The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC) remains dedicated to our mission of nurturing leadership, strengthening nonprofits, and fortifying our communities. We are profoundly grateful for the passion, dedication, and tireless efforts of our team, partners, and the broader community, which have been instrumental in achieving remarkable milestones in 2023.
In Strengthening Leaders, we focused on supporting the personal growth and capacity of nonprofit leaders through initiatives such as Leadership Roundtables (LRTs) and Executive Director retreats. These platforms are pivotal in sharing knowledge, exchanging insights, and fostering resilience among leaders who form the backbone of our communities.
Our mission to Strengthen Nonprofits has seen significant strides through programs like Adelante Colorado, Ayuda Colorado, and the Colorado Communities of Color Loan Fund, showcasing our commitment to building organizational capacity and equipping nonprofits with the resources needed to create lasting change in Colorado.
To Strengthen Communities, LCFC has played a crucial role in enhancing community cohesion. Initiatives such as the Latinas LEAD Power Summit and Soul Players of the Valley foster authentic partnerships rooted in trust and support, expand horizons, and ignite a spark of possibilities.
Our work in Innovating Strong & Equitable Systems stands out among our achievements this year. Partnership with the Department of Local Affairs and Regional Access Partners to execute the Small Nonprofit Infrastructure (NPI) grant program exemplifies our commitment to creating accessible, innovative solutions for communities across Colorado.
As we look toward Strengthening our Future, LCFC is focused on advancing our One Community, One Legacy $20 million endowment campaign. This vision is not just a goal; it is a promise to fuel innovation, invest in community leaders, and nurture a robust nonprofit ecosystem that will thrive for generations.
As you explore the report, you will find testimonials from participants that highlight the profound impact of these programs. These initiatives have not only united Latina/o leaders in crafting their stories but provide essential support and guidance, fostering a sense of empowerment and solidarity within our diverse community.
We invite you to continue this remarkable journey with us, towards a future where every community is empowered, resilient, and unified. With heartfelt gratitude, thank you for your commitment, partnership, and belief in our mission.
United by purpose, we are building a legacy. Join us as we pave the way for more impactful transformations in the years to come.
Warmest Regards, Latino Community Foundation of Colorado Board & Staff
CARLOS MARTINEZ President & CEO
SONYA ULIBARRI Chief Impact Officer
RACHEL GRIEGO
Senior VP of Community Innovation & Strategic Partnerships
PRISCILLA MONTOYA VP of Development & Communications
JAMIE BAZELMAN Executive Assistant & Office Coordinator
JOANNA CINTRÓN Senior Director of Development & Communications*
ELSA HOLGU ĺ N Chair
THOMAS BRYAN
Treasurer
YESENIA SILVA-ESTRADA
Secretary
MIDY APONTE
JUDI DIAZ BONACQUISTI, E d D
ERIC ISHIWATA
GUILLERMO LAMBARRI
LISA LUCERO
MICHELLE LUCERO*
DOMINIC MORENO*
SUSANA SALAMUN
ELAINE TORRES
HOLLIE VELASQUEZ HORVATH
LISTS INCLUDE STAFF, BOARD, & ADVISORS FROM JANUARY 1 -
KAITLYN THROGMORTON Program Manager
KEN CRUZ Director of Programs*
KOURTNEY RIMBERT Director of Finance & Human Resources
STEPHANIE MONGE Program Coordinator
TASHINA SALAS Development & Communications Coordinator
ADVISORS
ADELANTE COLORADO
DALIA DORTA DE GONZALEZ
DEBBIE HERRERA
MONICA ROERS
GARLAND YATES
COLORADO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR LOAN FUND
JENNIFER LOPEZ
ALEJANDRO MONAREZ
EMMA SCHWARZ
LADAWN SULLIVAN
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE ANDRES CASAS
EVALUATION TEAM
JOHANNA LEYBA
SARAH OLIVIER
GAYLE WARNER
"It has united us as Latina leaders, guiding meetings tailored to our needs. This platform has empowered us to craft our stories and provide mutual support.”
