What Buell Foundation does

The Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation (doing business as the Buell Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) private foundation incorporated in Colorado and headquartered in Denver. Founded in 1962 by architect and real-estate developer Temple Hoyne Buell, the foundation refocused its grantmaking in 1996–1999 toward early childhood development for children from birth to age five, a thematic area in which it now concentrates over 90% of its grantmaking. It is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees and operated by a 13-person staff led by President & CEO Steve ErkenBrack; the Board adopted an expanded advocacy focus in 2023.

The foundation operates three core programs: (i) a Responsive Grantmaking Program with three annual application cycles (deadlines in mid-January and the first business day of May and September), processed through the GivingData online portal and supporting licensed child care centers, preschools, home visitation programs (Parents as Teachers / HIPPY), behavioral health consultation, parenting education, and capital projects; (ii) the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program (BECLP), a nine-month systems-change fellowship launched in 2007; and (iii) Initiatives & Special Projects that respond to acute sector needs, including the Workforce Initiative (up to $2M/year for 3–5 years, launched 2023). Most grants range $10K–$50K; capital grants can reach $300K+. Distribution is anchored by Regional Program Officers who run pre-application engagement and site visits.

The foundation is funded exclusively by its investment endowment — it sells no products or services and has no traditional revenue stream. It has distributed nearly $250 million in total grants for Colorado's children since founding, including $91+ million across 552 organizations in 56 Colorado counties in the past five years, with 65%+ of recent grants going to rural and underserved communities outside Metro Denver. The foundation's 13-acre Cherry Creek land parcel entered a $1B+ mixed-use redevelopment partnership with East West Partners and Simon in September 2024, representing the largest capital event in its history and a material future endowment catalyst. Geographic scope is restricted to Colorado.

Name

Buell Foundation

Legal name

Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation

Website

https://buellfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation based in Denver, Colorado, founded in 1962 to fund early childhood development (birth to age five) across Colorado through three annual grant cycles, the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program, and special initiatives supporting over 550 organizations in 56 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood philanthropy
• Grantmaking programs
• Nonprofit foundation
• Child development grants
• Colorado community investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking from Endowment: The Buell Foundation is a private foundation that makes charitable grants from its investment endowment. The Foundation has distributed over $91 million in the past five years and nearly $250 million in total grants for Colorado's children since its founding. The Foundation receives no revenue from products or services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Buell Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) foundation that makes charitable grants to Colorado-based organizations working to improve outcomes for children from birth to age five. Its core offerings include responsive grantmaking through three annual cycles, the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program (BECLP) fellowship, and targeted initiatives and special projects addressing acute sector needs. All grantmaking is funded from an investment endowment, with no products or services sold.

Product overview

The Buell Foundation operates as a philanthropy organization focused on early childhood in Colorado, offering a portfolio of grantmaking programs rather than a traditional product platform. The core offerings include: a Responsive Grantmaking Program with three annual application cycles supporting licensed child care centers, home visitation, behavioral health, and parenting education; the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program (BECLP), a nine-month fellowship building systems-change capacity; and Initiatives & Special Projects addressing acute early childhood sector needs. All grant applications and management are processed through an online portal (GivingData). The Foundation has awarded over $91 million across 552 organizations and 56 Colorado counties since 2020, with grant amounts typically ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Responsive Grantmaking Program Three annual grant cycles (January, May, September deadlines) offering flexible funding for early childhood programs including licensed child care centers, home visitation, behavioral health, parenting education, and literacy initiatives across Colorado. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations, government entities, and public charities.
• Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program (BECLP) A nine-month leadership fellowship that convenes leaders from education, public systems, health, philanthropy, and community-based organizations to strengthen leadership capacity and enhance systems-change practice for early childhood outcomes in Colorado.
• Initiatives and Special Projects Special projects launched in response to acute needs in the early childhood sector, including grant opportunities and new programs designed to demonstrate broad impact on current relevant issues, often in partnership with other foundations and community leaders.
• Online Grant Application Portal Web-based grants management system (GivingData) used by prospective and current grantees for submitting applications, reports, and grant communication, featuring multi-factor authentication and accessible only during designated application periods.

Quantifiable outcome

• $91+ million distributed in last five years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025The Buell Foundation partnered with DOLA to fully fund a new child care planning grant program, the first time the program has granted funds to municipalities and counties across the state. This collaboration aims to strengthen child care planning at the local government level.
• East West PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2024East West Partners is leading the Cherry Creek West redevelopment project on land owned by the Buell Foundation. This 13-acre mixed-use development represents over $1 billion in investment and is a significant milestone in the Foundation's history, tracing back to land originally purchased by founder Temple Buell. The project will deliver 825 residences, 600,000 sq ft of office space, 100,000 sq ft of retail, and 2,000 underground parking spaces.
• SimonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2024Simon is partnering with East West Partners and the Buell Foundation on the Cherry Creek West development, leveraging expertise in shopping center development from the original Cherry Creek Shopping Center that Temple Buell helped pioneer.
• Gary Community VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Buell Foundation and Gary Community Ventures co-hosted webinars on successful ballot tax measures for early childhood, including measures in Larimer County and from Aspen to Parachute, supporting community leaders and early childhood advocates.
• Early Milestones ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly Milestones Colorado was created in 2014 in partnership with five other foundations (including Buell) to accelerate early childhood efforts in the state. The Foundation has provided ongoing support including $20,000 in 2025 for a communications resource hub.
• Colorado Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Buell Foundation is one of six convening organizations of EPIC, a statewide initiative bringing together Colorado executives to invest in children. The Foundation provided $100,000 in general operating support in 2025.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gary Community Ventures: Colorado-based private foundation focused on early childhood and family economic mobility. Direct comparable — both organizations fund the same Colorado early childhood ecosystem, co-host webinars, and overlap on initiatives like the Transforming Colorado's Early Childhood Workforce Initiative.
• The Colorado Trust: Colorado statewide private foundation focused on health equity with crossover into early childhood. Operates as a peer in the Colorado private-foundation ecosystem with similar geographic scope and grantee base.
• The Daniels Fund: Colorado-based private foundation investing in education and youth across the state. Similar structure, mission overlap in education/youth, and overlapping Colorado grantee network to Buell Foundation.
• Anschutz Family Foundation: Colorado private foundation funding youth, education, and community services. Direct comparable in scale, structure, and Colorado-only geographic focus, with overlapping grantees in education and youth development.
• The Piton Foundation: Denver-based private foundation with deep early childhood and K-12 education funding focus in Colorado. Similar geographic scope, analogous endowment-distribution model, and overlapping grantee portfolio to Buell.

Broad incumbents

• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations, focused heavily on early childhood and racial equity. National-scale counterpart to Buell's mission, applying shared systems-change frameworks at far greater scale.
• Heising-Simons Foundation: California-based national private foundation with major early childhood grantmaking portfolio. Comparable in mission focus on birth-to-five outcomes, but operates at significantly larger national scale.
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation: National private foundation with substantial early childhood and child welfare grantmaking. Mission-adjacent peer with far broader programmatic and geographic reach than Buell.
• Ballmer Group Philanthropy: National philanthropic effort led by Steve Ballmer focused on economic mobility for children. Overlaps with Buell's early childhood focus but operates across multiple states with significantly larger financial capacity.

Regional players

• Stranahan Foundation: Ohio-based private foundation focused on education and community. Comparable in structure and educational grantmaking mission but operates in a different geography, competing indirectly for limited early childhood philanthropic attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/temple-hoyne-buell-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Buell Foundation