2023 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
In January of 2023, we shared that Chambers Initiative would be winding down operations. As part of this, Merle Chambers Fund is spending down its full endowment by the end of 2024. Longtime funding recipients were notified about exit grants through 2024, and we hope our partners in philanthropy will continue to be just that – partners – as we wind down. It takes time to dismantle systemic barriers that have been in place for generations and it takes people and institutions willing to fund efforts to remove barriers to equity and create opportunity for all.
Much of our grantmaking in 2023 encompassed two-year general support exit grant commitments to our longtime grant partners. It was vital that we give our close partners – some of whom we’ve supported for decades – an off-ramp that was more than a final single grant. It is our hope that this type of multi-year funding is most helpful to them.
A strategic decision made in 2023 was the consolidation of state-based democracy grants into larger pooled or regranting funds rather than give state-by-state-by-state as we did in 2021-2022. This made moving larger amounts of money out the door more efficient and effective as we rely on the expertise of the people doing the work on the ground to direct funds as needed. Organizations like Center for Secure and Modern Elections and Trusted Elections Fund are dedicated to ensuring all eligible voters can participate in our democracy, and are strengthening our institutions against any challenges to free and fair elections.
The foundation’s democracy grants in Colorado emphasized grassroots and power-building organizations working with historically under-represented and under-resourced communities. We were early supporters of Transformative Leadership for Change (TLC), as its cross-sector work strengthens this ecosystem of nonprofits. TLC became an independent 501c3 this year after an incubation period with United for a New Economy, and its core program is a year-long fellowship for BIPOC leaders of Colorado-based social justice organizations. Many of our grant partners have had executive directors and program officers participate in a TLC cohort, and we can see the ripple effect of that participation happening. We encourage you to read The Call of Leadership Now: BIPOC Leaders in a Syndemic Era, an article written by TLC’s co-founders and published by Nonprofit Quarterly.
Another core focus in 2023 remained reproductive rights and justice. Post-Dobbs, Colorado is an island of access for abortion services. Providers, assistance funds, and advocates are all working overtime to ensure Coloradans – and all those coming from outside of our state – are able to access the full range of healthcare they need. This is true coalition work, the type needed to continually move forward on this issue.
Finally, we invite you to explore the full range of grants paid in 2023. We are honored to support these nonprofits, and look forward to our continued partnership with them through the end of the spend-down in 2024.