Funding by state · CO
Grantmaking in Colorado
2,711 grantmakers are based in Colorado. Together they granted $4.5B across the 2022 and 2023 filings, the 21st most of any state, and kept 71% of it in Colorado. Funding here stays close to home, the 23rd most in-state of any state.
Colorado's 31,100 nonprofits, by cause, size and age ↓- 2,711
- grantmakers
- $4.5B
- granted, FY2022 and FY2023
- $388
- given per resident, per year
- 71%
- stays in-state
The short version
- 2,711 grantmakers are based in Colorado, granting $4.5B across the FY2022 and FY2023 IRS filings, the 21st most of any state.
- 71% of grant dollars from Colorado funders stayed in Colorado; the rest went to organizations in other states.
- Colorado's grantmakers give $388 a year for every resident of the state.
- Colorado is a net importer of grant money, its organizations drawing $1.2B more from other states than Colorado funders send to them.
- Grant money reaching Colorado organizations goes to recreation and sports at 5.97× the national rate.
- Colorado has 31,100 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s, 54 for every 10,000 residents; 90% of its public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year.
Where Colorado sits among the states
Each dot is a state, sized by its grant dollars. Colorado is in green.
Given per resident, per year
Share that stays in-state
Net flow with other states
Colorado and the other states
Colorado's organizations draw $1.2B more from other states' foundations than Colorado's send out. Switch direction to see who it funds and who funds it.
Donor-advised funds, related-party transfers and regrants through intermediaries are left out, so these ties show where the state's own grantmakers reach.
Largest funders based in Colorado
Grantmakers headquartered in Colorado, sized by total grants made. Pick one for its dossier.
Organizations in Colorado that draw the most
The nonprofits in Colorado that received the most grant money.
Biggest funders reaching in from elsewhere
Out-of-state funders sending the most money to organizations in Colorado.
What draws money in Colorado, against the country
Each cause by how much of the grant money reaching Colorado's organizations it takes, relative to the national rate. Right of the line is overweight, left underweight. Colorado is most overweight on recreation and sports, at 5.97× the national rate. Dot size is the cause's share.
Where the money goes by org size
Grant dollars to organizations in Colorado, by the recipient's size, against the national average (the marker). Colorado sends a larger share to $100M and up organizations than the country as a whole, and less to $10M to $100M.
Find funders by cause in Colorado
Who funds each cause in Colorado, with the largest funders and how to reach them.
The nonprofit sector · CO
Colorado's nonprofits
Colorado has 31,100 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 28,674 public charities, 4,579 of them congregations, and 2,426 private foundations. 90% of the public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year, and together they report 3% of the sector's revenue. The largest 1% report 71%.
- 31,100
- registered 501(c)(3)s
- 54
- per 10,000 residents
- $54B
- charity revenue, latest returns
- 31%
- file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ
Registered 501(c)(3)s per 10,000 residents
Each dot is a state, sized by its number of 501(c)(3)s. Colorado is in green.
What they do, by count and by money
Religion is the largest group by number, 21% of Colorado's public charities and 2% of their revenue. Philanthropy is 3% of the charities and 25% of the revenue. Colorado has 1.52× the national share of environment charities.
- 21%2%
- 12%11%
- 9%5%
- 8%2%
- 7%3%
- 7%36%
- 3%0.9%
- 3%Philanthropy25%
- 3%1%
- 3%2%
- 2%0.8%
- 2%0.4%
- 2%0.6%
- 2%1%
- 1%0.2%
- 1%1%
- 1%0.6%
- 0.6%3%
- 2%Everything else0.9%
- 11%Not classified4%
The thin mark on the left is the national share of charities in the same cause.
Many small, a few very large
Public charities by the revenue on their latest return. Each band is drawn twice: by its share of the charities on top, and by its share of the revenue underneath.
- Under $50k
65% of charities · under 0.1% of revenue - $50k to $250k
14% of charities · 0.8% of revenue - $250k to $1M
10% of charities · 2% of revenue - $1M to $10M
8% of charities · 11% of revenue - $10M to $100M
2% of charities · 21% of revenue - $100M and up
0.2% of charities · 65% of revenue
What the IRS sees
Only charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ report their finances. Financial figures about nonprofits, here and in any study built on 990s, describe 31% of Colorado's public charities.
- 31% file a Form 990 or 990-EZ
8,751 charities · 26% nationally - 53% file only the e-Postcard (990-N)
15,175 charities · 54% nationally - 17% file no return of their own (mostly congregations)
4,748 charities · 20% nationally
How new they are
Half of Colorado's public charities were recognized by the IRS in 2014 or later, and 33% since 2020 (32% nationally). The register lists only organizations still recognized, so the older decades count survivors.
The line across each bar is the national share for that decade. The 2020s are a partial decade.
Colorado's largest charities
By total revenue on each one's latest return. A health system files as several organizations, so one system can appear more than once.
How they are doing
Financial health of the charities that file full returns, against every state.
FY2023 returns from 9,501 Colorado charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ and spending $50k or more; cash figures are from the 6,922 full 990 filers among them. The national health report.
Counts, causes, revenue and recognition dates are from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, which records recognitions through May 2026. A charity is placed by its mailing address. Causes are NTEE major groups, with health's sub-groups folded in; a congregation the IRS has given no NTEE code counts under religion. Revenue is each organization's own latest return, summed, so payments between related organizations are counted on both sides.
Questions and answers
- What does it mean for grant money to stay in-state?
- It is the share of grants made by funders based in Colorado that reached organizations also located in Colorado, rather than organizations in other states. A high share means local funders mostly back local causes; a low one means the money largely leaves.
- Is Colorado a major grantmaking state?
- Colorado ranks 21st of the 52 states and territories by grant dollars from resident funders. The largest grantmaking states are California and New York; the most outward, where money mostly leaves, are domiciles like Delaware.
- How can a nonprofit find funders in Colorado?
- Start with the largest grantmakers based in Colorado, currently University of Colorado Foundation and The Colorado Health Foundation. Out-of-state funders also reach in, led by The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc. Grant money reaching Colorado favors recreation and sports above the national rate, so funders active there are worth approaching.
- How many nonprofits are there in Colorado?
- 31,100 organizations in Colorado are registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 28,674 public charities, 4,579 of them congregations, and 2,426 private foundations. Only 31% of the public charities file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ; 53% file only the e-Postcard, for organizations normally taking in $50,000 or less, and the rest, mostly congregations, file no return of their own. The count is from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File.
- How recent is this Colorado grant data?
- It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months, so this is the most recent complete picture.
More from the funding graph
Read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file XML for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. A funder is placed by the state on its most recent filing. Grants only: payments into and out of donor-advised fund sponsors, transfers to related organizations, regrants through intermediaries, non-philanthropic payments and grants to individuals are left out. In-state share is among grants whose recipient state is known; ties with other states and the net flow count only grants placed at both ends. Residents are Census ACS 5-year estimates (2019 to 2023). Source: IRS Form 990 downloads.