Your giving is our mission. We are committed to maximizing the potential of our region's nonprofits and bolstering the vibrancy of SW CO. Please consider supporting the Community Foundation with a gift toward our operational expenses, as we expand and grow the Foundation to better serve our region.
The Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado facilitates the growth and effectiveness of philanthropic contributions and expands the culture of giving to meet the needs of our community.
During the mid-1990s, individuals involved with several nonprofit organizations in Southwest Colorado had become aware that the "traditional" forms of funding on which they relied to support their various causes were becoming strained. Federal and State governments had reduced or eliminated funding for many programs local community members needed and desired, and local businesses and citizens were growing weary of being asked to contribute to numerous community fundraisers. Many of these organizations were successfully generating some revenue through fundraisers, but their efforts to do so were requiring a larger amount of staff time than they could commit - and they were still struggling to pay the bills.Therefore, the concept of the Community Foundation was introduced to the local community. Nonprofit professionals were encouraged to learn that donors of large gifts are often more willing to contribute to a foundation that is developed primarily to assure that community assets are managed according to donor wishes and invested to maximize their earnings potential than they are to donate directly to a nonprofit organization which could experience frequent changes in management and board governance.
In the fall of 1997, various avenues for creating or joining an existing community foundation were researched. After many long discussions and public meetings, the decision was made to create the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado as a Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Currently, the Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado manages $6.5 million.
"I am a "horizontal" as opposed to a "vertical" person, meaning I have a wide variety of interests and passions as opposed to depth in one or two areas of need. Because of my broad base of interest, philanthropy was becoming a complicated, tedious, and solo effort. Setting up my Donor Advised Fund with the Community Foundation serving Southwest Colorado simplified the process. I am able to deliberately establish a giving pattern that will continue on after I am no longer able to make philanthropic decisions."
- Kathleen Adams, Fund Holder & Board President
"I am extremely proud to be a Fund Holder, as well as a Past President of the Board of Directors for this outstanding organization. It has elevated philanthropy in our community by pairing the needs of the nonprofits with those who have a passion to fund their mission. The Foundation is an important engine to our community's health."
- Molly Martin, Fund Holder
