Photo: Site visit with Cultivando.
In honor of Earth Day, The Denver Foundation hosted peers from across the country in the culmination of our Community Foundation Climate Collaborative (CFCC) peer learning exchange.
The Community Foundation Climate Collaborative chose the foundation to lead this peer exchange based on our leadership and demonstrated commitment, and investment in climate giving.
We are proud to share that from 2020 to 2025, our funds, including the Community Grants Program and our donor-advised funds, have made more than 1,304 grants totaling $28.9 million to climate-related issues in Colorado alone. Add grants outside of Colorado, and we have given an additional $8.5 million. These millions have impacted a wide range of areas, including air quality and energy, conservation of natural resources, land conservation, and disaster preparedness and relief services.
The peer exchange included our partners at the Community Foundation of Broward, Maine Community Foundation, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and Marin Community Foundation. We brought our collective and diverse expertise together to better understand challenges and opportunities related to climate philanthropy. The peer network’s goal was to encourage innovation, creative problem-solving, and the replication of best practices across our community foundations.
Over the three-day visit, we brainstormed best messaging recommendations, discussed urban and rural climate challenges, and visited several of our climate partners in the field, including Cultivando and GRID Alternatives. We were also able to engage with policymakers, including Denver’s Office of Climate Action and the Colorado Energy Office, to demonstrate how community foundations use our tools of policy and advocacy to impact climate challenges.
Key takeaways
- Be specific about the tangible impact young people make when they give. Young leaders are motivated when they are a part of local, visible changes. While they care about long-term global changes, like reducing carbon footprint, they want to clearly connect their work to outcomes. As one leader shared, “philanthropy needs to help young leaders understand the impact their giving is having on local communities.” Young leaders have a strong base to activate.
- Progress moves at the speed of trust. This includes relationships from rural tribal partnerships to urban neighborhoods. Philanthropy must build deep and authentic relationships with the community to make the most impact. We were inspired by the work happening across Colorado, from partnerships with Ute Mountain Ute tribes to the promotoras who have pushed back on the Suncor refinery in our own backyard in Commerce City. Take time to learn from and let local leaders drive the work.
- Messages on the impacts of climate can and should be accessible to a wide range of audiences. Community foundations reach a broad audience and have an opportunity to share information on climate change with donors, community leaders, and policymakers. We shouldn’t assume that anyone is a climate expert, and we have an opportunity to engage with people and help share the message about how climate change is affecting everything from weather to housing to our everyday health.
- Climate is a BIG subject and meaningful progress can happen at the local level. The Denver Foundation’s policy and advocacy work is a great reminder of how climate change can begin with targeted policy efforts and investments in under-resourced communities. Our Civic Fabric Fund has made grants to Conservation Colorado Fund, Healthy Air & Water Colorado, Vote Solar, and Denver Streets Partnership to make sure local climate leaders have a voice at the policymaking table.
Panel discussion during peer learning exchange
Inspiration comes from knowing we are not alone in doing good work. Nearly 50 members are part of the Community Foundation Climate Collaborative. The group will continue to work in partnership to showcase how community foundations are best positioned to bring together local community, state resources, federal resources, and donor giving to shape how all of our local communities can become more resilient in the face of climate challenges.
To learn more about the foundation’s specific climate giving, please visit the following links. Or reach out directly to Janet Lopez, senior director of policy, partnerships & learning, at jlopez@denverfoundation.org to learn how you can get involved.
- Learn about our Community Grants Program
- Join our Environmental Affinity Group giving circle
- Learn about our Strengthening Neighborhoods Program
- Give to Civic Fabric Fund
