Marla J. Williams
President and CEO
Dear Friends,
To us, Powering Community Together means we are tapping into your power to create positive change in our community. The theme of this year’s Community Benefit Report, The Many Shapes and Sizes of Giving, is a tribute to our partners whose important work is providing hope and changing lives.
Read the Full Letter
Peggy E. Jennings
2016 Board Chair
Emily S. Robinson
2017 Board Chair
Big Heart in a Small Package
When nine-year-old Jenna received a $20 Giving eCard to use on KidsforColoradoGives.org, she did something remarkable. Rather than donate this money straightaway, she took it to her school so her classmates could experience the joy of giving. With guidance from their teacher, Jenna and her classmates voted for their favorite organizations and donated to a local animal protection league.
Kids for ColoradoGives makes
charity fun for the whole family
Jenna’s story is one of many born from the new Kids for ColoradoGives program. Community First Foundation launched the KidsforColoradoGives.org website in 2016 to connect the next generation of Colorado givers with local nonprofit organizations. From daughters and grandsons to neighbors and nephews, Kids for ColoradoGives is redefining what charitable giving looks like for families across the state.
Give a Giving eCard to a Child in Your LifeAnyone can be a kid for ColoradoGives
At KidsforColoradoGives.org, young donors can experience the joy of giving in a fun, safe environment. The website features videos of kids explaining the purpose of nonprofits and why they need our help. Learn more about the program and how you can get involved at KidsforColoradoGives.org.
ColoradoGives.org is Powered by Donations of All Sizes
ColoradoGives.org is a year-round, online giving website featuring the missions, programs and finances of more than 2,000 Colorado nonprofits. In 2016, donations through the site reached a new high of $44.7 million. Gifts came from more than 80,000 people representing all 64 counties in the state. By accepting donations starting at $10, ColoradoGives.org makes charitable giving accessible and safe for all Coloradans.
199
Average Donation100
Most Common Donation50
Median Donation
Video: ColoradoGives.Org Connects the Givers and the Do-ers
Colorado Gives Day offers something for everyone
Colorado Gives Day, the largest day of giving in the state, has captured the passion of Coloradans for seven years. It has become a movement where everyone can get behind a cause, regardless of age or income. On Colorado Gives Day 2016, $33.8 million in donations surged through ColoradoGives.org in just 24 hours to support more than 2,000 local nonprofits.
The Innovators Society
COMMUNITY MEMBERS POWER INNOVATION
In The Innovators Society’s inaugural year, 574 community members were involved in the process of selecting, coaching and granting $650,000 to nonprofits with innovative ideas to improve mental wellness.
A unique platform for improving mental wellness
We launched The Innovators Society to accelerate fresh solutions for mental wellness across Denver communities. In a first-of-its-kind approach, The Innovators Society selected six nonprofits and invested $150,000 to support them in a nine-month coaching program. This helped them develop their mental wellness innovations and prepare for a pitch competition to garner additional funding.
Join the Innovators Society
Revolutionary Community Grantmaking
At The Innovators Society pitch competition in September 2016, we invited a community audience to judge the value of each innovation presented. Real-time voting empowered audience members to wear the hat of a funder and award $500,000 in Community First Foundation grant dollars that would benefit their communities.
Grant Funds Awarded
650,000
People Involved in Grantmaking Process
574
11
Coaches
6
Steering Committee
Members
7
Application Review
Committee Members
38
Staff & Board
Members
37
Core 40 Leadership
Group Members
475
Audience Members
(all events)
Nonprofit Innovators | Community Grant Awards |
|---|---|
| Project Helping | $130,703 |
| Im’Unique | $110,041 |
| Carson J Spencer Foundation | $77,596 |
| Bright by Three | $66,175 |
| Center on Network Science, CU Denver | $65,745 |
| Clayton Early Learning | $49,740 |
“This is by far the most innovative and inclusive approach to grant funding we’ve ever been part of. This program has given us the tools to make a massive impact in the community.” – Justin Kruger, founder and CEO of Project Helping
A THREE-PRONGED APPROACH TO MENTAL WELLNESS
Colorado’s mental wellness field is complex and fragmented. To improve this landscape, we are taking a three-pronged approach: investing in early childhood mental wellness programs, improving systems that support mental wellness and striving to change public perceptions of mental illness and mental health.
The power of a framework for early childhood mental wellness
We are using the national Project LAUNCH framework, a project of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to guide our early childhood mental wellness grantmaking. The power of the Project LAUNCH framework lies in its clarity and simplicity. With the plethora of outstanding community projects, the framework keeps us centered in our approach.
Giving young Coloradans a better shot at happy, healthy lives
Eight local funders* have pooled $11.2 million and created LAUNCH Together. Based on the national framework, LAUNCH Together is helping local communities incorporate mental health screening and treatment into services that already support young children. Pediatricians, childcare providers, educators and others are coordinating their services to ensure the needs of vulnerable young children don’t fall through the cracks.
