Caring for Denver Foundation

What Caring for Denver Foundation does

Caring for Denver Foundation is an independent nonprofit grantmaking organization founded and funded by Denver voters through a November 2018 ballot initiative that passed with 70% support. The foundation distributes revenue from a dedicated Denver sales tax of 25 cents per $100 spent in Denver — generating more than $30 million annually — exclusively to community-based organizations, schools, and city agencies addressing mental health and substance misuse needs within the City and County of Denver. Its operations are organized around three funding focus areas: Alternatives to Jail (diverting individuals with behavioral health needs from the criminal justice system through co-responder, STAR, and re-entry programs), Community-Centered Solutions (grassroots, culturally responsive services for marginalized populations), and Youth (programs for ages 0-26 including school-based supports, crisis response, and workforce development).

Grantmaking operates on a tri-annual cycle through a Fluxx-based grants portal, with applications reviewed by a 13-member Board of Directors appointed by the Mayor, District Attorney, and City Council President. Since inception, the foundation has awarded more than $169 million across 218+ unique organizations, including major deployments to Denver Health ($1.7M addiction medicine), Metropolitan State University of Denver (mental health workforce pipeline), WellPower (co-responder clinicians), and a wide range of grassroots nonprofits serving BIPOC, perinatal, youth, and senior populations. The foundation supplements grantmaking with ongoing community engagement — surveys, listening sessions, and Community Check-In reports published in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese — and an Evaluation and Learning function that tracks grantee-reported outcomes such as Denverites reached, reductions in substance misuse, and improvements in mental health.

In February 2026, the Denver Auditor issued a report finding that the foundation had misused funds through expensed alcohol and meals, and awarded grants to improperly documented applicants; the foundation announced policy changes in response. The foundation's contract with the City and County of Denver is set to expire in 2027, after which continuation of the underlying sales tax mechanism will require a new contract or ballot action.

Name

Caring for Denver Foundation

Legal name

Caring for Denver Foundation

Website

https://caring4denver.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caring for Denver Foundation is a nonprofit grantmaking organization funded by a voter-approved Denver sales tax, distributing over $169 million to 218+ community organizations addressing mental health and substance misuse across Alternatives to Jail, Community-Centered Solutions, and Youth focus areas within Denver.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Nonprofit grantmaking services
• Community mental health funding
• Substance misuse programs
• Foundation grant administration
• Public health philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Denver Sales Tax Revenue: Caring for Denver was established through a Denver ballot initiative passed on November 6, 2018, with 70% voter approval. The initiative imposes a dedicated sales tax of 25 cents per $100 spent in Denver. This generates more than $30 million annually (dependent on the economy), which is directed exclusively to addressing Denver's mental health and substance misuse needs. As a nonprofit foundation, all revenue is redistributed as grants to community organizations and city agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Caring for Denver Foundation is a nonprofit grantmaking organization that collects revenue from a dedicated Denver sales tax (25 cents per $100 spent) and redistributes it as grants to community-based nonprofit organizations, schools, and City and County of Denver agencies. Grants are awarded tri-annually in three focus areas: Alternatives to Jail, Community-Centered Solutions, and Youth, all aimed at addressing Denver's mental health and substance misuse needs.

Product overview

Caring for Denver Foundation is a nonprofit grantmaking organization founded and funded by Denver voters through a 2018 ballot initiative. The foundation operates as a centralized grant distribution platform with three primary funding focus areas: Alternatives to Jail (redirecting people with mental health/substance misuse challenges away from criminal justice), Community-Centered Solutions (grassroots community-based supports), and Youth programs. The foundation uses a grants portal (Fluxx) for application management and conducts ongoing community engagement to inform funding priorities. Grant funding is awarded tri-annually to community organizations, schools, and city agencies. The foundation has granted more than $169 million since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grants Program Tri-annual grantmaking program distributing funding to community-based nonprofit organizations, schools, and city agencies addressing Denver's mental health and substance misuse needs across three focus areas: Alternatives to Jail, Community-Centered Solutions, and Youth.
• Grants Portal (Fluxx) Online application portal hosted at caring4denver.fluxx.io that allows community organizations to submit, track, and manage grant applications, with downloadable templates for line-item budgets and budget narratives.
• Community Check-In Survey Survey program inviting Denver residents to share experiences with mental health and substance misuse through a short SurveyMonkey-based questionnaire, available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, with results shaping foundation funding priorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 311,000 Denverites learned about or used services as a result of grantee work in one year (four times the capacity of Empower Field at Mile High)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core and minor.