- LRT PARTICIPANT
The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC) supports and empowers leaders within the nonprofit ecosystem. Whether through our bimonthly Leadership Roundtables (LRTs) or Executive Director retreats, we are building sustainability and capacity by centering the leaders’ personal growth and capacity because we believe strong leaders transform their organizations and communities.
"This retreat reminds us that we are human beings and not automatic machines. It allowed us to stop and dig deeper into the "cargas" (loads) that we carry every day, and we still manage to do amazing work in community. It reminded us that we deserve all the good things in life such as a beautiful space to stay, good food, calming and healing hot springs. It connected us with other amazing Latinas and it reminded us that we are not alone on this journey. It was truly transformational."
- NELLY NAVARRO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED COMMUNITY, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS.
Adelante Leadership Retreats
LCFC provides spaces for learning, sharing resources, building relationships, gaining support from peers, holistic health, healing, rest, and rejuvenation.
2
Executive Director retreats in 2023
200
leaders attended
average hours of capacity building & collective holistic healing per leader
MEN’S RETREAT ATTENDEES
Aaron Abeyta, Co-Director, Justice & Heritage Academy
Alfredo Reyes , Executive Director, Latino Cultural Arts Center
Ara Cruz , Executive Director, Words to Power
Dominic Lucero , Executive Director, Colorado High Country Educational Treks
Francisco Gallardo , Senior Manager, National Compadres Network
Jesse Ramirez, Executive Director, INSPiRE
Joseph Padilla , Executive Director, Denver Healing Generations
John Perez & Felipe Perez, Denver Healing Generations
Vinnie Cervantes , Executive Director, Denver Alliance for Street Health Response
The retreats and LRTs have been effective strategies to deepen relationships and belonging, strengthen peer networks of support, manage burnout, and build leadership sustainability.
7
roundtables held
Topics explored response to newcomers in Colorado, fundraising trends, leadership sustainability, Small Nonprofit Infrastructure grant technical assistance, best practices in human resources for nonprofits, the 2023 US Supreme Court Decision on affirmative action, and building and sustaining a resilient workforce.
206 total attendees
1,442 total capacity building hours
,
Olga
,
,
WOMEN’S RETREAT ATTENDEES
Angela Ceceña , Executive Director, Latina SafeHouse Initiative
Dusti Gurule , President & CEO, COLOR
Elsa Bañuelos , Executive Director, Movimiento Poder
Janelle Quick , Executive Director, Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation
Jackie Jaramillo , Executive Director, Centro de la Familia
Maricruz Herrera , Executive Director, Colorado Changemakers Collective
Maria Gonzalez , Founder & CEO, Adelante Community Development
Nelly Navarro
Executive Director, Integrated Community
González
Executive Director, Cultivando Yessica Holguín
Executive Director, Center for Community Wealth Building
Adelante Colorado Capacity Building Cohort
The Adelante Colorado capacity building cohort strengthens Latino-led and serving organizations through grants, leadership development, and customized engagement, fostering the building of robust infrastructures for sustainability and growth.
“With LCFC’s financial investment, trust, and support, we have been able to implement strategic initiatives, strengthen our infrastructure, and attract top-tier talent to our team. We have been able to think outside of the “funding” box and implement what works for us and our communities, given our reality.”
- YESSICA HOLGUIN, CENTER FOR COMMUNITY WEALTH BUILDING, ADELANTE COHORT MEMBER
22 organizations in inaugural Adelante Colorado Cohort
Through Adelante Colorado, Ayuda Colorado and the Colorado Communities of Color Loan Fund, LCFC is building organizational capacity within the nonprofit ecosystem in Colorado, because strong organizations build strong communities.
110 hours of capacity building Topics included financial acumen, technology, board development, building strong administrative infrastructure, and more.
