2021 ANNUAL REPORT GRANTEES
| The 19th News| General Support Independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics, and policy |
$100,000 | ||
| Arizona Center for Empowerment | General Support Raising new leadership in Arizona by confronting the most pressing needs of under-served communities through community-led civic engagement |
$50,000 | ||
| The Bell Policy Center | General Support Public education, nonpartisan research, and policy development to create opportunities for individuals and families to attain economic mobility |
$160,000 | ||
| Fundraising Support Consulting | $45,600 | ||
| Center for Tech and Civic Life | General Support Connect Americans with the information they need to become and remain civically engaged |
$100,000 | ||
| Cobalt Foundation | General Support and Cobalt Abortion Fund Public education and community organizing projects that promote access to reproductive rights and health care in Colorado |
$110,000 | ||
| Colorado Black Women Endowment Fund Inc | General Support (Multi-Year) Capacity building to expand education, community organizing, and training for black women and young adults |
$20,000 | ||
| Colorado Center on Law & Policy | General Support (Multi-Year) Research, litigation, and policy advocacy to ensure the well-being and economic security of Coloradans experiencing poverty; and support to update the Self-Sufficiency Standard |
$45,000 | ||
| Colorado Children’s Campaign | General Support (Multi-Year) Advocate for the development and implementation of data-driven public policies to improve child and family well-being in health and education |
$25,000 | ||
| General Support | Cost savings analysis and education about expanding family planning services to Coloradans above current Medicaid income eligibility limit |
$6,600 | ||
| 2021 Annual Luncheon | $1,000 | ||
| Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable | General Support (Multi-Year) Support for network organizations dedicated to achieving an inclusive, engaged, just, and equitable state for all Coloradans |
$100,000 | ||
| Colorado Fiscal Institute | General Support (Multi-Year) Fact-based, independent and accessible information and analysis of fiscal and economic issues facing Colorado |
$25,000 | ||
| Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition | General Support (Multi-Year) Creating a more immigrant-friendly Colorado through capacity building, non-partisan civic engagement, advocacy, and rapid responses to human rights abuses |
$50,000 | ||
| Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Org| General Support (Multi-Year) Empowering Latinos through leadership development, advocacy, and policy research to strengthen Color |
$50,000 | ||
| COLOR Latina | General Support (Multi-Year) Community-based advocacy for Latinx individuals and their families with a focus on reproductive justice |
$50,000 | ||
| Colorado Public Radio | General Support (Multi-Year) Strengthening public media and the delivery of fact-based, comprehensive news |
$40,000 | ||
| Community Resource Center | General Support (Multi-Year) Guidance, training, and support for advocacy and civic engagement efforts of human service nonprofits |
$40,000 | ||
| Denver Art Museum| Director of Equity and Employee Experience (Multi-Year) Three-years of underwriting for new full-time, permanent Director of Equity and Employee Experience at the Museum |
$125,000 | ||
| Faith in Action Network | General Support for LA RED Advocates for immigrant communities throughout the country, with a broader vision for racial and gender justice |
$25,000 | ||
| Faith in Public Life | General Support (Multi-Year) National movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the pursuit of justice, equality and the common good |
$25,000 | ||
| Florida Rising Together | General Support (Multi-Year) Building an equitable and inclusive Florida through community leadership development, civic engagement, and public education |
$50,000 | ||
| Generation Citizen Inc| General Support Transform civics education to equip and inspire young people to use their civic power |
$25,000 | ||
| Good Business Colorado| General Support Public education and outreach by values-driven business owners to build equitable communities and a sustainable environment alongside a prosperous economy |
$20,000 | ||
| Great Education Colorado| General Support To support staff participation in Together We Thrive |
$5,000 | ||
| Hopewell Fund | GALvanize USA (Multi-Year) Strengthening democracy through nonpartisan civic empowerment and building the knowledge, agency, and political confidence of women |
$100,000 | ||
| Imagine North Carolina First | General Support (Multi-Year) Promoting economic opportunity, quality of life, government accountability, and civic participation among underserved communities in North Carolina |
$50,000 | ||
| Interfaith Alliance of Colorado | General Support (Multi-Year) Promoting justice, religious liberty, and interfaith understanding through relationship building in order to educate, advocate, and catalyze social change |
$25,000 | ||
| Latinas First Foundation | Latina Initiative Multi-generational approach to supporting the civic engagement of Latinas |
$50,000 | ||
| Mi Familia Vota Education Fund| General Support Working to unite the Latino community and its allies to promote social and economic justice through increased civic participation |
$40,000 | ||
| Michigan Civic Education Fund| General Support (Multi-Year) Initiate, cultivate, and fund strategic nonpartisan efforts in Michigan that promote economic and educational opportunity, democracy, and civic participation |
$50,000 | ||
| NEO Philanthropy| Progress Alaska (Alaska Progressive Donor Alliance) Public education, outreach, and advocacy to increase civic participation of underserved communities in Alaska |
$25,000 | ||
| New Era Colorado Foundation | General Support Advance progressive change in Colorado through multi-issue civic engagement, advocacy and leadership development |
$40,000 | ||
| New Georgia Project Inc | General Support (Multi-Year) Nonpartisan civic engagement and advocacy for people of color in Georgia |
$50,000 | ||
