Updated:
Weld Legacy Foundation
The Weld Legacy Foundation, operating publicly as The Weld Trust, was spun out of the 2019 sale of North Colorado Medical Center to Banner Health.
Weld Legacy Foundation
The Weld Legacy Foundation, operating publicly as The Weld Trust, was spun out of the 2019 sale of North Colorado Medical Center to Banner Health. The $329.4 million transaction, approved by the NCMC, Inc. board, created a grant-making pool permanently tied to the county. CEO Jeff Carlson and Board Chair Tom Grant have run the entity since inception. The foundation deploys capital through grants to nonprofits, school districts, and government entities inside Weld County. Its dual mandate spans health and education, with the College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Northern Colorado receiving a $25 million flagship commitment. Real assets held directly include the Monfort Children’s Clinic on 11th Avenue, a Sunrise Community Health facility, and the Niobrara Energy Park in northern Weld County — an industrial site near Carr. The foundation also holds Colorado land investments, a note receivable, and pooled cash and equity positions. Grant partners include United Way of Weld County on the Weld’s Way Home initiative and Sunrise Community Health, which operates clinics in foundation-owned real estate. The organization was honored as Outstanding Foundation of the Year by National Philanthropy Day in Colorado in 2023. It participates in PEAK Grantmaking and maintains Chairman’s Circle Investor status with the Greeley Area Chamber of Commerce. Jeff Carlson serves as CEO of both the Weld Legacy Foundation and The Weld Trust, a dual-entity structure that separates foundation assets from the trust’s operational grant-making. The foundation differs from a typical family office in its mandatory geographic focus — a conversion foundation required by its originating transaction to concentrate all grants within one county. That structure makes it a single-county health-and-education funder with no ability to diversify its charitable footprint geographically.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
2019
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Greeley
Corporate office
815 8th Avenue, Greeley, CO 80631
Principals
Jeff Carlson
Chief Executive Officer
Tom Grant
Board Chair and Legal Counsel
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Weld Legacy Foundation?
CEO Jeff Carlson leads both the Weld Legacy Foundation and its operational grant-making arm, The Weld Trust. Tom Grant serves as Board Chair and Legal Counsel. The board of NCMC, Inc. originally authorized the sale that created the foundation, but all ongoing grantmaking and asset management decisions flow through Carlson and Grant.
How is the Weld Legacy Foundation related to Banner Health?
Banner Health purchased North Colorado Medical Center from NCMC, Inc. in 2019 for $329.4 million. That transaction created the Weld Legacy Foundation and remains the structural origin of its entire corpus. Banner Health is not a grantor or manager of the foundation but remains a major grant recipient.
Does the foundation hold real assets beyond its grant-making pool?
Yes. Altss research identifies directly held commercial properties in Greeley including the Monfort Children’s Clinic, a Sunrise Community Health facility, and the foundation’s 815 8th Avenue headquarters. The foundation also holds the Niobrara Energy Park, an industrial asset in northern Weld County, plus Colorado land investments and a note receivable.
What is the foundation’s geographic mandate?
The Weld Legacy Foundation is restricted to Weld County, Colorado. All grants must benefit county residents, and its stated goal is to make Weld County the healthiest and most educated in the state. There is no out-of-county grant-making or investment diversification geographically.
Does the foundation co-invest or collaborate with other funders?
It collaborates with United Way of Weld County on Weld’s Way Home and grants to Sunrise Community Health, which operates clinics in foundation-owned facilities. It also participates in PEAK Grantmaking and Upstate Colorado Economic Development, suggesting a network-oriented deployment model rather than solo grant-making.
What is the relationship between The Weld Trust and the Weld Legacy Foundation?
The Weld Trust is the operational grant-making entity. The Weld Legacy Foundation holds the endowment corpus. Jeff Carlson runs both, and the dual structure separates asset management from grant operations. Altss research and the foundation’s own LinkedIn presence confirm the two entities share leadership and a single website at weldtrust.org.
How did the foundation deploy a flagship gift to higher education?
The University of Northern Colorado received a $25 million transformational grant to establish its College of Osteopathic Medicine, the foundation’s largest publicly known single commitment and a direct expression of its health-and-education dual mandate.
Profile maintained by Altss 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.
Need institutional-grade insight on endowments & foundations?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: