"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
That powerful quote is attributed to Nelson Henderson. As in many cultures and faith traditions, trees hold particular significance in Judaism, where the Talmud reminds us that we have all benefited from the fruit of trees planted by the generations before us, so we too are obligated to plant trees for the generations that will come after us.
That is the essence of philanthropy. And that is the essence of Rose Community Foundation, where our donors, grantees and community partners have been planting seeds for 29 years. In 2023, we passed the milestone of having deployed over $400 million in discretionary, partnership and donor-advised grants since the Foundation’s inception in 1995 thanks to a record-breaking year of $33 million in combined grantmaking.
From our roots to our branches, 2023 was a year of tremendous growth for Rose Community Foundation:
- We expanded our nonprofit endowment work to offer training, coaching, peer groups and incentives for nonprofits at every stage of their endowment-building journey.
- Alongside our established giving circles for Jewish teens and young professionals, we added a revamped Rose Women’s Circle for women of all ages and backgrounds, and Generation Now Circle, introducing young adults of diverse backgrounds to collaborative philanthropy.
- We launched Leading Partners Colorado and the Strength to- Strength Initiative to bring best-in-class professional development trainings to staff and board members in the local Jewish nonprofit ecosystem.
- We continued growing our donor engagement activities, offering learning and giving opportunities focused on combatting antisemitism and hate, eviction prevention, supporting new immigrants, and engaging philanthropically with policy and advocacy.
- While immigrants and refugees have been a focus of our work for several years, 2023 demanded more from us as international humanitarian crises reached our doorstep. We are grateful to all who have supported the Newcomers Fund, which continues to mobilize philanthropic resources for local nonprofits supporting new immigrants.
- We also launched a new partnership with the State of Colorado to distribute $8.9 million in federal funding to organizations providing legal, mental health, and school-based support to Afghan, Ukrainian, and other federally eligible refugee populations.
In addition to the grantmaking from these and other partnership funds, we directed $12.4 million in discretionary grants to organizations advancing equity, justice, inclusion and engagement while our donor-advised fundholders broke Foundation records by granting more than $8.5 million to address a wide array of needs and opportunities.
The Foundation remains steadfast in our commitment to the values highlighted in the pages of this annual report, while daring to innovate, expand and evolve. Thank you for joining us in planting the seeds for a Greater Denver region where everyone can thrive.