Across Colorado, Black entrepreneurs are creating businesses that feed families, hire neighbors, and transform communities. They’re doing it in an economy that still denies them fair loans, contracts, and networks.
Every day, our entrepreneurs face bias that others never have to think about — yet they keep showing up. They keep building. They keep believing.
AYA exists so they don’t have to do it alone.
Because we know how to turn resilience into results.
We’re not outsiders “helping” the community — we are the community. We coach, connect, and invest using cultural wisdom and lived experience. We see both the potential and the pressure our entrepreneurs carry, and we stay in it with them until they win.
When someone feels like quitting, we remind them why they started. When banks say no, we open another door.
When they succeed, we celebrate like it’s our own victory — because it is.
Because your dollars build power.
Your gift doesn’t just fund programs. It changes who holds the mic and who holds the money. It helps Black business owners hire, grow, and build wealth that lasts.
Because of supporters like you, AYA has already helped:
288 entrepreneurs
$455,000 in grants awarded
80% Black-led businesses supported
Thousands of coaching sessions, connections, and contracts made
That’s what backing brilliance looks like in real life.
Because brilliance deserves backing.
Every dollar you give helps someone move from surviving to thriving.
It helps a mother hire her first employee, a young founder sign their first contract, and a family see a future built on ownership instead of odds.
Your gift fuels the determination, creativity, and courage that define Colorado’s Black entrepreneurs. It keeps doors open, ideas growing, and brilliance shining.
When you back brilliance, you build possibility — not just for one entrepreneur, but for an entire community ready to rise.
Back the Brilliance - Donate Today
Did you know that when you donate $25 or more, you may qualify for the Colorado Enterprise Zone Tax Credit?
Mission: To lead an Economic Revolution by supporting members of the Black community in building their wealth through access to education, training, networks and funding.
Vision: To have a restorative and transformative effect on the Colorado landscape, leading to generational health and wealth for Colorado’s Black community.
Organization name
AYA Foundation
2020
Tax id (EIN)
85-2802236
Category
Community Improvement & Capacity Building, Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Colorado State Tax Credits
Colorado Enterprise Zone Credit
Address
1031 33rd StreetCO, US