The Colorado Health Foundation

What The Colorado Health Foundation does

The Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) is a private nonprofit foundation established in 1995 in Denver, Colorado, and the largest philanthropic organization in the state with $2.9 billion in assets. Originally formed as the HealthONE Alliance following a joint venture between the nonprofit HealthONE hospital system and Hospital Corporation of America, CHF was rebranded in 2006, transitioned from public charity to private foundation status in 2016, and is governed today by President & CEO Karen McNeil-Miller and a 15-member Board of Directors. Its mission centers on making Colorado the healthiest state by advancing health equity and racial justice, with explicit prioritization of communities of color and low-income Coloradans.

CHF operates an integrated philanthropic platform across 10 priority areas — Adult Recovery, Advocacy, Affordable Housing, Capacity Building, Community Solutions, Economic Opportunity, Food Access & Security, Locally Focused Work, Primary Care, and Thriving Young People — plus a $133M impact investing program launched in 2017 that has unlocked $735M for Colorado communities. Core offerings include grantmaking through the Fluxx grantee portal, multiyear funding and capacity building, program-related investments (PRIs), loan guarantees, recoverable grants, sponsorships, a sabbatical program, the annual Pulse Poll, the Local Ballot Measure Tracker, the annual Colorado Health Symposium, and the Dr. Virgilio Licona Community Health Leadership Award. Annual grantmaking exceeded $102 million in 2024 and is sustained by returns on a $2.9B endowment rather than commercial revenue.

CHF reaches applicants and grantees through three annual funding cycle deadlines (February 15, June 15, October 15), rolling and invitation-only funding, direct engagement with a team of ~20+ Senior Program Officers organized by priority and Colorado geography, and ecosystem partnerships with Center for Creative Leadership, Nonprofit Finance Fund, Colorado Health Institute, Feeding Colorado, Hunger Free Colorado, Nourish Colorado, Provecho Collective, KaBOOM!, First Southwest Community Fund, and Tepeyac Community Health Center. With 68 staff, a Denver headquarters at 1780 Pennsylvania Street, and an adjacent 1799 Pennsylvania Street affordable housing redevelopment, CHF operates exclusively within Colorado.

Name

The Colorado Health Foundation

Legal name

The Colorado Health Foundation

Website

https://coloradohealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Colorado Health Foundation is Denver-based private nonprofit foundation with $2.9B in assets that awards grants, impact investments, and sponsorships across Colorado to advance health equity, racial justice, and well-being for communities of color and low-income Coloradans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Health equity funding
• Impact investing
• Community health programs
• Nonprofit foundation grants

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, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grantmaking & Contributions: CHF awards grants and contributions to nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and other groups working to improve the health of Coloradans. Annual awards exceed $100 million. In 2024, more than $102 million in grants and contributions were awarded.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Colorado Health Foundation is a private nonprofit philanthropic foundation that awards grants, contributions, impact investments (PRIs, loan guarantees, recoverable grants, cash deposits), and sponsorships to eligible nonprofit organizations and government agencies in Colorado. Annual grantmaking exceeds $100 million (over $102 million awarded in 2024) to advance health equity, racial justice, and community well-being across 10 priority areas including affordable housing, food access, primary care, and adult recovery.

Product overview

The Colorado Health Foundation is a philanthropic organization offering a portfolio of programs and platforms to advance health equity and racial justice across Colorado. The core offerings include grantmaking through an online Grantee Portal, community polling via the Pulse Poll, policy intelligence through the Local Ballot Measure Tracker, annual convening through the Colorado Health Symposium, impact investing programs, the Dr. Virgilio Licona Community Health Leadership Award, and published research and reports. These programs work together to fulfill the Foundation's mission of improving the health of Coloradans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grantmaking and Contributions
• Impact Investments
• Pulse: The Colorado Health Foundation Poll
• Local Ballot Measure Tracker
• Colorado Health Symposium
• Dr. Virgilio Licona Community Health Leadership Award
• Studies and Reports
• Sponsorships