*LAUNCH Together funding partners include Community First Foundation, The Ben and Lucy Ana Walton Fund of the Walton Family Foundation, Buell Foundation, Caring for Colorado Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, The Piton Foundation at Gary Community Investments and Rose Community Foundation.
JEFFERSON COUNTY ROOTS
Community First Foundation has a special relationship with Jefferson County: we started as the fundraising arm of Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge. Now a community foundation headquartered in Arvada, we honor our heritage with a strategic focus on this region.
FREE MEETING SPACE HOSTS 5,600 PEOPLE IN ITS FIRST YEAR
Word is out: there is a shiny new meeting space for nonprofits on Denver’s West Side!
We launched the space in January 2016, shortly after the grand opening of our new office building in Olde Town Arvada. In the first year alone, we hosted nearly 300 meetings and welcomed more than 5,600 people to the space.
The meeting space offers five free room options, a large catering kitchen, the latest technology, free parking and a dedicated administrator. This space was designed to address the scarcity of affordable meeting and collaboration space for nonprofits in Jefferson County and the Denver metropolitan area.
TURNING PASSION INTO ACTION
We help donors make a difference in ways that matter to them through donor-advised funds, a charitable option that combines people’s visions with our personal service and in-depth understanding of the nonprofit community. Gifts are eligible for an immediate tax benefit; however, grant distributions can be made over time.
Our philanthropic services team also helps donors create a lasting legacy through charitable bequests, life insurance gifts, retirement assets and other planned giving vehicles.
Field of Interest Funds and Giving Circles are other ways for donors to power their passion. These types of giving groups unite people who care about a specific cause or want to make giving decisions together.
HELPING NONPROFITS SECURE THEIR FUTURE
WITH THE INCENTIVE GRANT PROGRAM
Our endowment-building programs help local nonprofits secure their future and ability to serve the community today and tomorrow. Nonprofit Endowment Partners benefit from the Foundation’s sound investment and asset management, trainings and resources.
Learn About Endowment Management and Support
The goal of our 2016 Incentive Grant Program was to incentivize Community First Foundation’s Nonprofit Endowment Partners to add to their endowment and to invest for the future needs of their organization so the good they do can continue. Endowments provide a steady revenue source, allow donors to leave a legacy and convey stability, fiscal responsibility and prudent planning.
Board and Staff
2016 Board of Directors
Marla J. Williams
President and CEO
Emily S. Robinson
Board Chair
Chief Operating Officer
FirstBank
Peggy E. Jennings, CPA
Chair Emeritus
Audit Partner Eide Bailly, LLP
David L. Bomberger
Chief Investment Officer
Pinnacol Assurance
Janet Heck Doyle, Esq.
Retired CEO and President
Kramer Junction Company
Russell W. Kemp, Esq.
Attorney Ireland Stapleton
Shelley A. Marquez
Senior Vice President and Community Development Manager
Wells Fargo
Christopher J. Massey, Esq.
Board Secretary Chief Operating Officer
ChoLon Restaurant Concepts
Ron Meyer, M.D.
Retired Community Pediatrician
Pediatrics West
Donovan J. (Jerry) Paul, CFA
Senior Vice President of Fixed Income and Portfolio Manager
ICON Advisers
Hereford Percy
Board Treasurer
Retired President FirstBank North
Cynthia Stevenson, Ph.D.
Instructor School of Education and Human Development
University of Colorado - Denver
Robert Urwiler
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Vail Resorts, Inc.
Lynne D. Valencia
Board Vice Chair
Vice President Community Relations
9NEWS
Christine Woolsey
Senior Vice President,
Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
SCL Health
Sally Woolsey
President
The Evergreen Group
Elycia R. Cook
Executive Director
FRIENDS FIRST
Joy S. Johnson
Community Advocate
Penfield W. Tate III
Partner
Kutak Rock LLP
Marla J. Williams
President and CEO
Cheryl Haggstrom
Executive Vice President
Kenneth R. Kirwin
Chief Financial Officer
Noah M. Atencio
Vice President of Community Impact
Vickie M. Wilson, Ph.D.
Vice President of Philanthropic Services
Kayla Arnesen
Director of Strategic Communications
Samantha Barlow
Communications Coordinator
Nathaniel Beck
Administrative Assistant
Angela Bevacqua
Senior Communications Specialist
Valerie Brown
Meeting Space Administrator
Neelamai Chunlapak
Senior Accountant
Kelly Degering
Community Impact and Data Administrative Assistant
Jennifer Griffis
Program Associate
Lynn Homenick
Executive Assistant
Sachi Ishida
Philanthropy and Communications Assistant
Lisa Lujan
Online Giving Coordinator
Christine Moreland
Controller
Paul Mulligan
Grants Administration Manager
Karen Newcomb
Finance Administrative Assistant and Accounting Clerk
Lynda Ricketson
Director of Philanthropic Services
Dana Rinderknecht
Director of Online Giving
Abigail Smith
Donor Support Specialist
Bryce Wilkinson
Senior Online Giving Specialist
