2016 ANNUAL REPORT GRANTEES

In addition to the grants listed below, Chambers Family Fund is constructing a new museum building near the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver’s Golden Triangle Museum District. It is an investment in the further development of the City of Denver’s nationally important art scene. The building will house Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art. At the end of 2016, total capitalized expenditures for the new museum building were $21,679,771. The construction will be complete in 2017.

JUSTICE, EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY

The Bell Policy Center Public education, nonpartisan research and policy development to create opportunities for individuals and families to attain economic self-sufficiency (General Support)	$160,000
Colorado Center on Law and Policy Secure justice and economic security for all Coloradans, with special emphasis on women’s economic self-sufficiency (General Support)	$25,000
Colorado Nonprofit Development Center Research and planning for Colorado Collaborative to reduce unintended pregnancy (Project Support)	$10,000
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Foundation Public education and community organizing projects that promote access to reproductive rights and health care in Colorado (General Support)	$30,000
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
Century Celebration Campaign to increase endowment (Endowment Support)	$15,000
Comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services, advocacy and educational programs in the Rocky Mountain Region (General Support)	$10,000
ProgressNow Colorado Education Promote solutions to problems that matter to all Coloradans (General Support)	$10,000

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY

9to5 Colorado, National Association of Working Women Strengthen working women’s ability to achieve economic justice and equal opportunities (General Support)	$10,000
Ascend at the Aspen Institute Two-generation action planning for Colorado (Project Support)	$25,000
Global Fund for Women International grants for women’s groups that increase girls’ access to education and advocate for and defend women’s human rights (General Support)	$10,000
Women’s Funds Initiative Endowment challenge gifts and operating support to expand women’s philanthropy and provide a permanent resource for women and girls in the states where the Chambers family’s oil business operated
Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma	$25,000
Women’s Foundation of Montana	$25,000
Wyoming Women’s Foundation	$25,000

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

Colorado Children’s Campaign Advocate for the development and implementation of data-driven public policies that improve child well-being in early childhood, health and education (General Support)	$25,000
Early Milestones Colorado Advance success for young children across the state by accelerating innovation, best practices and systemic change (General Support)	$50,000
Parent Possible
Disseminate Vroom tools and messages that help parents and caregivers become brain builders for young children (Project Support)	$35,000
Consulting services for a statewide strategy and implementation of Vroom in Colorado (Project Support)	$10,000
Tools of the Mind/Third Sector New England Increase children’s future academic success by developing and expanding the Tools pre-school curriculum (General Support)	$25,000

HONORED COMMITMENTS

Aspen Music Festival and School Increase endowment of the Chambers Fellowships Fund for Minority Students (Multi-Year Endowment Support)	$30,000
Clyfford Still Museum Advance the understanding and appreciation of Clyfford Still’s art and legacy (Multi-Year Capital Support)	$50,000
Colorado Ballet
Renovation of a building for new offices and dance studios (Multi-Year Capital Support)	$50,000
Superior quality classical ballet and innovative dance through performances, training and education programs (General Support)	$15,000
Colorado Symphony Association Quality musical performances and programs that contribute to the cultural life of the community (General Support)	$15,000
Denver Art Museum Renovation of the Ponti-Sudler Building (Multi-Year Capital Support)	$200,000
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Furniture, fixtures and equipment for new museum (Capital Support)	$500,000
Art relocation and storage for new museum (Capital Support)	$250,000
Historic Denver Renovation campaign for Molly Brown House Museum (Capital Support)	$10,000
North Shore Country Day School Increase scholarship fund for African American or Latina girls in the Upper School (Multi-Year Endowment Support)	$25,000
Opera Colorado Promotion of opera to a wide audience through educational and cultural activities that create passion and excitement for the art of grand opera (General Support)	$20,000
St. John’s Cathedral
Leadership and resources for the church and its outreach to the surrounding community (General Support)	$60,000
Cathedral upgrades (Capital Support)	$12,250
The Symphony Fund Endowment for the Colorado Symphony (Multi-Year Endowment Support)	$500,000

Grants Under $10,000	$39,026
Events	$18,300
Matching Gifts	$1,915
Memberships	$8,245
TOTAL 2016 GRANTS	$2,329,736

2016 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

The Chambers Family Fund Board of Directors is grateful to the many outstanding organizations in Colorado and around the country that work each day to provide opportunities for success and improved quality of life for those who need it most. Following are highlights of our 2016 program area grants and the accomplishments of some of those organizations.