$941,262 grants distributed in 2023*
*Funds are distributed on a flexible basis to accommodate the unique, dynamic needs of grantees who developed their own strategic plans and budgets.
$3.8M
total investment over three years (including program costs)
Communities of Color Loan Fund
LCFC’s Colorado Communities of Color (CCC) Loan Fund is a loan program created in response to decades of underinvestment in many organizations serving and led by communities of color by funders and financial institutions.
The fund offers an innovative approach to enhancing organizational capacity and resilience while tackling broader community challenges around wealth building.
By offering favorable loan terms to invest in program expansion, infrastructure development, and operational sustainability, the loans offer a way to achieve financial resilience while continuing to address community needs effectively.
LCFC aims to raise $5,000,000 by 2026 to ensure ongoing, mission-related investments into organizations working to make Colorado a just place to work, live, and thrive.
GOAL BY 2026
$5M CURRENT LOAN FUND
$3M
A STORY OF IMPACT
Latina SafeHouse
Latina SafeHouse (LSH) is a nonprofit located in Denver and provides bilingual and culturally sensitive services to Latina survivors of domestic violence and their families. During the last four years, LSH has been growing steadily to address the rise of domestic violence in the Latin@/e/x community. They have been fortunate to receive federal funding and state funding for survivor services, however, the funding operates on a reimbursement basis which creates cash flow challenges for their small nonprofit. A loan from LCFC will be used to bridge reimbursed funding while simultaneously increasing LSH’s capacity to diversify their funding sources and work toward building a cash reserve.
$525,000 approved in loans to four community organizations in 2023 Loans range from $10,000$250,000 at interest rates between 0% and 2% for capital projects, infrastructure, capacity building and program scaling
The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC) plays a central role in fostering community cohesion and support through various initiatives. Connecting organizations to resources serves as an entrypoint that connects people to opportunities that expand their sense of possibilities to build strong communities.
Together, we are building and strengthening communities across Colorado because strong communities create change.
Latinas LEAD Power Summit
In partnership with Metropolitan State Univeristy of Denver, LCFC hosted the Latinas LEAD Power Summit on June 24, 2023. Held at the King Center on the Auraria Campus, the event featured a 100% Latina speaker lineup focused on topics that included leadership, social justice, mental health, and entrepreneurship.
WATCH THE EVENT AND OUR FEATURED SPEAKERS HERE:
“Leadership is not about you, it’s about the people you serve. You know you’re a servant leader if the people you serve become leaders.” l
DR.
JUANA
“I try to recognize the beauty of different cultures, including my own, and leverage the strengths—like a collectivist rather than individual perspective—to advocate for positive change.”
-DR.
470+ attendees from across the state
28 featured Latina speakers
71,000 social media impressions
JUDI A. DIAZ BONACQUISTI, EDD, SUPPORTER
BORDAS, AUTHOR OF “THE POWER OF LATINO LEADERSHIP – ¡AHORA!” AND “SALSA, SOUL, AND SPIRIT: LEADERSHIP FOR A MULTICULTURAL AGE”
“Our
name is a great insight into who we are. Look at the heart of each community. Players are the ones who make things happen and move. We are a group of individuals from four communities who, together with the LCFC, want to move our communities forward culturally, economically, socially, and in terms of health equity in ways that are inclusive of youth, elders, everyone.”
DANA MAESTAS, PROGRAM MANAGER, SOUL PLAYERS OF THE VALLEY
The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC) embarked on a transformative sevenyear journey to expand support beyond Denver, engaging with Latino communities across the state through active listening tours and forums.
Embracing the framework of Community Democracy, we shifted focus from changing communities to empowering them, resulting in authentic and sustainable partnerships built on trust and support. Out of this, Soul Players of the Valley (SPV), a Coalition of local leaders from four towns in the San Luis Valley of Colorado – Antonito, Capulin, San Luis, and South Alamosa, was born.
