Publications

Annual Report

It is humbling to see the impact that we are able to make in our community — together. We cannot thank you enough for being a partner in this important work. In 2024, the generosity of all our partners resulted in incredible giving ($132.0M) and powerful grantmaking ($133.9M).

In a year of uncertainty, people came together, investing in connection, opportunity, and a more sustainable and inclusive future, ending the year with $1.34B in total assets.

Whether you are a donor or fundholder, a nonprofit grantee, or a community member, we are grateful for your partnership and the essential role you play in creating more just and equitable communities. Thank you.

Download 2023 Annual Report

Download 2022 Annual Report

2024 Annual Report

Impact Investment Report

At The Denver Foundation, we believe in using every tool available to create lasting, meaningful change in the communities we serve. That’s why we have been actively investing in impact investments that align with our mission and values.

We started the Impact Investment Pool in 2013 with an initial investment of $1 million and additional gifts from donors. Since then, the program has continued to expand, offering nonprofits additional forms of capital and donor-advised fundholders the opportunity to co-invest with us. 

Learn about the impact of these investments in our first-ever impact investing report. 

Impact Investment Report

Civic Fabric Fund Voter Engagement

Civic Fabric is a new grantmaking opportunity that provides nonprofit organizations with funding to support their policy and advocacy work. Funding opportunities will be directed as resources are available. Fundholders can make gifts to this fund directly from an existing donor-advised fund. If you are not a fundholder and want to give to the Civic Fabric Fund, you can make a gift here.

2024 Civic Fabric Fund: Voter Engagement Grantmaking

2023 Civic Fabric Fund: Voter Engagement Grantmaking

2022 Civic Fabric Fund: Voter Engagement Impact Report

Learning and Impact Report

With the launch of the strategic framework in 2021, The Denver Foundation embraced being a learning organization, emphasizing a focus on using data and evidence to inform our decision-making and our work. Our learning framework. This framework outlines our “theory of philanthropy”—a collection of our hypotheses about how the work we are doing as a community foundation will contribute to the movement toward our vision. The framework also outlines the types of data and evidence we will look to in order to better understand if our hypotheses are playing out. In the spirit of transparency, you can find our first-ever learning report and impact reports here.

2022 Learning Report

Denver Immigrant Legal Services Annual Report

The Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund was established in March 2018 as a special project fund at The Denver Foundation. Its purpose is to increase legal services to Denver’s immigrant community by providing qualified nonprofit organizations with grants to offer direct legal representation to immigrants in detention and/or subject to removal proceedings; provide affirmative relief to individuals seeking help with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and various visa programs; and support capacity building or other innovative projects to help organizations increase the pool of pro bono or low bono immigration attorneys available to represent immigrants.

2025 Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund Annual Report

Legacy of Impact

 

Funding for Impact: A Brief Guide for Funders of Behavioral Health

The Denver Foundation launched a public policy advocacy grant in 2019 as part of the Colorado Health Access Fund. The grant is intended to advance and maintain access to quality behavioral health care services through public policy advocacy. The Denver Foundation worked with the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) to create a second cohort focused on advancing behavioral health systems change. This cohort has received funding from 2023 through 2025. This guide is intended to offer a set of best practices for state and local government agencies and philanthropic funders to enhance their collaboration with community-based organizations (CBOs) in behavioral health initiatives. It outlines strategies for equitable grantmaking, funding distribution, and meaningful engagement with behavioral health partners.

2024 Guide for Funders of Behavioral Health

 

 

Meeting the Moment: A 2020 Report to the Community

Our new report, Meeting the Moment: A 2020 Report to the Community, illustrates how The Denver Foundation has brought people together in this time of crisis, pooled resources, and put them to immediate use.

Community foundations are uniquely equipped for times like these. As this report makes clear, every aspect of our work has accelerated since the pandemic took root in our community. We listened deeply to understand the community’s most essential needs. In partnership with our generous donors, we activated our Critical Needs Fund to meet them.

Our fundholders responded with similar urgency, dispatching more than $46 million to hundreds of nonprofit organizations helping people in Colorado and across the country stay safe and healthy.

Meeting the Moment: 2020 Report

 

 

The Landscape Project

In 2018, The Denver Foundation’s Leadership & Equity (L&E) staff and independent evaluators reached out to our Metro Denver nonprofit community partners through surveys, focus groups, and interviews to determine the current diversity, inclusiveness, and racial equity “landscape” of the nonprofit sector. The L&E Committee and staff are pleased to share the Landscape Project’s final summary, entitled “The Landscape Report,” with our local, regional, and national partners — especially those who have proactively inquired about the Foundation’s leading work in the area of racial equity.

The Landscape Project Report

 

 

Key Outcomes of 2011 Strategic Plan

The most effective community foundations refine their strategies as the external landscape evolves and as we learn new lessons. Our report, Key Outcomes of The Denver Foundation’s 2011 Strategic Plan, provides information about The Denver Foundation’s previous 10-year strategic plan related to the three community-impact objectives and highlights innovative work and approaches.

2011 Strategic Plan Impact Report

 

 

Public Opinion Poll on Homelessness

The Denver Foundation commissioned a poll of Metro Denver residents’ awareness, understanding, and values related to homelessness. The poll was conducted January 14-22, 2015, by the bipartisan research team of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates and Public Opinion Strategies. Telephone interviews were conducted with 812 registered voters across the seven-county Denver metro area, with oversamples of African American and Latino voters. All data were statistically weighted to reflect the true ethnic composition of Metro Denver residents.

Key Findings from Public Opinion Poll

We care about transparency

That’s why we share our finances and reports with our donors and the people and communities we serve. Find audited financial statements and more here.