Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
/OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado supports community, human services, health, education, youth, environment, recreation, and more in northern and eastern Colorado.
FUNDING AREAS: Community, human services, health, education, youth, environment, recreation
IP TAKE: Very few of this funder’s grants come from its competitive grant cycle, but CFNC is still a key funder to know in the northern and eastern regions of Colorado.
PROFILE: Established in 1975, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado (CFNC) is a community funder based in Fort Collins, Colorado. A former Fort Collins mayor, Karl Carson, and other community leaders created the foundation with the bequest of a local resident. CFNC administers over 500 charitable funds and grants out millions of dollars every year. The foundation seeks to “inspire and unify the communities we serve.” It funds local efforts to benefit the community, human services, health, education, youth, environment, and recreation.
The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado typically distributes over $12 million annually to support local causes. CFNC makes most of its grants through designated and donor-advised funds, and less than two percent of distributions are though the annual competitive cycle. CFNC supports nonprofits, churches, municipalities, and educational institutions. It hosts an annual giving day called NoCo Gives, has a Sky Coral Ranch program, supports Water Literate Leaders of Northern Colorado, and has a nonprofit loan fund program that accepts applications from groups that have been in operation for at least three years and that have annual operating budgets of at least $500,000. Meanwhile, the CFNC-administered GroupGives Fund is the charitable arm of The Group Real Estate and awards grants.
Grants range between about $5,000 and $100,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on Berthoud, Estes Valley, Fort Collins, Loveland, and Eastern Colorado. Past local grantees include Poudre Valley Health, Project Youth and Chamber Music, Opera Fort Collins, and the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits for its competitive grant cycle. It makes an application form available in July of each year, and it makes funding decisions by early November. Direct general questions to the staff at info@NoCoFoundation.org or 970-224-3462.
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