REGIONAL COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS (RCI)
Soul Players of the Valley
Together SPV and LCFC embarked on a grassroots resident-led 16 month planning process, culminating in the much-anticipated report: Semillas of Change: The Transformative Journey of Four San Luis Valley Communities and the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado.
REPORT EXCERPT
“The Soul Players of the Valley represent the voices of our people. We represent our stories, our triumphs, and struggles. We have built a greater connection and deeper understanding of each other’s communities, all of which was made possible by giving us a platform to express our past histories, concerns, ideas and our hopes and dreams... Throughout our process, we’ve been able to take what we’ve learned from each other, bring those lessons back to our communities and start to grow and empower our own leaders. We’ve created a spark and energy to fuel our movement, creating partnerships and collaborations within our local communities as well as with outside organizations. This is what is needed to sustain our path and projects moving forward.”
-FELICIANA LOBATO, YOUTH MEMBER, SPV STEERING COMMITTEE, SAN LUIS
Read the full report and get to know our local leaders here!
LCFC’S CORE COMMUNITY DEMOCRACY VALUES
The needs, desires, and wishes of local people should be the driving force for any community change agenda.
Community ownership and participation is crucial to sustaining changes.
The community change process must be based on a fundamental recognition and respect for their culture, history, language, and aspirations.
The change process must acknowledge the degree to which social inequities (race, class, gender, economics, etc.) impede progress and address them.
In 2023, LCFC played key roles in addressing the needs of newcomers and nonprofits. Our unique position as a trusted intermediary with cross-sector-statewide relationships allowed us to find multi-pronged solutions and be a catalyst for shaping programs and policies to ensure equitable access to resources.
LCFC’s Newcomers Response
With the arrival of over 40,000 newcomers to Denver, LCFC recognized quickly that this complex challenge required a comprehensive response. We employed our expertise in grantmaking, advocacy, government and philanthropic collaboration, and relied on initiatives like Leadership Roundtables to hear directly from nonprofit leaders.
To ensure newcomers received access to essential resources, LCFC staff served on steering committee for the Newcomers Fund, housed at the Rose Community Foundation, and the City of Denver’s Newcomers Advisory Council. As Denver Mayor Mike Johnston took office in July 2023, LCFC’s Chief Impact Officer led a taskforce of diverse community leaders that developed the Migrant and Immigration transition plan.
Collaboration with Philanthropic Partners
Launched by the Rose Community Foundation in 2022, the Newcomers Fund is an organized philanthropic response that provides rapid response grants to nonprofit organizations providing critical programs and services to migrants arriving in Colorado. LCFC is a member of the Fund’s steering committee and supports this work through advocacy, awareness-building, community engagement, and direct support.
$1,900,000+
raised for The Newcomers Fund from foundations and individual donors in 2023
45 grant awards statewide
NEWCOMER’S FUND STEERING COMMITTEE
Rose Community Foundation
City & County of Denver
Colorado’s Office of New Americans
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado
Mile High United Way
The Denver Foundation
GRANTMAKING
Ayuda Colorado
LCFC's Ayuda Colorado fund offers direct grant investments to support nonprofit partners serving Latino communities, immigrants, and refugees across Colorado, enabling rapid and comprehensive responses to emerging community needs.
GRANTEES
Child & Migrant
El Comité de Longmont
Fuerza Latina - Hispanic Women’s Farming Hispanic Affairs Project (HAP)
Immigrant Legal Center of Boulder County
$136,250
invested in organizations serving immigrant and refugee communities
15 organizations awarded grants between $5,000 - $30,000
RESOURCES PROVIDED :
Temporary shelter support, transportation and family reunification, food and clothing access, longer-term housing needs, employment and jobs, childcare and school enrollment, legal services, and connections to health care and mental health providers.
Alianza NORCO Casa de Paz
Services, Inc.
