As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the work that made 2025 meaningful at Community Foundation Boulder County. From advancing equity and responding to emerging challenges to partnering with nonprofits, donors, and community members, our staff and board have been deeply engaged in supporting Boulder County throughout the year. To close out 2025, we’re handing the microphone to our team to share a few highlights and offer a behind-the-scenes look at the relationships and efforts that drive our work forward.
Faith Motter, Vice President of Development
The BIPOC Women’s Fund
The BIPOC Women’s Fund is a powerful initiative that invests in women and children of color in Boulder County, ensuring they have the resources and opportunities to thrive. Collaborating with this group has been a highlight for me because it centers voices that have historically been underrepresented and creates space for authentic leadership and community-driven solutions. Recently, the fund transitioned to a Giving Circle, furthering its commitment to community and empowerment. I believe this partnership will help advance the community foundation’s work by deepening equity in philanthropy and amplifying impact where it matters most, supporting women who are catalysts for change in their communities.
Sarah Harrison, Vice President of Programs
The Boulder County Nonprofit Survey and Our Resilience Fund
This past spring, as changes were occurring at the federal level through executive orders and funding shifts, our community started to reach out and ask us, “How are nonprofits doing? What would be helpful? And how can I, as an individual community member, help support the organizations that I care about?”
Our nonprofits provide such critical and vibrant services to those in our community, and it was important that we hear directly from them as we set out to answer these questions. So, in response, the community foundation created the Boulder County Nonprofit Survey.
This survey provided us with a snapshot of the current state of nonprofit organizations in response to changes at the federal level. Information that was shared through the survey not only helped us inform our community but also provided a road map as we began to think about what resources, services, and assistance Community Foundation Boulder County could offer to nonprofits.
Soon after analyzing the survey results, we established the Resilience Fund. The Resilience Fund has been a highlight for me because it’s a meaningful way for the foundation to support local nonprofits and provide access to training, resources, and collaboration. I’m excited grow the resilience fund and offer more opportunities to the nonprofit community as we look ahead to 2026.
Scott Beard, Chair – Community Foundation Boulder County Board of Directors
CFLeads’ Economic Mobility Action Network
One highlight of 2025 was our work with ten other community foundations from across the US through the CFLeads’ Economic Mobility Action Network. The opportunity to share information about hard local issues (and ideas and advice for addressing them) helped us become better prepared to perform our own roles with CFBC with greater clarity, purpose, and ability.
The crisis of housing affordability is a particularly complex issue that we began exploring with experts, trying to both understand the dynamics at work as well as beginning to define a meaningful and useful role for CFBC in successfully addressing that crisis. However, given the immensity of the problem and the large number of different stakeholders, defining a clear role will be difficult. But it is gratifying to see that we have begun identifying some next steps, staying true to our mission of recognizing our community’s most pressing needs, determining how best we can help address them usefully, and then working on implementing effective solutions.
David Ramon Ortiz, Operations Manager
Staff Volunteering and Team Building
Last month, Community Foundation Boulder County staff volunteered at Community Food Share in Louisville. Community Food Share is a food bank that serves Boulder County families and is a grantee of the Community Foundation.
We spent the morning filling and portioning bags of food for hungry families in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Having opportunities to volunteer as a staff reminds me why we do the work we do! It also keeps in perspective some of the day-to-day challenges that we face are really just champagne problems. It reminds me to be grateful for the home that I have and the food on my table!
Overall, the staff had a fulfilling day, and it made me proud to work for and alongside exceptional nonprofits in service to Boulder County!
Larissa Anstey, Director of Engaged Philanthropy
Our Amazing Community of Donors and DAF Holders
Our donor-advised fund (DAF) holders are truly some of the most thoughtful, strategic, and dedicated philanthropists we know. They choose Community Foundation Boulder County because they care deeply about our community — and because they are motivated to put their philanthropic dollars to work in meaningful ways. While it can be easy to open a DAF and let the money sit, our fund holders recognize the power of this tool and use it intentionally to create real impact.
Over the past year especially, I have been continually inspired by their generosity and responsiveness. Our donors ask thoughtful questions and take the time to listen—seeking to understand what our nonprofit partners actually need, rather than assuming the answers. In 2025, I’ve had the privilege of engaging in many meaningful conversations around issues like immigration, food security, housing, and reproductive rights. Their willingness to step up, both individually and collectively, has been truly humbling.
In these times when it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by issues on a national or global scale, it is heartening to see so many of our donors remain deeply committed to the challenges and opportunities facing our own Boulder County community.
