About the Community Grants Program
The Community Grants Program is The Denver Foundation’s signature funding strategy, which is supported by The Fund for Denver, our permanent endowment. Our permanent endowment is made up of unrestricted gifts to The Denver Foundation given by nearly 1,500 donors in the past 100 years.
These gifts are intended to meet the needs of today and ensure there are resources for building a better Denver far into the future. Learn more about The Fund for Denver here.
The Community Grants Program supports nonprofits in the seven-county Metro Denver region working in our four priority funding areas: economic opportunity, environment and climate, housing, and youth well-being.
This grant opportunity’s goal is to support organizations working to reduce disparities by incorporating community and constituent leadership and racial equity into their approach.
Through the Community Grants Program, we aim to improve the lives of historically oppressed people living in Metro Denver, with a particular focus on people who live in low-income communities and communities of color. We seek to reduce racial and ethnic, and economic disparities.
The Community Grants Program grants approximately $4M each year during two grant cycles. Each grant ranges from $20,000-$50,000. If you are interested in applying for funding from the Community Grants Program, details are below.
Key details
Grant cycles
- Cycle 1 applications open on Jan. 15, 2025, and close March 3, 2025.
- Cycle 2 applications open June 16, 2025, and close Aug. 1, 2025.
Groups that have not applied before can apply during either cycle.
Current grantees can apply during either grant cycle if it has been at least 12 months since your last application submission, regardless of the results of your previous submission (approved or declined).
Pre-application workshop
To learn more about how to apply, please join us for an online information session:
Watch the recording for the January 22, 2025, pre-application workshop!
Review our Information Session Slide Deck!
Geography
The Community Grants Program supports nonprofits that work in the seven-county Metro Denver region. The organization does not need to be located in Metro Denver to be considered for funding. We also consider nonprofits who are working on statewide efforts, as long as they impact the Metro Denver region.
Priority Areas
Our priority areas reflect the community’s input on the most pressing issues faced by people in Metro Denver. In 2025, we updated our priority funding areas in response to community feedback. (To learn more, please visit our blog). We fund organizations working in at least one of these priority areas. (Please check all that apply when filling out your application.)
Economic opportunity
We fund organizations working on community wealth building (as defined by the Democracy Collaborative) and workforce development.
- We seek nonprofits working on community wealth building, which is a method to improve local economies by giving communities ownership and control over their resources. We aim to create pathways for individuals and communities to achieve economic stability and upward mobility.
- We seek nonprofits investing in initiatives that promote economic development, entrepreneurship, and career training.
- We do not fund financial literacy work, or higher education readiness programs. We do not consider internal staff development and growth to be a priority area fit.
Environment and climate
We fund organizations working on air quality, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.
- We seek nonprofits working to support air quality, energy efficiency, and renewable energy in the community.
- We do not fund access to the outdoors, wildlife, land conservation, or recreation.
- We do not fund projects to improve the air quality or energy efficiency of the applicant organization’s physical space or building.
Housing
We fund organizations working to address affordable housing and homelessness, including temporary housing, permanent housing, and keeping residents in their homes.
- We seek nonprofits working on long-term solutions, to impact those living with the lowest incomes (0-30% AMI, or area median income).
- We also consider nonprofits who address the immediate needs and temporary shelter of unhoused people.
- We do not fund nonprofits focused solely on wraparound services.
Youth well-being* (expanded focus starting 2025)
We fund organizations working on school funding and K-12 reforms with a focus on racial equity, and youth mental health.
- School funding and reform: We fund organizations working on systemic improvements of K-12 schools and school funding, all with a focus on racial equity.
- We seek nonprofits working on school reforms that reduce disparities for students of color.
- We seek nonprofits working on systemic efforts to improve educational outcomes, increase access to quality education, and provide young people with the tools and resources they need to succeed in school. These systemic changes must be focused on core curriculum and classroom experiences, not supplemental programming or mentoring.
- We do not fund enrichment programs operating outside the school day as they are not considered a priority area fit.
- We do not fund early education, or private school education.
- Youth mental health: We now also fund organizations working on youth mental health for K-12 age youth.
- We seek nonprofits working on youth mental health in both prevention and intervention, using both evidence-based and community-informed programming.
- We fund nonprofits that offer mental health programs or services directly to K-12 age youth. Organizations working in community and/or in-school programs, including after-school programs, are eligible.
- We do not fund applications focused solely on substance misuse.
