Colorado Bar Foundation
The Colorado Bar Foundation is a Denver-based public charity that supports Colorado nonprofits working in legal services, law-related education, and the administration of justice. Established by members of the Colorado Bar Association, it describes its purpose as advancing justice in Colorado.
Colorado Bar Foundation at a glance
In short: Colorado Bar Foundation gave $224K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Colorado. 59% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $223,946
- -2.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- +83.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,179
- -46.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,848
- Total assets
- $10,847,004
- +8.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 59% first-time grantees (13 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Colorado Bar Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website says to complete the grant application form and submit the appropriate attachments. It prefers funding specific program expenses over general operating costs, though it notes exceptions for organizations whose missions strongly and wholly align with its funding areas. It generally considers other available grant funds and evaluates applications based on funding-area alignment, application clarity, organizational or program finances and need, community need and impact, geographic impact, and likelihood of success. The website lists exclusions including grantmaking organizations other than COLTAF, political activities, endowments and fundraising solicitations, programs wholly or significantly funded by government grants or funds, organizations receiving COLTAF funding for that fiscal year, individual scholarships, and non-charitable programs or organizations.
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 cycle has concluded; the next cycle is to be announced in the first quarter of 2027.
- Deadline
- The 2026 cycle has concluded; the next cycle is to be announced in the first quarter of 2027.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1290 Broadway 1700, Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 860-1115
Website: https://coloradobarfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Colorado Bar Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation ($40K). Together the top 10 received $152K.
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 51 grants of 55 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says its grants support statewide, regional, or local projects in Colorado. The 2025 IRS filing data attributes 100% of listed grant dollars to recipients in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Colorado Bar Foundation open to new grantees?
59%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 22 grantees (59%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $8K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $128K (2021) to $228K (2024). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $224K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation Denver, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $40,000 |
| Colorado Access to Justice Commission Denver, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $36,000 |
| Colorado Bar Association Denver, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $20,500 |
| Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (Rmian) Westminster, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $9,000 |
| Better Tomorrow Steamboat Springs, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $8,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project Denver, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $8,000 |
| Bright Future Foundation for Eagle County Avon, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $7,500 |
| Childrens Advocacy Center for the Pikes Peak Region Colorado Srpings, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $7,500 |
| Crossroads Safehouse Inc Fort Collins, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $7,500 |
| Forge Evolution Colorado Springs, CO | To Further the Entities Exempt Purpose | $7,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $10,847,004 | $409,489 | $534,563 | $223,946 | 22 | $190,392 |
| 2024 | $9,994,362 | $414,268 | $422,847 | $228,475 | 12 | $239,591 |
| 2022 | $8,194,307 | $5,632,872 | $188,386 | $138,667 | 7 | $294,896 |
| 2021 | $4,147,772 | $217,137 | $160,877 | $127,750 | 7 | $114,372 |
| 2020 | $3,243,334 | $191,744 | $164,653 | $132,500 | 7 | $86,837 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote and advance jurisprudence and the administration of justice in Colorado through education, scientific research, and the dissemination of educational information. Its grant program supports projects that assist with legal services for disadvantaged people, promote public understanding of the legal system, or improve the administration of justice. The foundation says it funds statewide, regional, and local projects with demonstrated community need, including established programs and new or innovative projects.
Examples of grantees’ work include legal-services and legal-education projects, as described by the Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation; expanding access, quality, and fairness in the justice system, as described by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission; and legal advocacy for veterans and service members, as described by the Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project. Other 2025 grantees include organizations whose stated missions involve domestic-violence services, youth resiliency, and community health.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s website reports that it awarded $461,622 to 81 grantees in 2025, with an average award of $5,699. Separately, the 2025 IRS filing data lists 22 grants totaling $223,946; those itemized grants ranged from $5,250 to $40,000, with a median of $6,848.
Among the listed 2025 grants were $40,000 to the Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation, $36,000 to the Colorado Access to Justice Commission, and $20,500 to the Colorado Bar Association. Other listed awards included $9,000 to the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network and $8,000 each to Better Tomorrow and the Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Adam Foster, Charles Spence, Craig Nuss, Gary Blum, Jackie Booker, Joseph G. Hodges Jr., and Andrew Toft as trustees; Hon. Frances R. Johnson and Hon. William G. Meyer (Ret.) as judicial trustees; and Jennie Wray as Bar Fellows president.
Colorado Bar Foundation is led by Jennie Wray, Bar Fellows President since 2025 (on filings since 2024); none of the 17 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jennie Wray
Bar Fellows President
Member → Bar Fellows President, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Constance C. Talmage
Chairperson
Member → Chairperson, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam Foster
Trustee
Member → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Craig Nuss
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Donald W. Alperstein
Trustee
Treasurer → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jackie Booker
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
William G. Meyer Ret
Judicial Trustee
Judicial Member → Judicial Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Charles Spence
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frances R. Johnson
Judicial Trustee
Judicial Member → Judicial Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Blum
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph G. Hodges Jr.
Trustee
Member → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ted C. Tow
Vice Chair & Judicial Trustee
Judicial Member → Vice Chair & Judicial Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Toft
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brendan Rodman
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Claire Hunter
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Victoria Dorn
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John M. Lebsack
Treasurer
Member → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Keith Lapuyade (2020–2024) — Bar Fellows President
- Former: Leia Ursery (2020–2024) — Vice Chair
- Former: Loren M. Brown (2020–2024) — Chair Emeritus
- Former: Robert Zentner (2020–2024) — Member
- Former: Sarah Adelson (2020–2024) — Member
- Former: Marcy Glenn (2024) — Member
- Former: Charles C. Turner (2020–2022) — Member
- Former: John P. Leopold (2020–2022) — Member
- Former: Pax Moultrie (2020–2022) — Judicial Member
- Former: Karen Porter (2021–2022) — Member
- Former: Thomas A. Morales (2021–2022) — Member
- Former: Jacquelyn Booker (2022) — Member
- Former: William G. Meyer (2020–2021) — Member
- Former: Jack E. Donley (2020) — Member
- Former: Lance P. Timbreza (2020) — Judicial Member
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 Colorado Bar Foundation
How much does Colorado Bar Foundation give each year?
Colorado Bar Foundation gave $224K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $228K across 12 grants.
What is Colorado Bar Foundation's typical grant size?
Colorado Bar Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,848, and its average grant was $10,179, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Colorado Bar Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does Colorado Bar Foundation give grants?
Colorado Bar Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (6 grants), Colorado Springs, CO (2 grants) and Boulder, CO (2 grants).
Who are Colorado Bar Foundation's largest grantees?
Colorado Bar Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation ($40,000), Colorado Access to Justice Commission ($36,000) and Colorado Bar Association ($20,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Colorado Bar Foundation?
Colorado Bar Foundation reported $10.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $409K.
What does Colorado Bar Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote and advance jurisprudence and the administration of justice in Colorado through education, scientific research, and the dissemination of educational information. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Colorado Bar Foundation?
The foundation’s website says to complete the grant application form and submit the appropriate attachments. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Colorado Bar Foundation's EIN?
Colorado Bar Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-6018182. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 14, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
Live grants for the work Colorado Bar Foundation funds
Crime & Legal Related Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Colorado Bar Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Colorado Bar Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/colorado-bar-foundation-morg_d51b707bc1d14cb1baf1fe555e3e2006
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_846018182_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Colorado Bar Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/colorado-bar-foundation-morg_d51b707bc1d14cb1baf1fe555e3e2006},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Colorado Bar 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.
Colorado Bar Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?