STRATEGIC GRANTS: FUNDING & GRANTMAKING FOR NONPROFITS
Gates Family Foundation uses a portfolio approach to grant making in the priority areas of Education, Natural Resources, Community Development and Informed Communities. Overall, strategic grants constitute about 60% of the Foundation’s annual grant making budget (with the remaining 40% dedicated to capital grants). This approach allows the Foundation to pursue ambitious, large-scale outcomes with a set of key partners while also remaining responsive to the broader community’s needs.
While we do not accept unsolicited proposals for funding in our priority areas, we do encourage you to browse our grants and impact database and strategic priorities to determine our scope of interest — and if you believe you might be a fit, reach out to one of our program officers or submit your idea online.
Please note that this type of funding is not an opportunity for ongoing operating or program support, though it does allow us to work over multiple years with grantees focused on a specific set of goals and outcomes. While we continually work with grantees to adjust strategies and approaches, we expect to maintain a commitment to these broad priority areas over time.
Education
Approximately 23% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to strategic efforts to increase the quality and equity of Colorado’s public K-12 education system. Our K-12 education team uses this portfolio to support three key strategies: innovative learning environments, school system innovation, and conditions for sustained innovation.
Natural Resources
Approximately 23% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to strategic efforts to protect and steward our state’s precious land and water resources. Our natural resources team uses this portfolio to support three key strategies: balanced water management, forest health and watershed restoration, and landscape conservation and land trust capacity building.
Community Development
Approximately 12% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to strategic efforts to increase the vitality and resilience of Colorado’s urban and rural communities. Our community development team uses this portfolio to support two key outcomes: economic mobility for families and individuals, and equitable community assets.
Informed Communities
Approximately 5% of the Foundation’s annual grant making is devoted to catalyzing innovations in Colorado’s civic news ecosystem that make it more collaborative, sustainable, and responsive to the communities it serves. Our Informed Communities team uses this portfolio to support three key priorities: a stronger civic news ecosystem, more coverage of Gates’ core issue areas, and more diverse and inclusive local news leadership, voices and models.
Recent Grants
| Year | Grantee | Amount | Type | Strategic Priority | Area Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities | $2,500 | |||
| 2024 | Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities | $2,500 | |||
| 2024 | Ball Arena Community Benefits Agreement Committee | $15,000 | |||
| 2024 | Southwest Energy Efficiency Project | $20,000 | |||
| 2024 | Community Radio Project, Inc. | $20,000 | |||
| 2024 | Sopris Sun | $20,000 | |||
| 2024 | Rocky Mountain Community Radio | $20,000 | |||
| 2024 | Speer Boulevard reconfiguration | $20,000 | |||
| 2024 | Utah Film Center | $15,000 | |||
| 2024 | Conservation Finance Network | $10,000 | |||
| 2024 | Colorado Watershed Assembly | $7,500 | |||
| 2024 | Colorado Sun (The) | $50,000 | |||
| 2024 | Rocky Mountain Public Media | $100,000 | |||
| 2024 | Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership | $30,000 | |||
| 2024 | Sistahbiz | $50,000 | |||
| 2024 | Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute | $50,000 | |||
| 2024 | Prodigy Ventures | $20,000 | |||
| 2024 | SmallCapital/CNDC | $25,000 | |||
| 2024 | Community Builders | $180,000 | |||
| 2024 | Willow Ed, PBC | $35,000 |
Finally, also in 2023 a total of $410,956 previously committed by Gates to the 
A total of $1,110,956 committed to the 
In 2019, the Community Development program committed $932,500 in strategic grants to 13 organizations and $465,000 in responsive capital grants to 12 organizations. New impact investments supporting vibrant communities in 2019 included a $500,000 MRI to 
Our Focus Landscapes initiative, a key element of our Natural Resources program, underwent a comprehensive review, revision, and re-launch in 2019. This initiative was launched in 2011 to help Colorado achieve landscape-scale conservation through the protection of private lands in specific geographies. A great deal of progress was made in North Park, southeast Colorado, and the San Luis Valley, resulting in more than 200,000 acres of farm and ranch lands conserved, along with their associated ecological values. The strategic review process was done in close partnership with the land trust organizations representing those geographies, providing lessons-learned and an exploration of emerging opportunities. The revised Focus Landscapes initiative will first focus on two geographies: 