Chinook Fund is Colorado's community foundation supporting grassroots groups leading movements for social justice. As progressive work is attacked, now is the time to act. When you give to Chinook, you seed groups making a positive, systemic impact to improve the quality of life for all Coloradans
Community Development
General Public/Unspecified
The Giving Project is an innovative new model for funding social change, building community, and leadership development. It brings together a multiracial, cross-class group of people who are passionate about social change and interested in building their skills in fundraising, grantmaking, and community building. Participants work together to raise and grant money to organizations that build power for social change in Colorado.
How does the Giving Project work?
The Giving Project is a process. It requires a commitment of your time, talent and resources over a period of six months. The basic
Giving Project structure is:
A cross-class, multiracial group of 20 individuals commits to gathering 8 times over the course of 6 months.
Through workshops and trainings, the group develops a shared understanding of race, class, and power within society.
Each person makes a meaningful financial gift - whatever that means for you.
Each person commits to fundraising from their friends, family and community to support the financial goal of the group. Chinook Funds' staff will train you in grassroots fundraising and provide lots of support.
Each member is trained in Chinook Funds' democratic grantmaking process. As a participant, you will read and score proposals, participate in site visits, make collective decisions, and grant money to some of the most inspiring, effective social change work in Colorado.
WE BUILD MOVEMENTS
Since 2016, our Giving Project has
• trained 118 donor organizers
• engaged over 1,000 new donors and supporters
• funded 56 community-led organizations
Since 1987, Chinook Fund has
• moved over $3.1 Million to grassroots groups
• given 941 grants
• funded 352 organizations; more than half are minority-led
Giving Projects have been especially successful at reaching traditionally underrepresented communities, including young people and people of color, in Colorado and throughout the US. We are proud to collaborate with 6 other community foundations across the country to develop this innovative model for social justice philanthropy.