"The funding from DOLA/LCFC has allowed us to already begin our investment in staff professional development with Strengthfinder coaching at our staff retreat and hiring a consultant to start the work on strategic planning for the agency. Prodigy has also started to work on creating a brand identity for our outreach materials that support our community engagement. We are excited to get this work going, as the agency has not had the ability to really invest thoughtfully in professional development and intentional outreach support."
- PRODIGY VENTURES
In 2022, the Communities Lead, Communities Thrive Coalition championed and secured a historic one-time investment of $35M federal ARPA funding to provide infrastructure grants for small Colorado-based nonprofits.
In 2023, LCFC worked in partnership with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and seven Regional Access Partners to design and implement the Small Nonprofit Infrastructure (NPI) grant program to increase the accessibility of capacitybuilding grants statewide.
1,375 hours of technical assistance provided to 401 applicants
40+
hours developing the application process 20+
hours refining reporting requirements and process
OF ORGANIZATIONS AWARDED: 93% serve communities of color 73% serving the LGBTQ+ community 79% serve immigrants & refugees 43% serve rural Colorado
Communities
Lead, Communities Thrive (CLCT) Steering Committee
LCFC maintained its leadership of the CLCT steering committee, advocating for resources for local nonprofits. The CLCT stakeholder committee engaged several consultants and continued to work on building the ongoing foundation of the coalition and to gauge the external pulse and direction of CLCT. A November retreat formalized plans with LCFC securing future funding to facilitate staff hiring and advance the coalition’s growth.
STEERING COMMITTEE
Harry Budisidharta
Rachel Griego
Joie Ha
THE RESULTS
66% of applicants had a budget under $1M
1,000+ applications received by all Regional Access Partners and $84 million dollars in funding requests from small nonprofit organizations
401
Applications received by LCFC totaling $35.5M in requests for NPI grant funding
Mardi Moore
LaDawn Sullivan
As a Regional Access Partner, LCFC played a crucial role in ensuring equitable access to this historic funding for small nonprofits across 12 counties that were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because many of these organizations were first-time state applicants, LCFC focused efforts on eliminating barriers to apply for funding, engaged in broad community outreach, provided comprehensive technical assistance support, and implemented an equity-focused grant review process. NPI grant awards were announced in early 2024 and funds are being put to quick use!
REGIONAL ACCESS PARTNERS
Caring for Colorado
Community Foundation of San Luis Valley
Community Shares of Colorado
Community Foundation of Gunnison Valley
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado
United Way Larimer County
United Way Pueblo County
Yampa Valley Community Foundation
After 16 years, LCFC has come into its own and built a strong foundation to do extraordinary things. We have earned your trust and will continue to work with you to invest in the community in culturally relevant ways.
The Campaign continues to build momentum and we are on our way to meet our goal of $20 million in the coming years. The Campaign is divided into three funds: Legacy (Unrestricted Fund); Vision Fund (Directed for Community Investments); and Loan Fund (Community Revolving Loan Fund).
With your continued support, we will elevate our communities to new heights.
$20M GOAL
• If you are a current investor at LCFC, we THANK YOU and we hope we can count on your continued support.
• If you are considering donating for the first time, we are here to answer any questions and guide you to the opportunity that is most meaningful to you.
• If you are considering a legacy gift, a planned gift, or a gift to the One Community, One Legacy campaign, we can assist you in making your gift most meaningful to you and the community.
We make it easy for you to make an investment in the community. Please know that 100% of your gift to any of our programs is fully invested back into the community.
GIVE ONLINE
You can designate your gift to any of our programs or as an unrestricted gift.
SPONSOR AN EVENT
Solidarity defines us, and your support elevates us.
Stewards of Your Investment
Community
$3,069,171
CONTRIBUTE TO THE ONE COMMUNITY, ONE LEGACY CAMPAIGN
CONSIDER A PLANNED GIFT
Strengthen Colorado’s Latino legacy today.
For gift assistance and more information on how you can be a legacy donor to the One Community One Legacy campaign, please contact JoAnna Cintrón at (720) 923-7606.
