Open Foundations · Colorado

Gates Family Foundation

Denver, Colorado · EIN 840474837. Its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, which is how a private foundation files that it accepts unsolicited requests. It paid $36.0M across 366 grants in 2025, a median of $25K each.

All Colorado foundations · All states

$36.0M
paid in 2025
366
grants paid
$25K
median grant
12%
to first-time recipients
$423.7M
assets on file

How to apply, as filed

Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.

Send requests to
GATES FAMILY FOUNDATION
Address
1390 LAWRENCE STREET 400, DENVER, CO, 80204
Phone
3037221881
Email
Not stated in the filing
Form the request should take
CAPITAL GRANT APPLICANTS SHOULD USE THE COMMON GRANT APPLICATION AVAILABLE ON THE FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE: WWW.GATESFAMILYFOUNDATION.ORG. PLEASE REFERENCE OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR INITIATED GRANT MAKING.
Submission deadline
PROPOSAL DEADLINES: MARCH 15 AND SEPTEMBER 1.
Restrictions on awards
THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS CAPITAL PROJECTS, WHICH ARE TYPICALLY BUILDING PURCHASE, CONSTRUCTION, EXPANSION, RENOVATION, AND/OR LAND ACQUISITION, AS WELL AS OTHER FORMS OF INITIATED GRANT MAKING FOR CAPITAL, PROGRAM, OPERATING AND OTHER PURPOSES IN FOUR PRIORITY AREAS - K-12 EDUCATION, NATURAL RESOURCES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND INFORMED COMMUNITIES. THE FOUNDATION ALSO MAKES RECYCLABLE COMMITMENTS OF CAPITAL IN THE FORM OF PROGRAM RELATED INVESTMENTS IN SUPPORT OF ITS OBJECTIVES IN THE FOUR PRIORITY AREAS FOR INITIATED ACTIVITY.

As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2025, IRS filing object id 202631079349100508. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.

What it funds, in its own words

The words that come up most often across the purposes it wrote on its 2025 grants. These are the foundation's own words, not a category we assigned.

constructionrenovation

Biggest grants in 2025

The 15 largest of the 366 grants paid in 2025, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.

#RecipientStateAmountPurpose as filed
1University of Colorado FoundationCO$20,000,000PROJECT SUPPORT
2Cardigan Mountain SchoolNH$2,000,000ENDOWMENT
3LyraCO$550,000PROJECT SUPPORT
4RootedCO$400,000OPERATING
5Rose Community FoundationCO$383,333PROJECT SUPPORT
6Colorado Schools FundCO$300,000PROJECT SUPPORT
7River NetworkCO$250,000PROJECT SUPPORT
8Colorado Water Trust IncCO$200,000PROJECT SUPPORT
9Elevation Community Land TrustCO$200,000PROJECT SUPPORT
10Rio Grande Headwaters Land Tr a ColCO$200,000LAND PURCHASE
11America SucceedsCO$150,000PROJECT SUPPORT
12Colorado State University FoundatioCO$150,000PROJECT SUPPORT
13Conservation Colorado Education FunCO$150,000PROJECT SUPPORT
14National Fish and Wildlife FoundatiDC$150,000PROJECT SUPPORT
15William J Palmer Parks Foundation ICO$150,000PROJECT SUPPORT

Giving by year, and who received it

Grants paid by year

Every year of this foundation's grants that Civly holds
Tax yearGrantsPaid
2020333$21.6M
2021285$22.7M
2022352$40.5M
2023366$40.9M
2024354$37.1M
2025 (partial year)366$36.0M

Where the money went

Share of 2025 grant dollars by recipient state
Colorado66%
California9%
Hawaii7%
Arizona4%
Texas3%

Who decides

Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.

Dane HarbaughTRUSTEE · 2025
Ernest HouseTRUSTEE · 2025
Lauren DavisVICE CHAIR · 2025
Leslie SabinVP IMPACT IN · 2025
Richard G KielyCHAIR · 2025
Rosemary RodriguezTRUSTEE · 2025
Thomas a GougeonPRESIDENT, S · 2025
Virginia C BaylessTRUSTEE · 2025
Wesley BrownTREASURER · 2025

Every figure on this page is that foundation's own latest filed year, which is 2022 or later. This foundation is listed because its Form 990-PF says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Latest-year grants and terms per foundation from IRS 990-PF e-file returns; the newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants collapse into one and totals can run low. Full method.

Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.

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