The Weld Trust

What The Weld Trust does

The Weld Trust is a private, non-profit philanthropic foundation established in 2019 following the sale of North Colorado Medical Center and related assets, converting a hospital into a perpetual place-based endowment. Headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, the foundation exclusively serves Weld County through six Key Funding Initiatives: Access to Resources, Childhood Literacy, Food Security, Housing Stability, Behavioral and Physical Health, and Workforce Development. Its product surface comprises six grant vehicles (Cycle Grants over $25K, Abbreviated Grants up to $25K, Flagship Grants $750K+, Rapid Response Grants up to $25K, Capacity Building Grants $5K-$15K, and Proactive Grants), supplemented by the Bright Futures tuition-assistance program (up to $14,000 over 8 semesters, 6,000+ students served), the Heart Safe City AED/CPR initiative, healthcare scholarships, and a growing capacity-building services suite including the Executive Leadership Lab, Emerging Leaders Lab, Development Director Roundtable, and Capacity Lab workshops.

The foundation operates a hybrid go-to-market model: a responsive pipeline of triannual grant cycles plus an application portal on the YourCause Grants platform, layered with proactive grantmaking where staff identify community challenges and assemble stakeholders. It also runs community fundraising events (Golf Classic, Shine On Gala) to support Bright Futures. Customer segments are place-based: Weld County 501(c)(3) nonprofits, schools and school districts, government entities, and individual residents pursuing education or healthcare credentials. Since founding, the foundation has awarded over $100 million in grants, served over 6,000 students via Bright Futures, and trained 650+ nonprofit leaders.

The operating model is supported by a 23-person team led by CEO Jeff Carlson, COO Mike Bond, and CAO Rhonda Morehead, with director-level specialization across Health Grants, Education Grants, Bright Futures/Workforce, and Capacity Building. Technology infrastructure is standard nonprofit tooling (YourCause, WordPress, Google Analytics, Hotjar, Stripe) with no proprietary platform. Revenue mechanics are endowment-driven rather than commercial; the foundation distributes from investment returns on assets generated by the 2019 NCMC sale. Recognized as Colorado's Outstanding Foundation in 2023, The Weld Trust's largest single commitment to date is a $25 million gift to the University of Northern Colorado College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Name

The Weld Trust

Legal name

The Weld Trust

Website

https://weldtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Weld Trust is a 2019 health conversion foundation based in Greeley, Colorado that distributes grants and capacity-building services to Weld County nonprofits, schools, and government entities across six funding initiatives, having awarded over $100 million since inception.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking foundation
• Health conversion foundation
• Community health grants
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Workforce development scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Greeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Endowment Distribution: The Weld Trust was established from the 2019 sale of North Colorado Medical Center and related assets. The foundation distributes grants to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government entities serving Weld County, Colorado. As a conversion foundation, the organization does not generate revenue through commercial activities but rather distributes funds from its endowment to support health and education initiatives in Weld County.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Weld Trust is a private health conversion foundation that distributes grants, scholarships, and capacity building services to improve the health and education of Weld County, Colorado residents. The foundation funds 501(c)(3) nonprofits, schools, and government entities through six grant programs aligned with its Key Funding Initiatives, and administers workforce development, healthcare scholarships, and community health programs such as Heart Safe City. The foundation itself does not sell products or services but channels its endowment into community impact.

