As we continue celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday, it’s a good time to spotlight and recognize the role Colorado has played in strengthening communities through philanthropy and nonprofit work. The Centennial State’s nonprofit story is rooted in something very simple and very human: people stepping up to help their communities. 

While a lot has changed over the past 160 years, that commitment to giving back hasn’t. Today, Colorado continues to be a leader in philanthropy, volunteerism, and community support. Here are a few of Colorado’s biggest flexes.

Colorado is:

One of the strongest cultures of volunteerism and civic engagement

Coloradans consistently volunteer at relatively high rates and are very engaged in local causes. Whether that’s trail maintenance, food banks, youth sports, animal rescues, or disaster response, volunteering is very much a part of the state’s culture. Communities here don’t wait for someone else to solve a problem, they roll up their sleeves and get involved.

A leader in conservation philanthropy

Colorado has an unusually strong environmental nonprofit sector because of the state’s mountains, rivers, forests, and public lands.

Organizations focused on any of the following have all become a defining part of Colorado philanthropy:

• Land conservation
• Wildlife protection
• Outdoor recreation
• Water resources
• Trail systems
• Open space preservation

This is something many states simply don’t have at the same scale.

A very collaborative nonprofit community

One thing nonprofit professionals often notice is how willing Colorado organizations are to partner together rather than compete, such as:

• Sharing grant applications
• Regional coalitions
• Nonprofit collaboratives
• Community foundations serving multiple counties
• Cross-sector partnerships with businesses and local governments

For a state with many rural communities, collaboration has become a necessity and a true strength.

Where Community Foundations are incredibly influential

Colorado has an extensive network of community foundations that support local giving throughout both urban and rural communities.

One nationally recognized example is the Community First Foundation, which launched Colorado Gives Day. That annual campaign has helped inspire giving traditions across the U.S., becoming one of the country’s best-known statewide giving events.

A state that embraces innovation

Colorado nonprofits are more often early adopters of:

• Impact measurement
• Social enterprise
• Outdoor therapy
• Collaborative funding models
• Technology in fundraising
• Nonprofit incubation

The state’s entrepreneurial culture has carried over into the nonprofit world in equal measures.

A state whose outdoor culture influences philanthropy

Unlike a lot of states, recreation and conservation often overlap with charitable giving.

People don’t just donate money here, they also actively volunteer to:

• Restore trails
• Clean rivers
• Remove invasive species
• Build parks
• Maintain open spaces

The outdoors aren’t just something Coloradans enjoy, they’re something communities actively invest in protecting.

Worthy of Celebration

Colorado’s nonprofit community has never been defined by the size of its organizations or the amount of funding available. It’s been defined by people who see a need and decide to do something about it themselves

As the United States marks its 250th birthday, we’re reminded that strong communities aren’t built overnight. They’re built through generations of volunteers, donors, nonprofit leaders, and everyday people who believe their communities are worth investing in. 

Our state’s history of philanthropy is something to celebrate, but even more importantly, it’s a foundation for what comes next.