The Colorado Community College System Foundation is a public charity based in Denver, Colorado. It supports the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) through student scholarships and support for educational activities at Colorado community colleges.
Key facts about Colorado Community College System Foundation
In short: Colorado Community College System Foundation gave $3.3M across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $127K), mostly in Colorado. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 84-1070271
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,294,572
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- Average grant
- $126,714
- Median grant
- $54,046
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $14,302,971
- Primary geography
- Colorado (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Deadline
- April 27, 2026, for the listed 2025–26 program; this date has passed.
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$14.3M
+15.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.3M
+5.8% YoY
Grant Count
26
+8.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$127K
-2.4% YoY
Is Colorado Community College System 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 $47K; repeat grants $188K. How we count
Medians: $47K first-time, $100K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s stated mission is to support CCCS by creating partnerships, developing resources, and advocating for the value of a community college education. Its filing describes its work as providing student scholarships and supporting educational activities at Colorado community colleges. The Foundation reports that it awards scholarship funds to colleges, which then award scholarships to students; it works with the colleges to track recipients and monitor compliance with donor intent.
The Foundation reports providing more than $1 million in scholarships annually and investing in programs and initiatives that address workforce needs. Its 2025 grants included scholarships and program support for CCCS colleges and affiliated foundations. For example, the an individual recipient Community College Foundation says its mission is to provide resources that strengthen educational opportunities for students and communities served by the college. The an individual recipient State College Foundation describes its work as supporting student scholarships and selected programs and projects. The Community College of Denver Foundation says it develops sustainable revenue to support the college, its students, faculty, staff, and programs.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation made 26 grants totaling $3,294,572. Grant amounts ranged from $8,000 to $913,013, with a median of $54,046. The largest grants went to the Colorado Community College System ($913,013, for scholarships and program support), an individual recipient Community College Foundation ($316,875, for scholarships and program support), an individual recipient Community College Foundation ($301,462, for scholarships), and Community College of Denver Foundation ($263,032, for scholarships). All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado.
The Foundation also offers an annual scholarship program for students attending or planning to attend one of the 13 CCCS colleges. The listed awards are up to $5,000; the program description reports that approximately $563,474 went to nearly 300 students in 2024–25. The scholarship process uses one application to match students with eligible scholarships and describes a holistic review that considers goals, circumstances, financial need, and community involvement. The Foundation’s scholarship page says the 2026–27 application is closed and will reopen in March 2027.
Review Cycle
April 27, 2026, for the listed 2025–26 program; this date has passed.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Colorado Community College System Foundation
Ready to take the next step with Colorado Community College System Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s reported 2025 grants all went to Colorado recipients. Its scholarship program serves students attending or planning to attend a CCCS college in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $914K (2019) to $3.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $3.3M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Colorado Community College System ($913K). Together the top 10 received $2.2M.
Organizations only. It also paid 8 individual scholarships ($857,937), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
102 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 102 (49%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Community College System Denver, CO | Scholarships, Program Support | $913,013 |
| 8 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $857,937 |
| Community College of Denver Foundation Denver, CO | Scholarships | $263,032 |
| Arapahoe Community College Foundation Littleton, CO | Scholarships, Program Support | $173,208 |
| Pueblo Community College Foundation Pueblo, CO | Scholarships | $171,351 |
| Community College of Aurora Foundation Aurora, CO | Scholarships | $170,863 |
| Community College of Denver Denver, CO | Scholarships, Program Support | $167,478 |
| Morgan Community College Fort Morgan, CO | Program Support | $143,594 |
| Community College of Aurora Denver, CO | Program Support | $99,752 |
| Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO | Scholarships, Program Support | $56,915 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $14,302,971 | $5,905,554 | $3,706,049 | $3,294,572 |
| 2024 | $12,399,118 | $5,179,230 | $3,960,853 | $3,114,749 |
| 2023 | $10,081,762 | $2,395,919 | $3,281,684 | $1,510,508 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $14,302,971 | $12,399,118 | $10,081,762 |
| Revenue | $5,905,554 | $5,179,230 | $2,395,919 |
| Expenses | $3,706,049 | $3,960,853 | $3,281,684 |
| Net Investment Income | $686,549 | $508,858 | $240,006 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Christinne Johnson, chair; Dr. John Trefny, director; Joe Garcia, ex-officio voting member; Richard Rush, treasurer; Mary Spillane, director; Michael Beasley, director; Janice Fritsch, vice chair; Zaneta Kelsey, director; Brittany Morris Saunders, director; and Steve Mulliken, director.
Colorado Community College System Foundation is led by Christinne Johnson, Chair since 2023 (on filings since 2019); none of the 16 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christinne Johnson
Chair
Vice Chair & Treasurer → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Chair, 2023
On filings since 2019
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Trefny
Director
Secretary → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Spillane
Director
Director → Chair, 2021
Chair → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Beasley
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Zaneta Kelsey
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brittany Morris Saunders
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Mulliken
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marisol Solarte-Erlacher
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mitch Rosenbaum
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rich Martinez
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colleen Simpson
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brad Rupert
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joe Garcia
Ex-Officio Voting Member
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Rush
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janice Fritsch
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christian Winward
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Carolyn Vitale (2021–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Landon Mascarenaz (2024) — Director
- Former: Lance Bolton (2021–2023) — Ex-Officio Voting Member
- Former: Richard Garcia (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Scott Chrisbacher (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Kathryn Albright (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Mike Ramseier (2022) — Director
- Former: Doug Schneider (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Jon Adam Cermak (2019–2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Fred Colen (2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: Hanna Skandera (2021) — Ex-Officio Voting Member
- Former: Carolyn Schaefer Wollard (2019) — Director
- Former: Nancy Wahl (2019) — Director
- Former: Patricia Erjavec (2019) — Ex-Officio Voting Member
- Former: Pres Askew (2019) — Ex-Officio Voting Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 9101 E Lowry Boulevard, Denver, CO 80230
Phone: (720) 858-2802
Website: https://cccs.edu
Frequently asked questions about Colorado Community College System Foundation
How much does Colorado Community College System Foundation give each year?
Colorado Community College System Foundation gave $3.3M across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.1M across 24 grants.
What is Colorado Community College System Foundation's typical grant size?
Colorado Community College System Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $54,046, and its average grant was $126,714, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Colorado Community College System Foundation that year got $47K on average.
Where does Colorado Community College System Foundation give grants?
Colorado Community College System 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 (4 grants), Pueblo, CO (2 grants), Littleton, CO (2 grants) and La Junta, CO (2 grants).
Does Colorado Community College System Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on Colorado Community College System Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (10 grants), "Program Support" (9 grants) and "Scholarships, Program Support" (6 grants).
Who are Colorado Community College System Foundation's largest grantees?
Colorado Community College System Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Colorado Community College System ($913,013), Community College of Denver Foundation ($263,032) and Arapahoe Community College Foundation ($173,208), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 8 individual scholarships ($857,937), which are not listed by name. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Colorado Community College System Foundation?
Colorado Community College System Foundation reported $14.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.9M.
What does Colorado Community College System Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s stated mission is to support CCCS by creating partnerships, developing resources, and advocating for the value of a community college education. Its filing describes its work as providing student scholarships and supporting educational activities at Colorado community colleges. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Colorado Community College System Foundation?
Colorado Community College System Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check cccs.edu for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Colorado Community College System Foundation's EIN?
Colorado Community College System Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1070271. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Here's the math on researching Colorado Community College System Foundation by hand.
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