Core Values: Community and Constituent Leadership & Racial Equity
The Denver Foundation’s goal is to support nonprofits that advance our core values of community and constituent leadership & racial equity. We believe that nonprofits have the greatest impact when they include these core values into their programs, policies, and approach.
Core Values: Constituent Engagement v. Leadership
Constituent engagement includes the voices of those who are receiving or will receive services from an organization.
Constituent leadership makes space for community members at the decision-making table to help direct and improve programs.
We believe nonprofits are most effective when they involve community members and constituents in planning, programming, and leadership. We support nonprofits that:
- Understand the assets that community members and constituents bring to the work
- Ask for input from community members and constituents on their programming and organizational direction and put that input to use
- Organize their work and programming around the self-described needs of community members and constituents
- Include community members and constituents as members of the board, staff, volunteers, committees, and donors
Core Values: Racial Equity
We believe that diverse and inclusive nonprofits achieve more equitable outcomes. Racial equity is the intended outcome of diversity and inclusion practices. The following definitions are used in the Community Grants Program’s core values framework:
How to apply
Before you begin:
- Review these guidelines, which explain the core values of The Denver Foundation, specific funding priorities, and submission requirements.
- Create an account or login to our online portal, TDF Grant Manager. Instructions on how to use the portal are on our website.
- Attend the pre-application workshop or review information slides. This should address most of your questions.
- Reach out if you have questions. We are here to help determine if your proposal fits within our strategic framework. Please call 303.300.1790, or email cgp@denverfoundation.org.
Application preview
Wondering what type of information you’ll need to provide? The application is simple. You can log into TDF Grant Manager to preview the questions.
Final reports
The grant letter that you receive contains important information on reporting, including due dates. A member of the Engaged Philanthropy Team will reach out to you during your grant cycle to learn how your organization is doing and to support your reporting.
If you have previously received a grant through the Community Grants Program, you must submit a final report summarizing the work that you did with those grant funds before we consider your organization for subsequent grants from the Community Grants Program.
Sharing your application with donors
The grant requests always exceed our ability to give, meaning there are great organizations that don’t get funded. We’d love to share your application with donors and fundholders who care about your work and may be interested in supporting your organization.
If you do not want us to share your proposal, please let us know in your application.
How we evaluate
As we review applications, we look for the following organizational characteristics, in order of importance:
- a demonstrated commitment to community and constituent leadership and racial equity
- alignment with The Denver Foundation’s grantmaking priorities
- the financial health of the organization (Organizations that have fiscal sponsorship from a 501(c)(3) are eligible to apply.)
Other considerations:
- We embrace organizations working to address two or more of our priority areas.
- We prefer requests for general operating support, but we will consider both general operating and program support.
What we do not fund
- Proposals that fall outside our priority areas
- Capital campaigns
- Building endowments or reserve funds
- Membership campaigns
- Sponsorships
- Retroactive funding, i.e., activities, projects, or programs that will be completed before funding becomes available
- Debt retirement
- Grants to individuals (please see Strengthening Neighborhoods)
- Grants for re-granting purposes
- Grants for medical, scientific, or academic research
- Grants that further political doctrine or religious activities
- Grants to private, parochial, or religious schools
- Scholarships (for more information about scholarships, please click here)
- The Denver Foundation does not fund organizations or programs that discriminate based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), physical or mental disability, pregnancy status, body type, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, except to serve a historically disadvantaged group.
Our own work is also strengthened by community and constituent leadership. Our Advisory Committee for Community Impact (ACCI) provides feedback and guidance on our work, including the Community Grants Program. This 50-person committee is made up of community members, nonprofit and civic leaders, donors, and other partners. The Denver Foundation staff and members of the ACCI review grants and make the final decisions jointly.
Previous grantees
2024 Community Grants Program Recipients, Cycle 2
2024 Community Grants Program Recipients, Cycle 1
2023 Community Grants Program Recipients
Contact us
Interested in learning more about our grants? Questions about submitting an application through our online portal? Find answers to common questions about our grants process and additional funding sources on our website.
We also offer additional grant opportunities. Please visit our grant opportunities page for application instructions and submission deadlines.
Are you wondering whether or not your organization is a good fit or have questions that are not answered above? First, review the slide deck and recording above. They should be able to answer most of your questions. Still wondering? The Denver Foundation staff are available during office hours. You can contact us at 303.300.1790, or cgp@denverfoundation.org to schedule a meeting or ask questions.