| New Venture Fund | Center for Secure and Modern Elections (Multi-Year) Policy solutions and resources to help all eligible voters participate in our democracy |
$250,000 | ||
| New Venture Fund | Americans for Tax Fairness Education, mobilization, and advocacy for comprehensive, progressive tax reform that results in greater federal revenue to reduce inequality and to meet America’s growing needs |
$50,000 | ||
| New Venture Fund | Supermajority Education Fund (Multi-Year) Building the case and demand for gender equity through leadership training, civic and community engagement of women, particularly young women and women of color |
$150,000 | ||
| Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains | General Support (Multi-Year) Comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services, advocacy, and educational programs in the Rocky Mountain region |
$50,000 | ||
| Patient Assistance Endowment Fund (Multi-Year) | Second year of a $1M endowment challenge match to grow patient assistance endowment fund |
$800,000 | ||
| Political Research Associates | General Support (Multi-Year) Progressive thinking, action, and support of movements that build a more just and inclusive democratic society |
$100,000 | ||
| ProgressNow Colorado Education | General Support Public education about progressive solutions to multiple issues affecting the well-being and economic security of Coloradans |
$5,000 | ||
| Ruralorganizing-Dot-Org Education Fund | General Support (Multi-Year) Empowering everyday rural Americans to create resilient, welcoming, and equitable communities |
$75,000 | ||
| Soul2Soul Sisters | General Support (Multi-Year) Black Womxn-centered education, organizing, and leadership development with a focus on reproductive justice, and a faith-based response to anti-Black violence in the US |
$25,000 | ||
| State Voices | General Support (Multi-Year) Backbone organization for network of nonpartisan state coalitions of grassroots organizations breaking down barriers to civic participation |
$250,000 | ||
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund| General Support Building power through community organizing and civic engagement to improve the lives of low and moderate income Texas families of color |
$50,000 | ||
| The Ohio Organizing Collaborative |General Support (Multi-Year) Building transformative power organizations for racial, social, and economic justice in Ohio |
$50,000 | ||
| Together Colorado | General Support (Multi-Year) Non-partisan, multi-racial, multi-faith community organizing to place human dignity at the center of public life |
$30,000 | ||
| United for a New Economy| General Support (Multi-Year) Multiracial community organization building people power and developing leaders in the cities and counties surrounding Denver to create a thriving economy in Colorado |
$55,000 | ||
| United for a New Economy | Transformative Leadership for Change Fellowship for BIPOC executive directors and senior leaders of social justice organizations in Colorado |
$100,000 | ||
| Voces Unidas de las Montañas | General Support (Multi-Year) Advocacy, leadership, and civic engagement by and for the Latinx community living in the Garfield-Eagle-Pitkin tri-county area |
$50,000 | ||
| Windward Fund | Heartland Fund (Multi-Year) Connecting rural leaders with national and regional funders to build permanent civic engagement, issue advocacy, communications, and organizing infrastructure in small towns, small cities, and rural areas of the United States |
$100,000 | ||
| Wisconsin Farmers Union Foundation Inc | General Support (Multi-Year) Revitalizing civic engagement in rural Wisconsin |
$50,000 |
WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SECURITY
| 9to5 Colorado | General Support (Multi-Year) Advance public policies that strengthen working women’s ability to achieve economic justice and equal opportunities |
$40,000 |
| Center for African American Health |Capital Expansion New Hudson street building and expansion of services and programs |
$100,000 |
| General Support | Provide culturally responsive resources for Metro Denver’s African American and Black communities to overcome root causes of health problems | $25,000 |
| Global Fund for Women | General Support International grants for women’s groups that increase girls’ access to education and advocate for and defend women’s human rights |
$50,000 |
| Hopewell Fund | Paid Leave for All Project Charter Public education and advocacy for federal paid family and medical leave |
$100,000 |
| National Women’s Law Center| General Support (Multi-Year) Driving solutions to gender inequity through legal and policy advocacy, research, analysis and public education |
$100,000 |
| Soul2Soul Sisters | Juneteenth Cash Assistance for Black Women (COVID-19) Direct cash assistance for Colorado residents who identify as Black, Woman, and in need of financial assistance to recover from COVID-19 pandemic |
$20,000 |
| Sustainable Markets Foundation | General Support for the Debt Collective Support for the operational and educational efforts of the Debt Collective |
$250,000 |
| The Women’s Foundation of Colorado| General Support (Multi-Year) Catalyzing community to advance and accelerate economic opportunities for Colorado women and their families |
$100,000 |
| Women’s Funds Initiative Operating support to expand women’s philanthropy and provide a permanent resource for women and girls in the states where the Chambers family oil business operated. Additionally, Chambers Fund partnered with the Women’s Foundation of Montana for an endowment challenge matching campaign. |
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| Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma | $25,000 |
| Women’s Foundation of Montana | $25,000 |
| Wyoming Women’s Foundation | $25,000 |
| Women’s Foundation of Montana Endowment Challenge Match (Multi-Year) and Campaign Support |
$215,000 |
EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
In early 2020, Chambers Fund announced the sunset of its Early Care and Education (ECE) program area. The board committed to consistent funding for three years (through 2022) for all transitioning grantees.
