Collective Impact Fund
SVP Denver pools money from our community to offer unrestricted grants of up to $10,000 to social mission organizations with innovative solutions to health, economic and racial inequities in Denver.
HOW IT WORKS
Our Process
Get Support for Your Organization
We invite organizations that match some / all of the following to apply:
-
For-Profit Social Enterprise or Nonprofit
- Based in Colorado (priority for Denver Metro / Front Range)
- Annual revenue between $0 and $3M
- Focus on addressing health, economic, and/or racial inequities
-
Using an innovative approach or expanding access
- Priority for organizations led by individuals with deep ties and lived experience with the community/issue
Dates and Timing:
The application for our Impact Showcase is currently closed. Grants for our Impact Showcase will be awarded mid October. Our next giving cycle will be in Summer 2025.
Support the Fund
Support the Collective Impact Fund by sharing your time or making a donation. You can participate in one or both!
Community Review Committee
Participate in an engaging, community-driven process to decide which organizations should receive grants. Committee members:
- Join a learning session about our approach and trust-based philanthropy principles
- Review 10-15 grant applications, paired with 1-2 other reviewers
- Participate in a democratic group process to decide which organizations will receive funding
- Get invited to community celebration alongside grantees
- Total time commitment: 6-10 hours
Donate
Make a tax deductible donation to the fund to support local social mission organizations. You will:
- Amplify the impact of your donation by pooling funds with other community members
- Get insights on the impactful local organizations that apply
- Join our community celebration to meet organization leaders and like-minded community members
1. Organizations Apply
Click the button below to complete our quick application – average 20-30 minutes!
2. Committee Review
A group of donors and community members reviews, prioritizes and determines how to allocate funds.
3. Award & Celebrate
SVP Denver awards funds and invites everyone to a community celebration to connect and highlight impactful work.
2024 Award Recipients
2023 Award Recipients
WHY WE DO IT
Our Approach and Values
Our Collective Impact Fund is a trust-based and community-driven way to support great local organization. Here’s what that means to us and why we take this approach.
Simple Application Process
The process of applying for grants is often far too complicated – especially for small checks – and causes social mission organizations to waste a lot of time. Our application typically takes organizations 20-30 minutes total. We believe we can still collect meaningful background on the work organization’s are doing in community while also respecting their valuable time.
Unrestricted Funding
We ask organizations to tell us about a specific initiative that they are working on to advance health, economic and racial equity. However, the grants we make have no restrictions on how funds are used. We choose to trust the leaders of organizations we invest in to use the funds how and when they think will be best.
Shifting Power to Community
SVP Denver has created a general framework and approach for making decisions about awarding grants. However, the final decisions are made by our Community Review Committee. Individuals do not have to be donors to contribute and we’re continuing to improve our process, outreach and approach to ensure the Committee brings a variety of perspectives and lived experiences.
Going Beyond the Check
In addition to unrestricted funds, SVP Denver offers free, high quality support opportunities through our training programs. We also offer opportunities for organizations to share their stories and gain valuable exposure for their work.
Frequently asked questions
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How often is this support provided? Are there deadlines?
Keep an eye on our main programs page for updates on application deadlines! We typically review applications during set program cycles in the Summer and Fall so we can assess which organizations are the right fit and manage an equitable selection process.
How long will it take for us to get investment?
It tyically takes ~2 months from the application deadline to grant awards being made.
My organization participated/applied previously. Do we need to do the application again?
Yes, but we make it much simpler. When filling out the application, you can indicate if you applied or paticipated in an SVP Denver program in the past 12 months. You will be automatically redirected to a short update form (which will take 5-10 minutes to complete).
What experience do you need to participate on the Community Review Committee?
There’s no formal experience of any kind needed. We welcome folks from a variety of lived and professional experiences to particpate. All we ask is that you approach the process with an open mind, follow through on the commitment and help us create an incluseive, equitable process.