JUSTICE, EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY

Chambers Family Fund provides critical annual operating support to The Bell Policy Center (the Bell). Co-founded by Chambers Family Fund, and in its 16th year, the Bell continues to fulfill its mission by leading the debate on family economic security and driving public policy solutions that help Coloradans get ahead and stay ahead. As a network partner of Ascend at the Aspen Institute, the Bell plays a critical policy role in two-generation research and strategy. It has focused on developing two-generation strategies that tie education and training opportunities for parents with early childhood education opportunities for their children. In October, the Bell released its report Bound to Succeed: An Environmental Scan of Two-Generation Approaches to Education in Colorado. The report focused on the intentional linkage of adult education, job training, workforce development and postsecondary education for low-income parents with early childhood education for their children. With information from Bound to Succeed, the Bell’s goal is to create policies to ensure that linked services are available for low-to-moderate income families throughout Colorado. Children’s outcomes are closely tied to parent educational level and income, which is why linking parent and children education programs is important.

Colorado Center for Law and Policy (CCLP) strives to reduce or eliminate governmental, societal and economic barriers that prevent self-sufficiency and economic security. General support from Chambers Family Fund allows CCLP to be strategic in the work it undertakes, with the goal of bringing about measurable results and systemic change on behalf of people living in poverty. In 2016, CCLP was part of a coalition working to put a minimum wage increase on the ballot. In November, voters passed Amendment 70 and increased the minimum wage to $9.30 per hour, with annual increases of 90 cents each January 1 until it reaches $12 per hour in 2020. The minimum wage will be adjusted for cost-of-living increases starting in 2021.

Over seven years, the Susan T. Buffett Foundation invested $27 million to expand the Colorado Family Planning Program at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). This expansion, also known as the Colorado Family Planning Initiative (CFPI), provided low- and no-cost long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) to more than 36,000 low income women statewide. During the implementation of CFPI between 2009 and 2015, birth and abortion rates declined by nearly 50% among teens aged 15-19 and 20% among young women aged 20-24. Associated averted public assistance costs totaled between $66.1 and $69.6 million for four entitlement programs. After legislation failed to pass in 2015, Chambers Family Fund partnered with other funders to collaboratively provide $2.1 million in bridge funding to continue the expanded program. In 2016, the legislature passed a $2.5 million increase in funding for the CDPHE Family Planning Program.

With the successful passage of funding in the state budget for the expanded Colorado Family Planning Program, some of the foundations that collaborated to provide bridge funding strategized to further reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy in Colorado.

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Ascend at The Aspen Institute received start-up funding from Chambers Family Fund and has been a very successful national initiative to introduce and implement two-generation strategies and reforms that lift single parents and children out of poverty. In Colorado, Ascend released a new report, State Human Services Model – Colorado as a Case Study for Policymakers. Colorado continues to be a model and resource for other states seeking to develop statewide two-generation strategies.

With grants to Ascend from Chambers Family Fund, Rose Community Foundation and The Piton Foundation, Colorado is developing a 2Gen Action Plan in 2016. Ascend has facilitated and led the cross-sector planning of the action plan. In the fall of 2016, Colorado was one of five states to receive a grant from the National Governors Association (NGA) for two-generation implementation. Chambers Family Fund partnered with the Governor’s office to submit the grant and collaboratively provided a partial match to funds received from the NGA. The state will use the grant funding to hire a two-generation manager in the Governor’s office who will coordinate the two-generation efforts in state departments and agencies.