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| Clayton Early Learning | Colorado Early Learning Policy Initiative Leverage Alliance for Early Success national funding for a coordinated early childhood policy agenda in Colorado |
$15,000 |
| Early Milestones Colorado | General Support (Multi-Year) Accelerating innovation, use of best practices, and systems change to ensure all children and families, especially the historically marginalized, have access to opportunities and resources needed to be valued, healthy, and thriving |
$37,500 |
| Parent Possible | Vroom in Colorado (Multi-Year) State Anchor for Vroom, providing training, leadership, and guidance to partners and local program sites disseminating Vroom brain-building tools and messages |
$20,000 |
| Tools of the Mind | General Support (Multi-Year) Tools to ensure every child becomes a successful learner, developing the underlying cognitive, social, and emotional skills needed to reach his or her highest potential |
$25,000 |
| Honored Commitments |
$20,000 |
| Community Support |
$158,760 |
| Matching Gifts |
$3,000 |
TOTAL 2021 GRANTS |
$5,317,460 |
2021 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
While the start of Chambers Initiative in early 2020 prompted a new depth of investments by Chambers Fund within the program areas of equity and democracy, the events leading up to – and including – the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol Building was a flash point for America. This crisis reiterated the urgent need to strengthen democracy and democratic values against further erosion. Our grantmaking last year reflects that urgency, as you’ll see on our grantees page.
Internally, the foundation spent 2021 unpacking philanthropy’s role in upholding white supremacist power structures and systems, and how best to integrate racial equity into our own grantmaking. We leaned into the principles of Trust Based Philanthropy, acknowledging that these practices must be deliberate and ongoing – not something static that is ever fully “done”. Underlying all other work of the past year: an unfortunately now-familiar COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the pandemic continues at the writing of this report, the increased accessibility of vaccines and therapeutics last year brought us all a great deal of hope for the future.
Program Area Grantmaking
As part of Chambers Initiative, the foundation increased grantmaking within its Equity & Democracy and Women’s Economic Security program areas. In 2021, Chambers Fund focused on strengthening core democratic values at the state and national levels, with an emphasis on supporting organizations led by and focused on communities of color. In practice, this translated to multi-year grants for voter education and protections, issue advocacy, community organizing, and transformational leadership and pipeline organizations. The foundation also made unrestricted grants to long-time Colorado policy grantees working on various research and advocacy issues ranging from TABOR-related fiscal tangles to reproductive rights protections with the expected turnover of Roe vs. Wade in 2022.
Pandemic and Other Emergency Relief
Chambers Fund prioritizes funding to organizations engaged in advocacy, policy, and systems change over those providing direct services. But the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the final withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan led the Board to make a few out-of-the ordinary grants in response to out-of-the-ordinary times. The foundation made approximately $155,000 in grants related to COVID-19 relief and vaccine equity, support for Afghanistan refugees, and natural disaster responses.
Please see our 2021 Grantees Page for more information.
2021 ANNUAL REPORT
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
Assets and Net Assets – Income Tax Basis
For the Year Ended December 31, 2021
| ASSETS | ||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents | $3,908,636 | |
| Investments at Cost | $31,727,177 | |
| Museum Building and Land (Net of $3,087,825 in accumulated depreciation) |
$30,827,067 | |
| TOTAL ASSETS | $66,462,880 | |
| UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS | $66,462,880 | |
| FAIR MARKET VALUE OF ASSETS | $76,065,606 |
Revenues, Expenses and Other Changes in Net Assets
Income Tax Basis For the Year Ended December 31, 2021
| REVENUES | $7,349,081 | |
| EXPENSES | ||
| Grants Paid | $5,317,460 | |
| Other Program or Administrative | $1,102,965 | |
| Museum Building Depreciation | $861,719 | |
| Investment | $59,866 | |
| Excise Taxes | $91,162 | |
| TOTAL EXPENSES | $7,433,172 | |
| EXCESS (DEFICIT) OF REVENUES OVER EXPENSES | ($84,091) | |