REVENUE
$5,046,552
Funders & Donors
2023 Philanthropists of the Year
The González-Dorta Family exemplifies the impact of generational investment and community involvement contributing significantly to LCFC's advisory roles, language justice approach, marketing, fundraising, and initiatives. Their tireless efforts have elevated the cause of uplifting Latino communities.
$5,000 - $19,999
Alpine Bank
Alpine Buick GMC
Annette Quintana & Leonard Silverston
Bamboo Fund
The Bright Mountain Foundation
Brett Family Foundation
BMO
$50,000-$499,000
for Denver Foundation*
Caring for Colorado Foundation
Phillip Danielson & Carlos Martinez
City & County of Denver
The Coca-Cola Company
COBANK
Connect for Health Colorado
Delta Dental of Colorado
Fifth Generation Inc.
Gary Community Ventures
L.P. Brown Foundation
Hollie Velasquez Horvath & Bryan Horvath
$1 - $4,999
Raydean Acevedo
Jose Aguayo
Midy Aponte
Flora & Phil Archuleta
Jessica Arciniega-Valdez
Auraria Higher Education Center
Crystal Ayala-Goldstein
Allison Bell
The Blackbaud Giving Fund by its agent, YourCause
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Thomas Bryan
Eliza Buyers & David Pinkert
Brissa Cardenas
CBS Television Stations
Colorado Gives Foundation
City of Denver - Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs*
Dr. Judi Diaz Bonacquisti
The Denver Foundation*
Karalyn Dorn
Dalia Dorta de Gonzalez
Jeff & Therese Ellery*
Mariana Enriquez
Mandi Ericson
Dr. Janina E. Fariñas
Anne Feist
Fitzsimons Credit Union
Jim Garcia & Gloria
Padilla de Garcia
Lucinda Garcia Flores
Perla Gheiler
Denise Gomez & Severen McGowan
Melissa Gonzales
Maria Gonzalez
Rachel Griego
Lorena Gutierrez
Deborah Hart
Anna Jo Haynes
Elsa Holguí n
Yessica Xytlalli Holguín
Eric Ishiwata
Jackie Lucero Jaramillo
Susan Jenson
Guillermo Lambarri
Amy Latham
Ann Lederer & Robert Hickler
Marta Loachamin
Greta Maloney
Neva Martinez
Karen McNeil-Miller
Elena Mendoza
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Montbello Organizing Committee*
Laura Morales
Claudia Moran
Crystal Murillo
Kassandra Neff-Castellanos
Brigid Nelson Neocom Promo LLC
Joshua Nicholas
Angeles Ortega
Debora Ortega
Elsie C. Oswald
Diane Otsuka
Evelyn Pener
Angell Perez
Jesse Ramirez
Art Rimando
Fernando Rocha
Susana Salamun
Tonette Salazar
Stephanie Salazar-Rodriguez
Salazar Family Foundation
Alex Sanchez
Marene Sanchez
Emma & Christian Schwarz
Karen Sherman Perez
Yesenia Silva Estrada
Andrea Smith
MaryLou Smith
Jean Sunwoo
Tony Tapia
Heather Thorwald
Patricia Throgmorton
Elaine Torres & Philip Workman Trailhead Institute*
Lorenzo Trujillo
Sonya Ulibarri
University of Denver Latinx Center
Armando Valdez
Stephen von Merz
Steve Ward
Mary Dolores Young Dara Zack
*As part of our commitment to supporting community initiatives, LCFC acted as the fiscal sponsor for Conectoras de Montbello this year. Through this partnership, we managed and disbursed these funds.
2023 Soul of Leadership (SOL) Awardee
Jesus Castro Jr.'s journey has been one of dedication, perseverance, and tireless commitment to the betterment of our community. Through his advocacy, he has not only championed the cause of immigrant youth but also enriched community spaces with cultural services that bring people together.
