Pictured above: Conservation Colorado Education Fund, Civic Fabric Fund grantee.
In 2025, The Denver Foundation awarded $387,500 to 18 organizations working to accelerate policy change at the local and state levels in alignment with our policy framework. The framework and policy principles outline the foundation’s efforts toward advancement of our priority areas: climate and environment, economic opportunity, housing, and youth well-being.
In 2024, we funded 13 organizations and are thrilled to continue working with nine of last year’s partners alongside nine additional institutional partners.
We established the Civic Fabric Fund to support nonprofit organizations working to create systemic change in Colorado. This is a dedicated fund for grantmaking that supports the foundation’s vision of a healthy and equitable Metro Denver through policy change, and is supported by our permanent endowment, The Fund for Denver.
We look forward to working with the following organizations in 2026.
Grantees
The Bell Policy Center’s research and advocacy work provides policymakers, advocates, and the public with reliable resources to create a practical policy agenda that raises the economic floor, builds a diverse and thriving middle class, and sparks innovative ideas to prepare us for the future. Over the years, the Bell Policy Center has done this by fighting for TABOR reforms, new programs in our education system, higher wages for workers, advances in human services, and better consumer protections for Coloradans.
Children’s Hospital Colorado advocates for changes and policies that keep children out of the hospital and improve children’s health. Their work prioritizes access to proper nutrition, youth mental health, access to care, and prevention.
Colorado Children’s Campaign is a non-partisan organization committed to making Colorado the best place to be a kid and raise a kid. They use data and research to identify what kids across our state need most, then advocate for policies that strengthen their well-being and help them thrive. Their focus is on the whole child, working across early childhood, K-12 education, health, and economic security for the greatest long-term impact.
Colorado Fiscal Institute (CFI) provides innovative research and advocacy on topics ranging from housing and tax policy to environmental justice. CFI’s goal is to advance a people-centered economy by using research, strategic communications, and advocacy.
Conservation Colorado Education Fund works to protect Colorado’s climate through advocacy, organizing, and education. They engage communities of color and low-income communities to elevate their lived experiences in the policy and voting processes.
Communities Lead Communities Thrive (CLCT) was created in 2021 by BIPOC community leaders who recognized the inequities in COVID-19 relief funding distribution. CLCT utilizes a coalition model to strengthen historically marginalized communities’ power-building capacity and policy engagement.
Denver Streets Partnership advocates for safer, more sustainable transportation options and increasing equity in decision-making and investment. Their efforts prioritize policies that incentivize alternatives to driving, people-oriented public spaces, and reducing traffic injuries and fatalities.
Disability Law Colorado aims to make Colorado the best place in America to work and live with a disability. To that end, they champion policy that decreases discrimination in employment, housing, voting, and education.
FaithBridge strives to create a just future for all children with their voices at the center. They collaborate with youth and young leaders, through academies and fellowships, to inform how and where to show up in the policy arena.
Good Business Colorado works with values-driven business leaders to formulate, refine, and advocate for local, state, and federal policies that raise the bar and level the playing field to build a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable Colorado. By elevating the voices of its members, Good Business Colorado advocates for a perspective that is more representative of local communities on the most pressing issues of our time.
Healthy Air & Water Colorado (HAWC) mobilizes and empowers Colorado’s health professionals to advocate for policies that protect our communities from the growing public health threats of climate change. They amplify trusted medical and public health voices, translate science into action, organize and empower local communities, and advance equitable climate solutions while pushing back against attempts to roll back vital environmental protections that improve the health and well-being of all Coloradans.
Institute for Evidence-Based Policymaking provides evidence-based research to decision makers and the public to ensure that information leads to change. They cover a variety of issues in Colorado with an unbiased, timely, and credible lens.
Local Progress trains and supports local elected officials to advance policy issues, including economic justice, housing, school boards, and public safety. Through its policy institute and progressive governance academy, Local Progress equips local elected officials with skills and tools to effectively achieve policy outcomes.
Rocky Mountain Partnership (RMP) is a coalition that collaborates with a broad array of stakeholders to support children and young people in achieving critical milestones. RMP’s approach includes a community-informed policy agenda, civic influencer fellowship, and their Cradle to Career Policy Coalition.
Stand for Children Leadership Center trains community members, teachers, and parents to advocate for policy changes that improve literacy and graduation rates. It centers on grassroots advocacy campaigns to ensure long-lasting community-led progress.
Vote Solar is making solar more affordable and accessible at the state and national levels. Their advocacy focuses on access and equity, building political power, coalition building, and a just, inclusive energy system.
Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA) was established to build self-efficacy for youth pursuing social justice careers. YAASPA provides civic engagement courses, fellowships, social science and policy institutes, and leadership opportunities that empower youth to be more aware and engaged in policy and social justice.
Young Invincibles (YI) is a national nonprofit advocacy organization committed to creating change by amplifying the voices of young adults ages 18 to 34. YI Colorado is advancing economic opportunity and amplifying youth voices across the state. They work to ensure that young adults—especially those from low-income and historically underrepresented communities—are at the center of public policy conversations.