• Crisis Text LinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2023Caring for Denver awarded a grant to Crisis Text Line to expand free, 24/7 mental health support for Denver youth. The partnership provides text-based crisis support (text DENVER to 741741) for young people, allowing them to access help in a format comfortable for them. The initiative addresses the youth mental health crisis with anonymous, trained volunteer crisis counselors available in English and Spanish.
• WellPower (Mental Health Center of Denver)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWellPower operates the co-responder program and provides mental health clinicians who accompany Denver Police officers and park rangers on mental health-related calls. The partnership enables dispatching mental health professionals instead of police officers to certain 911 calls, providing 24/7 coverage in areas of highest need with clinicians, case managers, program evaluators, and a program manager.
• Spark the Change ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaring for Denver supports Spark the Change Colorado's workforce initiative, which reduces the cost of clinical supervision so more mental health providers can get licensed. This addresses Colorado's shortage of approximately 4,400 mental health providers by making supervision more affordable and accessible.
• The MothminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaring for Denver partnered with The Moth Community Program to create storytelling events that share stories of mental health, grief, and healing from the community. These events help normalize conversations around mental health and break stigma.
• Upstream EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaring for Denver funds Upstream Education, which develops simple, evidence-based mental health tools taught in Denver Public Schools. The program equips teachers and students with techniques like finger breathing to manage stress and mental health.
• Denver County CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaring for Denver granted over $1 million to Denver County Court over two years to improve equitable access to community supports and services for adults with behavioral health needs, expanding resources across Specialty Programs and bridging the justice system with the community.
• City and County of Denver – Department of Public Health & EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding supports the STAR (Support Team Assisted Response) program, which dispatches a paramedic with a mental health clinician instead of police to certain 911 calls. Caring for Denver enhances wraparound care networks and supports the program's expansion from one van to six, with the goal of connecting people with long-term support and reducing overdoses and jail bookings.
• Servicios de La RazacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Council approved a $2.3 million contract with Servicios de La Raza to partner with community organizations across the city as part of the STAR program's expansion to connect people with long-term support services.
• Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Building Denver's Mental Health Workforce grant supports MSU Denver social work students training to become mental health and substance misuse care professionals. Grant recipients commit to staying in Denver for one year after graduation, directly addressing the local shortage of mental health workers.
• University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaring for Denver granted funding to enable the University of Denver's Trauma and Disaster Recovery Clinic to launch a Family Support Clinic providing mental health services.
• Denver HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaring for Denver provided a $1.7 million grant to Denver Health to expand its addiction medicine center with a focus on youth and training, including an intensive outpatient substance treatment program and crisis response resources for Denver Public Schools.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Denver Foundation: The Denver Foundation is the largest community foundation serving the Denver metro area, distributing grants across multiple causes. It is directly comparable as a Denver-based community grantmaker serving overlapping nonprofit and city-agency grantees.
• Rose Community Foundation: Rose Community Foundation is a Denver-based community foundation focused on health, education, and aging. It is comparable to Caring for Denver as a place-based, Denver-area grantmaker with overlapping focus areas including mental health and aging services.
• Colorado Health Foundation: The Colorado Health Foundation is a statewide health-focused grantmaker funding mental health, substance misuse, and community health initiatives. It is comparable as a Colorado-based, health-mission grantmaker addressing the same mental-health provider shortage and substance misuse priorities.
• The Colorado Trust: The Colorado Trust is a statewide foundation focused on health equity, including behavioral health. It is comparable to Caring for Denver as a Colorado-based grantmaker addressing mental health and substance misuse through community-focused grantmaking.
• Piton Foundation: Piton Foundation is a Denver-based foundation focused on breaking the cycle of poverty through place-based grantmaking. It is comparable as a Denver-area funder supporting many of the same community-based nonprofits and city-aligned initiatives.
• Denver Health Foundation: Denver Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Denver Health, raising private funds to support the city's primary safety-net health system. It is comparable as a Denver-focused health grantmaker supporting overlapping behavioral-health and addiction services, including partnerships with Denver Health itself.

Broad incumbents

• El Pomar Foundation: El Pomar Foundation is one of Colorado's largest and oldest foundations, funding across health, human services, and education statewide. It is a broad incumbent operating in the same Colorado philanthropic ecosystem with overlapping grantee communities.
• Anschutz Foundation: The Anschutz Foundation is a major Colorado philanthropic entity funding health, education, and community initiatives. It is comparable as a large, broad-scope Colorado-based grantmaker operating in overlapping domains.
• Kaiser Permanente Colorado: Kaiser Permanente Colorado is an integrated health system with significant community-health grantmaking in Colorado. It is a broad incumbent in the same behavioral-health ecosystem, addressing mental health and substance misuse at scale across the same geography.

Others

• Civic Ventures / Fund for Shared Insight (comparable funder model): Civic Ventures and similar participatory grantmaking intermediaries use community-driven funding models analogous to Caring for Denver's tri-annual, community-prioritized grant cycles. Included as an 'Others' peer to reflect shared grantmaking methodology rather than direct geographic overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-vOmviIbyOz5_OolxXhOjw
• Facebookfacebook.com/caring4denver
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caring-for-denver-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/caring4denver
• Xx.com/caring4denver

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments155 records

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Frequently asked questions about Caring for Denver Foundation