Product overview

The Weld Trust is a philanthropic health conversion foundation that offers a portfolio of grant programs, workforce development initiatives, and nonprofit capacity building services. Its core offerings include six grant programs (Cycle Grants, Abbreviated Grants, Flagship Grants, Rapid Response Grants, Capacity Building Grants, and Operating Grants) supporting six Key Funding Initiatives: Access to Resources, Childhood Literacy, Food Security, Housing Stability, Behavioral and Physical Health, and Workforce Development. The organization also administers the Bright Futures workforce development program providing tuition assistance up to $14,000 over eight semesters, the Heart Safe City AED/CPR community health initiative, and comprehensive Capacity Building Services including the Capacity Lab training workshops and Emerging Leaders Lab. The Weld Trust awards approximately $100,000 annually in healthcare scholarships and operates fundraising events including the annual Golf Classic and Shine On Gala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cycle Grants (Key Funding Initiatives) Full application grants for requests over $25,000 aligned with six Key Funding Initiatives (Access to Resources, Childhood Literacy, Food Security, Housing Stability, Behavioral and Physical Health, Workforce Development). Accepted three times per year through a Letter of Inquiry process for nonprofits, schools, and government entities in Weld County.
• Abbreviated Grants Grants up to $25,000 for nonprofits, schools, and government entities in Weld County aligned with Key Funding Initiatives. No letter of inquiry required, with an open application process and typical one-year grant term.
• Flagship Grants Large grants of $750,000 and above for significant community projects in health or education. Requires additional funding sources from other partners for the project.
• Rapid Response Grants Grants up to $25,000 for emergent health or safety issues. Decisions are typically made within 7-10 business days to address urgent community needs.
• Capacity Building Grants Grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 for nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status that have received a Cycle, Flagship, or Proactive grant within the past three calendar years, supporting organizational capacity.
• Bright Futures Weld County workforce initiative providing tuition assistance up to $14,000 over eight semesters for post-secondary education or training certifications. Open to high school graduates, GED earners, and honorably discharged veterans in Weld County.
• Heart Safe City Community-wide effort to educate citizens on sudden cardiac arrest, CPR, and AED use. Provides AEDs throughout Weld County for public gathering spots. Greeley became the second Heart Safe City in Colorado in 2013.
• Capacity Building Services Comprehensive capacity building offerings including Capacity Lab trainings, the Emerging Leaders Lab nine-month leadership accelerator, Development Director Roundtable, and Aims Nonprofit Leadership Academy scholarships for nonprofit organizations.
• Healthcare Scholarships Approximately $100,000 awarded annually in scholarships to individuals and NCMC employees. Includes the Mildred S. Hansen Nursing Program, Nurse Education Tuition Assistance, and multiple other nursing and healthcare scholarships.
• The Capacity Lab Free interactive workshops for nonprofits covering topics including fundraising strategy, board development, marketing, leadership, and program evaluation. Held at LINC Library in Greeley.
• Weld Trust Golf Classic Annual golf tournament fundraiser benefiting the Bright Futures workforce initiative, with sponsor opportunities and community engagement. Raised over $32,000 in recent years.
• Shine On Gala Annual gala benefiting Bright Futures. Celebrates student success and community partnership, featuring food, entertainment, and opportunities to support Weld County students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $100 million in grants awarded since 2019
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Unstoppable Curiosity (Chalice Springfield)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Facilitator for Executive Leadership Lab, a 9-month program for nonprofit executive directors and senior leaders exploring topics including integrity, extreme ownership, self-awareness, and leadership development.
• City of GreeleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Heart Safe City program partnership with City of Greeley, Greeley Fire Department, Banner NCMC Paramedic Services, and NCMC's Cardiovascular Institute to educate citizens on sudden cardiac arrest, CPR, and AED use. Greeley became the second city in Colorado to earn Heart Safe City distinction in 2013.
• High Plains Library District (HPLD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Mobile Workforce Unit with Employment Services Weld County and HPLD Friends & Foundation. Flagship grant of $830,803 to bring employment services directly to rural communities.
• Employment Services Weld CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver workforce development resources, training, and job search assistance to rural Weld County areas through Mobile Workforce Unit.
• High Plains Library District Friends & FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscal agent for Mobile Workforce Unit flagship grant. Collaboration to expand workforce services beyond traditional office locations.
• University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute (UNCCRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearly $1 million in grants since 2019 to support UNCCRI's exercise-based cancer rehabilitation program. Most recent grant: $212,288 for 2 years to serve 175 additional patients.
• Bright FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Weld Trust serves as fiscal agent for Bright Futures, a Weld County workforce development initiative launched in 2015. Bright Futures provides tuition assistance up to $14,000 over 8 semesters for post-secondary education and training certifications.
• University of Northern ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner in healthcare education initiatives including $25 million gift to UNC College of Osteopathic Medicine (largest in UNC history). UNC Bear Pantry received $310,000 grant for food security.
• Greeley Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeart Safe City program partner providing CPR training and emergency response coordination.
• Banner NCMC Paramedic ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeart Safe City program partner providing paramedic services and cardiovascular institute support.
• Aims Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Aims Nonprofit Leadership Academy scholarships and various workforce development programs. Nursing scholarships encourage recipients to work within Weld County upon completion.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colorado Health Foundation: A large Colorado-based health-focused foundation; directly comparable as another health-oriented grantmaker operating in the same state with overlapping health improvement and health equity mandates.
• Bonfils-Stanton Foundation: A Colorado private foundation funding health, education, and community services; mirrors The Weld Trust's combined health-and-education grantmaking focus and endowment-driven private-foundation structure.
• El Pomar Foundation: A major Colorado private foundation with a multi-thrust grantmaking model across health, education, and human services; comparable geographic footprint and hybrid grant + capacity approach.
• The California Endowment: A health conversion foundation spun out of a managed care plan; comparable structure to The Weld Trust's NCMC conversion, sharing the health-conversion-foundation mandate and California/statewide health focus.

Regional players

• The Denver Foundation: Colorado's largest community foundation; comparable as a multi-county Colorado grantmaker serving similar community health/education themes, though Denver-centric rather than Weld County-focused.
• Pikes Peak Community Foundation: A regional Colorado community foundation serving El Paso County with comparable grant cycles and capacity-building programs; useful comparability on geographic-limited philanthropy operations.
• Yampa Valley Community Foundation: A Colorado rural-region community foundation; comparable as a geographically bounded grantmaker running multi-thrust community health and education grants in a single county market.
• Aspen Community Foundation: A Colorado regional community foundation; comparable as a community grantmaker running health and education initiatives within a defined geographic catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Anschutz Foundation: A Colorado-based private foundation supporting health, education, and community across the state; broader in scope but operates in the same state grantmaking environment with comparable endowment-driven scale.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The largest U.S. health-focused philanthropy; relevant as a benchmark on health-conversion scale, evaluation rigor, and capacity-building investments in grantee organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weldtrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments22 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Weld Trust