Colorado Gives Foundation

Colorado Gives Foundation

Colorado Gives Foundation traces to 1975 as Community First Foundation. Kelly Dunkin leads operations as President and CEO while Russell W. Kemp chairs the board. The entity functions as a grantmaking vehicle for Colorado nonprofits with no disclosed private wealth origin. The foundation allocates across public markets and direct impact holdings. It maintains a pooled investment portfolio of roughly $500 million managed by Graystone Consulting. Confirmed positions include the Bring it Home Fund for affordable housing and a minority stake in Vance Street Lofts. Geographic focus remains Colorado with additional exposure through the Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative. Asset classes span fixed income, equities, and real estate. Assets total $486 million. The foundation employs no disclosed investment staff count. It maintains membership in the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Nonprofit Association. December 2024: Sponsored Colorado Gives Day, a statewide online giving movement that distributed funds to thousands of local nonprofits. The foundation operates through an outsourced investment mandate with Graystone Consulting rather than an internal CIO structure. This arrangement separates grant decisions from portfolio management and ties capital deployment to community partnerships in Jefferson County.