Colorado Parks Foundation

What Colorado Parks Foundation does

Colorado Parks Foundation (CPF), founded in 1985 and headquartered in Denver, is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds and places them in an endowment to enhance, advocate for, and promote Colorado State Parks. Originally established as the Foundation for Colorado State Parks and rebranded in 2015, the foundation operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees led by Executive Director Jeff Shoemaker and governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees chaired by Larry Elrod. Its mission is operationalized through annual grant awards to all 43 Colorado State Parks, which it claims to have supported every one of with at least one grant over its four-decade tenure.

The foundation's product surface is a narrow set of donation and grant mechanisms rather than a technology platform. Core offerings include an annual grant program for park improvements, equipment, and programming; the State Parks License Plate Program (a 2011 legislatively established channel requiring a one-time $44 donation for a specialty plate, with 100% of proceeds directed into a dedicated endowment); and an online donation portal. Grant disbursements have grown from $27,200 in the foundation's first decade (1986-89) to $498,075 in 2010-19, with $344,000+ already disbursed in the 2020-present period. Partnerships with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Great Outdoors Colorado, Trust for Public Lands, Denver Park Trust, and others enable co-funded projects.

The revenue model is philanthropic: individual donations, license plate purchases, and partnership-based co-funding flow into an endowment, and interest earnings on that endowment (rather than principal) are granted out to parks. There is no technology licensing, no product pricing, and no commercial customer base — the foundation serves as a financial intermediary between Colorado donors and the state park system. Annual revenue is not publicly disclosed, but grant outflows of low six figures and a 1-10 employee base are consistent with a sub-$1M annual operating budget.

Name

Colorado Parks Foundation

Legal name

Colorado Parks Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://coloradoparksfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colorado Parks Foundation is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that raises donations and license plate funds into an endowment to award grants enhancing Colorado's 43 state parks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Park Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising services
• Park grant programs
• Conservation endowment funds
• Specialty license plates
• Parks advocacy support

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Donations: The foundation raises funds through individual donations placed in an endowment. Donors can contribute online or through the license plate program. The foundation's website provides a dedicated donation portal.
2. License Plate Program: A specialized Colorado State Parks License Plate is available for purchase. Donors make a one-time tax-deductible donation of $44, with 100% of funds placed into a dedicated endowment fund. The interest earned from the endowment is used for the benefit of Colorado State Parks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Colorado Parks Foundation (CPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds through individual donations and a specialty State Parks License Plate program, placing 100% of contributions into an endowment fund. The foundation awards annual grants to Colorado State Parks to fund park enhancements, equipment, interpretive programming, accessibility improvements, and visitor experience projects that fall outside standard government budgets.

Product overview

Colorado Parks Foundation operates as a single unified nonprofit offering focused on grant programs for Colorado State Parks. The foundation's core services include annual grant awards to parks, a specialty license plate program, and an online donation platform. All proceeds are placed in an endowment fund to support the ongoing enhancement, improvement, and promotion of Colorado's State Park system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Programs
• State Parks License Plate Program
• Online Donation Platform

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered significant, supporting and core.

• Sterling RanchsignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CPF partnered with Sterling Ranch in 2025 to provide a collective grant to the Friends of Roxborough State Park in honor of the Park's 50th Anniversary, supporting refurbishment of the Pursee Place Cabin and construction of a new Education Pavilion.
• Center for American ValuessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CPF provided a grant to CAV's Educational Outreach program in 2021 to engage high school and college students in a community volunteer day focused on enhancing several parks and natural areas within the City of Pueblo.
• Trust for Public LandssignificantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CPF partnered with Trust for Public Lands in 2019 to provide a grant for the creation of a master plan for Colorado's newest State Park outside of Trinidad.
• Denver Park TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CPF provided support to Denver Park Trust for providing new park amenities for St. Charles Place Park and Lindsley Park in northern Denver, and collaborated on the Peak to Prairie Trek Masterplan.
• Friends of Colorado State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017CPF provided funding in support of a strategic planning effort to enable FCSP to better create 'Friends' organizations within State Parks across Colorado. Friends organizations are volunteer groups that support individual parks.
• High Line Canal ConservancysupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015CPF assisted in funding a Strategic Plan for the High Line Canal Conservancy to create a Vision and Implementation Plan for the Canal.
• Colorado Parks & WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) is the state agency that oversees Colorado State Parks. CPF serves as the primary nonprofit partner supporting CPW's state parks through grants for equipment, improvements, programming, and special projects. The foundation works collaboratively with CPW to identify funding priorities and maximize impact on park visitor experiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• California State Parks Foundation: California State Parks Foundation is the direct analog for Colorado Parks Foundation: a 501(c)(3) that fundraises and grants exclusively to support a single state's park system. Identical mission, beneficiary (state parks agency), and revenue model (donations + specialty plate/program).
• National Park Foundation: National Park Foundation is the official nonprofit of the U.S. National Park Service, raising an endowment and granting funds to enhance public parks. Highly comparable in grantmaking-for-parks model, endowment structure, and donor/license-plate-style fundraising, but at national scale.
• National Parks Conservation Association: NPCA advocates for and fundraises on behalf of national parks, operating parallel awareness, advocacy, and grantmaking activities. Comparable in cause focus (park stewardship and visitor experience) and nonprofit donation-driven revenue model.
• Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land is a direct operational peer and active CPF partner (2019 master-plan grant). It fundraises and grants to protect/expand public parks and natural areas, including master planning for new state parks - a service CPF also funds.
• Great Outdoors Colorado: GOCO is a major CPF co-funding partner that distributes lottery-backed grants for parks, trails, and conservation in Colorado. Comparable grantmaking function, beneficiary overlap (Colorado outdoor recreation), and active co-funding relationship with CPF.
• Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy: The Parks Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Golden Gate National Parks, raising donations and grants to fund park improvements, education, and visitor programs. Same park-focused nonprofit grantmaking model as CPF, but at a single large national park unit.
• Appalachian Mountain Club: AMC is a member-supported nonprofit that funds and operates outdoor recreation infrastructure and conservation across the Northeast. Comparable in mission (enhancing outdoor/parks experiences), donation/membership revenue model, and park-grantmaking activities.
• Parks & Trails New York: Parks & Trails New York advocates for and fundraises on behalf of New York's state parks and trails. Same single-state, park-specific nonprofit grantmaking/advocacy mission as Colorado Parks Foundation.

Regional players

• Colorado Open Lands: Colorado Open Lands is a Colorado land trust that protects natural and working lands. It does not directly compete with CPF (which grants to existing state parks) but operates in the same Colorado conservation ecosystem with an overlapping donor base.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy (Colorado Chapter): TNC Colorado raises and grants funds for land and water conservation across the state, including parks and natural areas. Comparable donation/endowment-based fundraising model, but TNC's portfolio spans conservation broadly rather than focusing specifically on state parks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thecpforg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-colorado-parks-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Colorado Parks Foundation