Endowment / Foundation

Updated:

Rose Community Foundation

Rose Community Foundation was established in 1995 after the sale of Rose Medical Center. The founding assets came from Denver's Jewish community.

Rose Community Foundation logo

Rose Community Foundation

Rose Community Foundation was established in 1995 after the sale of Rose Medical Center. The founding assets came from Denver's Jewish community. Steven Farber served as a founding trustee. The foundation allocates roughly 39 percent of assets to private equity, including buyout, distressed debt, and venture strategies. Confirmed holdings include the Denver Transit-Oriented Development Fund and a commingled private-equity portfolio. Grantmaking covers health, education, climate, and arts. Geographic focus remains Greater Denver and Colorado, with limited national reach through refugee and newcomer programs. The organization employs 55 professionals at its Cherry Creek headquarters. It maintains eight distinct funds and giving circles, among them the Fund for Jewish Life, Newcomers Fund, and Colorado Safe Futures Fund. In 2024 the foundation sponsored the Philanthropic Partners Event series for donor engagement. Cambridge Associates serves as investment advisor; Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has provided legal counsel since inception. Governance separates investment decisions from grantmaking through a dedicated Investment Committee. The structure allows the foundation to act simultaneously as grantmaker, limited partner, and sponsor of community giving circles without a single-family mandate.

General information

Firm type

Endowment / Foundation

Year founded

1995

Location

Region

North America

Country

United States

City

Denver

Corporate office

4500 Cherry Creek Drive South Suite 900, Denver, CO 80246, United States

Principals

Lindy Eichenbaum Lent

President and CEO

Barry Curtiss-Lusher

Board Chair

Martha "Marti" J. Awad

Board Chair (2024-2025)

Paul Washington

Investment Committee Chair

Sector focus

PhilanthropyCommunity Development

Frequently asked questions

Who runs investment decisions at Rose Community Foundation?

Paul Washington chairs the Investment Committee. Monica Liley Skok serves as a committee member. Cambridge Associates provides external advice.

Does Rose Community Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The foundation holds limited-partner interests in private-equity vehicles and the Denver Transit-Oriented Development Fund. It also makes direct grants through its own funds and giving circles.

Where does the underlying wealth come from?

Assets originated from the 1995 sale of Rose Medical Center. The transaction reflected contributions from Denver's Jewish community.

What investment stages does Rose Community Foundation typically target?

Allocations include buyout, early-stage venture, expansion, mezzanine, and distressed debt. The 39 percent private-equity bucket spans these stages.

How is Rose Community Foundation related to its named funds?

The foundation created and oversees eight vehicles, including the Fund for Jewish Life, Newcomers Fund, and Colorado Safe Futures Fund. Each operates under the foundation's governance.

Does Rose Community Foundation maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?

Eight distinct funds and giving circles sit inside the foundation. Each maintains separate grantmaking criteria while sharing the same board and investment oversight.

What is Rose Community Foundation's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

The foundation acts as a limited partner in commingled private-equity and real-estate vehicles. No direct co-investment program alongside external managers is disclosed.

Profile maintained by using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.

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