Colorado · Nonprofit
COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC
COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC (Colorado) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $951,254 to it, the largest being THE INDIANAPOLIS FOUNDATION INC ($500,000). 13 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 92% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $7.5M
- Funders on record
- 19
- Grants received
- $951k
- Net assets
- $15M
What Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation Inc does
Mission
The mission of the colorado railroad historical foundation, inc. Is to preserve and convey the rich history of railroading in the rocky mountain region through acquisition, research, exhibition, and education.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
The museum exists to share colorado's rich railroad heritage with the widest possible audience in a hands-on and three-dimensional fashion by preserving and making accessible important historic artifacts, artwork and documents, and by offering outstanding interpretive and educational programs to the community. The museum has systematically acquired a collection of over 100 historic railroad locomotives, passenger and freight cars dating from 1879 to the present, and also manages one of the largest archives of railroad print, photographic and research materials in the united states. It is dedicated to sharing colorado's rich railroad history through the use of both small and large artifacts, along with archival materials associated with railroading in colorado and the rocky mountain region. The museum's research library is the second largest of its kind, and library volunteers are recognized for their in-depth knowledge of western railroads and their lines. Authors of all genres may be found researching timetables, payroll records and photographs for their projects. The museum library is also home to an extensive collection of railroad related art, some of it painted by…
$2,072,233 spent$1,132,202 earned by the program66% of program spendingStarting in november of 2014 and running for almost two months each winter holiday season, the story of "the polar express" is re-created. This theatrical production blends together actors, stage productions, dramatic entrances, and quiet moments of reflection as guests are immersed in the sights, sounds and intrigue of this classic children's tale. And of course, the entire production is themed around a magical train ride, helping to connect colorado's rich railroad heritage with the broader influences of american popular culture.
$1,069,028 spent$1,587,245 earned by the program34% of program spending
The 2 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $3,141,261.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $13M to $20M (+60%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 13% · 2018 11% · 2019 11% · 2020 15% · 2021 38% · 2022 14% · 2023 13% · 2024 6%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
60% of COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Paul Hammond
Executive director
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 6 funders, grant income rose $12k → $51k.
7 of 19 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 92% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 53% of grant income and the top three 76%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
97% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 76% · 2019 98% · 2020 46% · 2021 47% · 2022 87% · 2023 39% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
33% of COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 68% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
92% of COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $78k that is directly attributable, 66% of it comes from Colorado funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $873k arriving through sponsors registered in 5 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 5,136 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 5,136 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Colorado
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
77% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
79%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC?
- COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC (Colorado) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $951,254 to it, the largest being THE INDIANAPOLIS FOUNDATION INC ($500,000). 13 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 92% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC have?
- IRS filings report 19 organizations giving $951,254 in grants to COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC, 13 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC?
- THE INDIANAPOLIS FOUNDATION INC is the largest funder on record, with $500,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like COLORADO RAILROAD HISTORICAL FOUNDATION INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Colorado. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Colorado Railroad Historical →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 19 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing