Comment on Colorado foundations ride economic recovery to provide more grants

Assets at Colorado foundations rose 24.3 percent between 2011 and 2014, which in turn led to an 11.2 percent jump in contributions to charitable causes, according to a report Thursday from Philanthropy Southwest. “The philanthropic sector has recovered from the great recession,” said Tim Schultz, president and executive director of the Boettcher Foundation and board president of Philanthropy Southwest, the country’s oldest membership association for grant-makers. Related ArticlesOctober 16, 2016 Denver’s first Startup Games has technology firms play beer pong for charity October 12, 2016 Seen: At 10th anniversary gala, celebrating the Denver Scholarship Foundation’s alumni October 22, 2016 How your money habits compare to other people in their 20s and 30s Colorado foundations had $14.8 billion in assets and contributed $816.4 million to charitable causes, according to their 2014 tax returns. Of those grants, 74.1 percent were made inside Colorado, while 24.8 percent were made in other states and 1 percent went to international causes. Educational causes were the top target of grants, receiving $207 million or just over $1 out of every $4 given, while human services accounted for $167 million or about $1 out of every $5 provided. Public and societal benefits accounted for $105 million or 13.2 percent of foundation giving, while arts accounted for $73.4 million or 9.2 percent of giving by Colorado foundations. One of the most noticeable trends the report captured was a surge in giving to community foundations during the three-year period.