Since 2013, Chambers Family Fund and Rose Community Foundation have funded Denver Women’s Collaborative (DWC), an initiative of nine women-serving organizations to collaborate and learn more about engaging in advocacy and policy on behalf of their clients. In 2016, the foundations engaged Alliance for Justice to provide advocacy training for the boards and staff of DWC. In conjunction with the training, the foundation also sponsored a C(3) Forum where Alliance for Justice provided advocacy training for foundations and nonprofits.

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION

Since 2012, Chambers Family Fund, Rose Community Foundation and Buell Foundation have partnered with the Alliance for Early Success (the Alliance), a national organization that is funding policy and advocacy in selected states. The Colorado Early Learning Policy Initiative was formed from this partnership and includes Clayton Early Learning and Colorado Children’s Campaign. It advances state level early childhood policy and capacity building objectives. In 2016, two additional funders – the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and The Piton Foundation – joined the collaborative.

The guiding principles of bipartisanship and grounding advocacy in the best and most reliable data and research continue to define the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Alongside the Denver Women’s Collaborative, the Campaign led advocacy efforts to secure bipartisan support for access to child care for teen parents and survivors of domestic violence. The Campaign’s coordinated advocacy led to the overhaul of our state’s child care subsidy program, the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP). The policy changes were coupled with an additional $2 million state investment in CCCAP in the 2016 legislative session.

Early Milestones Colorado, a new early childhood intermediary organization, was created in 2014 by Chambers Family Fund in partnership with other early childhood focused foundations. The early success of Milestones is reflected in its numerous projects and funding to date. Launch Together, a five year $11.2 million project is a first in the nation, privately funded effort to advance children’s social and emotional health. Transforming Colorado’s Early Childhood workforce, a $500,000 project, is a joint partnership with Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Department of Human Services and the Early Childhood Leadership Commission. The purpose is to advance the early childhood workforce in Colorado with a specific focus on ways to better recruit, retain and compensate those working directly with young children.

Chambers Family Fund continued its work in partnership with Bezos Family Foundation and other Colorado funders to collaboratively provide funding and engage a consultant to develop an action plan for disseminating Vroom in Colorado. After six months of planning, the Vroom in Colorado initiative was placed as a new program at Parent Possible and launch events were held at the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus.

HONORED COMMITMENTS

Chambers Family Fund made an early grant of $250,000 that enabled curatorial research and the publication of the catalogue for the Women of Abstract Expressionism exhibit at the Denver Art Museum (DAM). This was the first full-scale museum presentation of the work of women painters who came of age artistically in the avant-garde era of the late 1940s and 50s America. The exhibition was on view at the DAM from June 12 to September 25 in 2016. The museum estimates that there were 75,000 visitors to the exhibition, in addition to related public programs that drew a higher than usual attendance. The exhibition had a permanent impact on the DAM’s modern art collection, resulting in the addition of nine new works by women painters of Abstract Expressionism through gift and purchase. Several authors of modern and contemporary art textbooks anticipate changes in academic textbooks due to the new scholarship that resulted from the exhibition and catalogue.

Chambers Family Fund is constructing a new museum building near the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum in the Denver Golden Triangle Museum District. It is an investment in the further development of the City of Denver’s nationally important art scene. The building will house Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art. Groundbreaking was held at the new museum location at 12th Avenue and Bannock Street in September, 2015 and the new museum building will be completed in 2017.

2016 ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Assets and Net Assets – Income Tax Basis
For the Year Ended November 30, 2016

 

 

ASSETS
Cash and Cash Equivalents	$3,813,951
Investments at Cost	$29,411,440
Land and Construction in Progress – Museum Building	$21,679,771
TOTAL ASSETS		$54,905,162
UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS		$54,905,162
FAIR MARKET VALUE OF ASSETS		$65,613,764

Revenues, Expenses and Other Changes in Net Assets – Income Tax Basis
For the Year Ended November 30, 2016

REVENUES		$6,048,814
EXPENSES
Grants Paid	$2,329,736
Direct Charitable Programs	$168,685
Grant Administration	$69,969
General and Administrative	$137,715
Investment	$48,123
Excise Taxes	$44,000
TOTAL EXPENSES		$2,798,228
EXCESS (DEFICIT) OF REVENUES OVER EXPENSES		$3,250,586