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2021, 65% of all approved grants and PRIs went to organizations serving populations where at least half are people of color.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Front Range Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpened a Community Dental Clinic in Fort Collins, CO funded by CHF and Delta Dental Colorado Foundation. The clinic provides hands-on training for dental hygiene and dental assisting students while offering low-cost care to the public ($50 for adults, $20 for children).
• MacArthur FoundationminorOthersParticipated as a featured organization at the 2026 Mission Investors Exchange Conference marking MIE's 20th anniversary, discussing impact investing strategies and aligning investment portfolios with mission-driven goals.
• Rockefeller Brothers FundminorOthersFeatured organization at the 2026 Mission Investors Exchange Conference sharing insights on impact investing, place-based community investing, and catalytic capital mechanisms.
• GroundBreak CoalitionminorOthersFeatured organization at the 2026 Mission Investors Exchange Conference sharing insights on aligning investment portfolios with mission-driven goals.
• Provecho CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger Program Office, Provecho Collective was established with CHF support to lead implementation of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger's five-year plan. CHF committed significant statewide support through this initiative from 2019–2024, investing $47.4M in food access and security work.
• Nourish ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey statewide actor in the anti-hunger ecosystem, one of CHF's strategic partners in food access and security work.
• Hunger Free ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey statewide actor in the anti-hunger ecosystem partnering with CHF in food access and security initiatives.
• Feeding ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey statewide food bank network and partner in CHF's food access and security priority area.
• KaBOOM!minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHF partnered with KaBOOM! to offer community playground building opportunities as part of the Locally Focused Work initiative. CHF's community outreach coordinator connects interested communities with KaBOOM! resources.
• Center for Creative LeadershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHF collaborates with the Center for Creative Leadership on the Collective Leadership Initiative, which prepares community leaders to be collaborative systems-change leaders regardless of title, position, or status. CCL is also the leadership training partner for Locally Focused Work to enhance local leaders' capacity.
• Nonprofit Finance FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHF partners with the Nonprofit Finance Fund on Community Builders: Supporting Equitable Health for Colorado, a collaboration to build organizational capacity for nonprofits serving Colorado communities.
• Colorado Health InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHF partners annually with the Colorado Health Institute to develop the Local Ballot Measure Tracker, compiling city- and county-level ballot measures across Colorado to track issues that shape health.
• First Southwest Community FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHF impact investing partner; featured in CHF's Impact in Action case studies demonstrating how investments advance health equity in Colorado communities.
• Tepeyac Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHF impact investing partner featured in Impact in Action case studies; Tepeyac provides culturally responsive healthcare services and was supported through CHF's impact investment strategy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Kresge Foundation: A national private foundation with major health, human services, and impact investing programs. Closely comparable because of its mission-driven impact investing strategy and place-based grantmaking approach that CHF emulates.
• Rose Community Foundation: A Denver-based community foundation with explicit funding areas including health, aging, and education. Comparable as a Colorado-based, Jewish-anchored foundation that also supports health equity and community-led grantmaking.
• The Denver Foundation: Colorado's largest community foundation, operating with multi-issue grantmaking and impact investing across the state. Directly comparable as a Colorado-headquartered place-based philanthropy with significant health-equity-adjacent work.
• Caring for Colorado: A Colorado-focused health foundation funding oral health, mental health, and rural health initiatives. Directly comparable as a same-state peer addressing health access and equity for Coloradans.
• The California Endowment: A large state-focused private health foundation with a Building Healthy Communities model and similar commitment to health equity and racial justice. Directly comparable as a place-based, multi-billion-dollar health philanthropy targeting one state.
• The Colorado Trust: A Colorado-focused health foundation with statewide grantmaking and equity commitments. Directly comparable as a same-state health philanthropy targeting Colorado communities of color and underserved populations.
• Bonfils-Stanton Foundation: A Colorado private foundation focused on arts, health, education, and community service. Directly comparable as a same-state Denver-based private foundation with overlapping health and community priorities.

Regional players

• Anschutz Foundation: A major Colorado-based private foundation supporting health, education, and community initiatives. Comparable in scale and Colorado footprint, though with a more concentrated focus on the Anschutz Medical Campus and related institutions.

Emerging players

• Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation: A Colorado-focused foundation that co-funds oral health programs with CHF (e.g., Front Range Community College dental clinic). Comparable as a same-state peer operating in CHF's health priority areas but narrower in scope (oral health only).

Broad incumbents

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The largest U.S. philanthropy focused exclusively on health and health equity, with a national footprint and comparable emphasis on research, policy advocacy, and impact investing. Comparable as a peer health-focused private foundation, though RWJF operates nationally rather than place-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/coloradohealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/coloradohealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-colorado-health-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cohealthfdn
• Xx.com/cohealthfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about The Colorado Health Foundation