Giving Circles
With more than two decades of experience in philanthropy, we help generous individuals, families and groups create positive change through their giving.
Joining with others to work toward a common vision.
Rose Community Foundation strives to create a culture of generosity through collaborative philanthropic programs. Our established giving circles support donors in giving at the intersection of their interests, values and opportunities for local impact.
Started in 2001, Rose Youth Foundation (RYF) is an initiative of Rose Community Foundation that engages Jewish high school students in collaborative grantmaking. The program is youth-led, empowering teens to use the tools of strategic philanthropy to make a difference. Members work together to discuss what it means to give in a Jewish way, explore community issues, determine a funding priority, meet with nonprofit leaders and ultimately determine how to grant $50,000 to improve their community.
Becoming a Member
Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m.
Rose Community Foundation (RCF) seeks a diverse group of Jewish and interfaith-Jewish high school students in 10th through 12th grades who want to make a difference in our community by learning about philanthropy and becoming teen grantmakers.
We are looking for teens who are not involved Jewishly and those who are; those who are involved in community service and those who are not; those who are athletes and those who are mathletes.
Rose Youth Foundation (RYF) is a youth-led program. Each year, members decide how they want to use their Jewish values and the tools of strategic philanthropy to make a difference in our community. Members identify community issues, determine funding priorities, and meet with leaders from nonprofit organizations in order to decide how to grant a total of $50,000.
Applications must be submitted through the online portal by Wednesday, April 30 at 5 p.m. A copy of the application information and questions is available here for reference. All applicants will be notified of selection decisions by June 1, 2025.
Accepted members are asked to:
- Attend mandatory meetings on September 14, 2025; February 25, 2026 and May 3, 2026.
- Attend all regularly scheduled meetings with one pre-approved absence. View the meeting schedule here.
- Participate in two site visits with potential grantee organizations on March 4 and March 11, 2026.
- Complete homework and prepare for meetings with research and reading during personal time.
- Contribute and participate meaningfully in the RYF group process.
- Commit to working and making decisions with peers using consensus.
Support Rose Youth Foundation Endowment
In 2010, the Rose Youth Foundation Endowment was created to ensure that future generations of Jewish teens have the opportunity to serve as community leaders. We appreciate the 220+ community members who have made a contribution to support the future of this work.
“This program takes teens who show some leadership abilities and helps them workshop those abilities on multiple levels. That’s why I chose to support the Endowment. I hope Rose Youth Foundation continues to not only be a part of the philanthropic landscape, but also continues to develop teen leadership for years to come.”
– GAIL SIGMAN, PARENT OF RYF PARTICIPANT
If you are interested in passing the gift of Rose Youth Foundation forward, join us in helping to reach our $2 million goal.
Since 2007, Rose Community Foundation has brought together diverse, talented and community-minded Jewish young adults to learn and give together and make a difference in the Greater Denver community.
Roots & Branches Foundation members work together for seven months while they explore Jewish values, learn about community issues, and put the tools of strategic philanthropy to work, ultimately granting around $50,000 together.
Becoming a Member
Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 30 at 5 p.m.
Rose Community Foundation is now accepting applications for Roots & Branches Foundation. All applicants should reside within the Greater Denver community – Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties – be between the ages of 25 and 40 years old, and identify as Jewish.
Accepted members are asked to:
- Attend and participate in all meetings, monthly from June 2025 – February 2026. View meeting schedule here.
- Engage fully in the process, including spending time connecting with fellow members, researching community issues, reading relevant materials and grant proposals, and meeting with nonprofits for site visits.
- Make a personally meaningful donation to the Roots & Branches grantmaking pool.
Applications must be submitted through the online portal by Wednesday, April 30 at 5 p.m. A copy of the application information and questions is available here for reference. All applicants will be notified of selection decision by May 9.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to schedule an informational phone call with Rose Community Foundation staff to better understand the program, the commitment, and ask any questions before applying.
- Click here to schedule with Emily Kornhauser, director of collaborative philanthropy, on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Click here to schedule with Zoe Carlson, philanthropic initiatives coordinator, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Grantmaking Funds
Rose Community Foundation seeds the group’s grantmaking with $30,000 and provides a dollar-for-dollar match for members’ combined contributions, up to $10,000. All members are asked to make a personally meaningful donation. There is no recommended contribution amount and all amounts donated are confidential.
2024 – 2025 Grantmaking
The 2024 – 2025 cohort of Roots & Branches Foundation focused its grantmaking on supporting more opportunities for young adults 25 – 45 years old to be more meaningfully engaged in Jewish life by exploring and strengthening their Jewish identity and connection to Judaism in a way that is personal and meaningful to them. The members awarded grants to the following organizations:
Generation Now Circle is a unique giving circle that brings together a diverse group of talented and engaged individuals ages 25 – 40 to get involved in collaborative philanthropy. During the program, members will:
- Grant approximately $50,000 to nonprofit organizations in the Greater Denver region.
- Explore emerging community issues and innovative local solutions.
- Learn about and put into practice Rose Community Foundation’s approach to grantmaking which encourages trust and relationship-building between funder and grantee organizations.
- Identify values with which to build meaningful relationships with a group of diverse peers.
- Become a part of Rose Community Foundation’s network of donors and partners.
Member Eligibility
Applications are now closed for the 2025 cohort. Please contact Emily Kornhauser for any questions.
Grantmaking Funds
Rose Community Foundation seeds the group’s grantmaking with $30,000 and provides a dollar-for-dollar match for members’ combined contributions, up to $10,000. All members are asked to make a personally meaningful donation. There is no recommended contribution amount and all amounts donated are confidential.
2024 Grant Recipients
The 2024 cohort of Generation Now Circle chose to support organizations that address climate justice issues and educate, mitigate, and prevent the impacts of pollution and climate change on the most vulnerable communities in the Greater Denver Area.
Rose Women’s Circle (RWC) is dedicated to engaging a diverse, multi-generational group of women to address challenges disproportionately impacting women and girls in order to meaningfully advance social, cultural and economic change in the Greater Denver region.
RWC is a giving circle where members take the next step in their personal philanthropy by learning and working collaboratively to deepen their impact. The program brings together a small and engaged group of women from a range of backgrounds, races, ethnicities, lived experiences, religious affiliations and generations to build relationships with one another and amplify their charitable impact.
The program supports Rose Community Foundation’s mission to advance inclusive, engaged and equitable Greater Denver communities through values-driven philanthropy. Members will learn from one another and from outside speakers about issues disproportionately impacting women and girls before determining the annual focus of the group’s grantmaking. Possible focus areas include, but are not limited to, reproductive rights, infant and maternal health, relationship safety, caregiver assistance, affordable and high-quality childcare, and support in accessing career opportunities. Regardless of the topical focus chosen by the group, the collaborative work will be anchored in the Foundation’s values of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, empathy, generosity, transformation through collaboration and community.
Members will make an annual contribution of $1,000 or more to the group’s grantmaking fund, and all member contributions will be matched 1:1 by the Rose Women’s Circle Fund housed at Rose Community Foundation.
History of the Program
Rose Women’s Circle traces its lineage to the Women’s Auxiliary at Rose Medical Center. Following the sale of Rose Medical Center, which led to the creation of Rose Community Foundation in 1995, the Auxiliary became Rose Women’s Organization and continued its philanthropic mission to support the health, education and welfare of women and girls. In 2022, following a strategic pause, the program was redesigned as a women’s giving circle focused on creating a space for collaborative philanthropy focused on advancing gender equity in the Greater Denver community.