Bruce Benson Foundation
The Bruce Benson Foundation is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. In its 2025 filing, it reported 19 grants totaling $602,000, primarily to Colorado organizations.
Bruce Benson Foundation at a glance
In short: Bruce Benson Foundation gave $602K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $32K), mostly in Colorado. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $602,000
- -23.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- -5.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $31,684
- -19.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $2,373,882
- -13.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Bruce Benson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3800 Buchtel Blvd PO Box 101420, Denver, CO 80210-3736
Phone: (303) 863-3500
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bruce Benson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Advance Colorado ($200K). Together the top 10 received $565K.
Grant Size Distribution
78 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 66 grants of 78 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing’s recipient-state breakdown lists 97% of grant dollars in Colorado, 2% in New York, 2% in Texas, and less than 1% in Indiana. The grants listed for 2025 show support for organizations in Colorado as well as recipients in New York and Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bruce Benson Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 19 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $35K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 160% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 440% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $141K (2020) to $1.2M (2023). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $602K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Advance Colorado Lafayette, CO | Aid to Community | $200,000 |
| The Steamboat Institute Steamboat Springs, CO | Aid to Community | $100,000 |
| Colorado Academy Denver, CO | Aid to Community | $100,000 |
| Leadership Program of the Rockies Denver, CO | Aid to Community | $75,000 |
| University of Colorado Denver, CO | Aid to Community | $40,000 |
| Denver Police Foundation Denver, CO | Aid to Community | $10,000 |
| Denver Public Schools Foundation Denver, CO | Aid to Community | $10,000 |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation Staten Island, NY | Aid to Community | $10,000 |
| Boy Scouts of America Irving, TX | Aid to Community | $10,000 |
| Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance Denver, CO | Aid to Community | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,373,882 | $102,345 | $605,644 | $602,000 | 19 | $602,000 | $98,701 | $136,811 |
| 2024 | $2,756,285 | $154,212 | $817,359 | $784,000 | 20 | $784,000 | $144,687 | $150,736 |
| 2023 | $3,502,432 | $1,453,627 | $1,192,659 | $1,162,803 | 12 | $1,162,803 | $1,423,771 | $185,861 |
| 2022 | $3,374,464 | $97,622 | $253,196 | $231,252 | 10 | $231,252 | $53,275 | $212,644 |
| 2021 | $3,320,038 | $343,562 | $183,603 | $159,500 | 17 | $159,500 | $229,249 | $221,663 |
| 2020 | $3,189,079 | $713,419 | $159,858 | $140,600 | 21 | — | $94,161 | $186,973 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bruce Benson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $137K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include public education and civic engagement, education, public safety, food assistance, scouting, and recovery support. For example, Advance Colorado describes its work as educating citizens on principles intended to strengthen active citizenship in a democracy, while The Steamboat Institute says it promotes America’s first principles and encourages involvement in the defense of liberty. Colorado Academy describes its mission as creating curious, kind, courageous, and adventurous learners and leaders. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 19 grants totaling $602,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $200,000, with a median of $10,000.
The largest 2025 grants included $200,000 to Advance Colorado; $100,000 each to The Steamboat Institute and Colorado Academy; $75,000 to Leadership Program of the Rockies; and $40,000 to the University of Colorado. Other listed grants included $10,000 each to the Denver Police Foundation, Denver Public Schools Foundation, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, and Food Bank of the Rockies, and $5,000 to Boys and Girls Club.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Bruce D. Benson as president; Marcy H. Benson as secretary; and James C. Benson, David B. Benson, and Ann B. Reidy as directors.
Bruce Benson Foundation is led by Bruce D. Benson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bruce D. Benson
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ann B. Reidy
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David B. Benson
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James C. Benson
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marcy H. Benson
Secretary
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bruce Benson Foundation
How much does Bruce Benson Foundation give each year?
Bruce Benson Foundation gave $602K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $784K across 20 grants.
What is Bruce Benson Foundation's typical grant size?
Bruce Benson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $31,684, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bruce Benson Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Bruce Benson Foundation give grants?
Bruce Benson Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (11 grants) and Aurora, CO (2 grants).
Does Bruce Benson Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Bruce Benson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Aid to Community" (19 grants).
Who are Bruce Benson Foundation's largest grantees?
Bruce Benson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Advance Colorado ($200,000), The Steamboat Institute ($100,000) and Colorado Academy ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bruce Benson Foundation?
Bruce Benson Foundation reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $602K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $137K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Bruce Benson Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose stated missions include public education and civic engagement, education, public safety, food assistance, scouting, and recovery support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bruce Benson Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bruce Benson Foundation's EIN?
Bruce Benson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0272148. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Bruce Benson Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Live grants for the work Bruce Benson Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bruce Benson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bruce Benson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bruce-benson-foundation-morg_8416b01bd5344bbd80476805bd597b11
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_260272148_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bruce Benson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bruce-benson-foundation-morg_8416b01bd5344bbd80476805bd597b11},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bruce Benson Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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