“It’s hard to measure the impact of social change funding – that’s all the more reason you have to stay in it for the fight, supporting organizations that have seats at the table where decisions are made.”
Brad Armstrong describes himself as “dogged.” One might also describe him as a man committed to his passion to help others over the long haul.
In 2004, he founded the Bamboo Fund to mobilize community members around a range of local issues. Specifically, the Bamboo Fund – a fund of the Community Foundation – supports the work of organizations in Boulder and Denver that work for social, economic, educational, racial, and environmental justice. In particular, the fund focuses on community organizing efforts in low-income, minority, and other under-represented or marginalized communities.
“I settled on establishing the Bamboo Fund with the Community Foundation for several reasons,” Brad says. “First, I live in Boulder, so the foundation is convenient for me. Because I live here and the fund is established here, I can talk to people about the fund from a local perspective.
“Additionally, the foundation staff is knowledgeable and flexible to my way of going about things. They appreciate that I’m a guy who really thinks about ways to help alleviate the day-in, day-out suffering that’s all around us – as well as someone who’s working toward change over the long-term.
“I also thought I’d establish the fund where many people who are living comfortably may have an interest in being more engaged in their community, in terms of social services, environmentalism, and in other forms of long-term donor activism. Most recently, we’re emphasizing funding around our immigrant and refugee communities.”
Brad’s intentional approach to giving ensures that the 30 or so organizations the fund supports “fit together in ways that hopefully make a larger local impact over time than just giving willy-nilly.”
Continues Brad, “It’s hard to measure the impact of social change funding – that’s all the more reason you have to stay in it for the fight, supporting organizations like the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores that have seats at the table where decisions are made.”
Learn more about giving opportunities with the Community Foundation Boulder County.
