providing opportunities such as the giving cricles, programs, and giving support. With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the EPIC program seeks to recognize and grow philanthropy in communities of color. EPIC offers shared learning opportunities, provides tools to support giving and connects philanthropists of color to work collectively toward positive community change. You can read more about those giving circles on our website.
The Community Investment Network (CIN) was “established to support and encourage the development of “giving circles” and other collective giving models. A giving circle is a group of individuals who pool their personal time, talent, treasure, and testimony to address social issues impacting their communities using thoughtful giving strategies. CIN is a forum for philanthropists committed to transforming their communities. CIN inspires, connects and strengthens African Americans and communities of color to leverage their collective resources and create the change THEY wish to see.”