Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 is a private foundation based in an individual recipient, Colorado. Founded in 1997 by A. Bart Holaday, it supports social initiatives through grants and program-related investments (PRIs), with an emphasis on self-sufficiency and sustainable social impact.
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 at a glance
In short: Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 gave $525K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $35K), mostly in Colorado. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $524,769
- +107.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- +66.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $34,985
- +24.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $17,656,433
- +24.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (7 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (72% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997
- How to Apply
-
A formal PRI or grant request submission is required; the forms and application process are provided on the foundation’s website. Applicants are encouraged to meet with a foundation representative before submitting, and a senior representative of an organization may be invited to present to the board before a final decision. The foundation’s filing says giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. Its guidelines state that it opposes unlawful or unfair discrimination and that projects should be sustainable, scalable, and have benchmarks and indicators.
- Review Cycle
- The foundation says it accepts submissions throughout the year and has no deadlines, except for the Ian Helms Award.
- Deadline
- The foundation says it accepts submissions throughout the year and has no deadlines, except for the Ian Helms Award.
- Contact
Application contact: The Dakota Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 50971, Colorado Springs, CO 80949
Phone: (505) 228-7320
Website: https://www.dakotafoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997
Who Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Momentum Advisory Council ($100K). Together the top 10 received $492K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($22,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
57 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 34 grants of 57 (60%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies Colorado, New Mexico, and North Dakota as its primary areas of activity, citing board members who live in those states. It says proposals in other regions may be considered, particularly social impact bond partnerships. In 2024, 72% of grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado, 19% to Texas, 5% to North Carolina, and 5% to California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 14 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $43K; repeat grants $32K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $24K repeat.
- 29% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−2%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 91% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $254K (2023) to $628K (2022). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $525K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Momentum Advisory Council Dallas, TX | Assist in opening a new Cafe Momentum restaurant in Denver CO | $100,000 |
| Step Denver Denver, CO | Assist in opening a Step Colorado Springs location that helps men in a state of desperation end their cycle of addiction take back control of their lives and transition to a safe and sober living environment where they can become productive contributing members of their families and community. | $100,000 |
| Breakthrough Alliance of Colorado Denver, CO | This grant will be used to deliver life changing services to incarcerated individuals while allowing Breakthroughs team to dedicate time and resources to the pursuit of a Pay for Success Model. | $50,000 |
| Friends of the Children Colorado Springs, CO | Impact generational change by empowering youth who are facing great obstacles with professional mentors over the course of 12+ years. Provides intensive individualized guidance for children beginning at age 4 through high school. | $50,000 |
| Pikes Peak Community Foundation Colorado Springs, CO | Provide tuition and fees for aspiring Native American recent high school graduates and adult learners | $50,000 |
| Pikes Peak Community Foundation Colorado Springs, CO | Provides tuition and fees for aspiring college students in low income and low performing Colorado Springs school districts | $35,000 |
| Social Data Analytics LLC Chapel Hill, NC | Use Predictive Risk Modeling a product of machine and algorithmic learning to improve the quality of decision making and supervision assigned to open cases within child welfare utilizing objective data rather than subjective opinions so that families with higher levels of complexity are responded to and managed with more timely safety plans ultimately reducing neglect abuse and fatalities. Using objective data helps to make screening decisions more consistent equitable and accurate. The purpose of this grant is to partner with El Paso County to cover 50% of the cost to implement the program in the county incentivizing the county to adopt the tools to improve their child welfare outcomes. | $25,000 |
| Advance Inc Aurora, CO | Organization provides pathways to recovery that create self-esteem dignity and independence for people experiencing homelessness. The purpose of this grant is to aid in creating a community that provides all the help required to those willing to work toward independence. | $25,000 |
| Veterans Yoga Project INC Alameda, CA | Support recovery and resilience among veterans military families and communities through Mindfulness Resilience Yoga classes. | $24,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $22,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $17,656,433 | $5,015,369 | $1,154,824 | $524,769 | 15 | $1,353,410 | $4,124,867 | $1,486,743 |
| 2023 | $14,180,740 | $648,972 | $638,068 | $253,534 | 9 | $1,156,777 | $531,351 | $1,357,149 |
| 2022 | $14,241,947 | $1,691,699 | $937,780 | $628,000 | 13 | $1,381,772 | $670,452 | $1,205,679 |
| 2021 | $13,979,318 | $537,848 | $791,430 | $536,200 | 11 | $997,751 | $523,826 | $1,331,302 |
| 2020 | $14,231,251 | $7,825,302 | $492,491 | $357,500 | 9 | — | $7,136,371 | $998,477 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 reported a distributable amount of $1.5M for 2024 — 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 mission is to help people achieve greater self-sufficiency for themselves and their families by providing tools to help them help themselves. It also says it seeks to apply business discipline and an investment approach to its work, aiming for strong social returns.
The foundation generally makes PRIs with nonprofit groups whose programs empower people and increase their control over their economic futures. Its stated priorities include sustainable, scalable projects with measurable benchmarks and collaboration among community groups. Its 2024 filing describes PRIs involving social-enterprise training and revenue generation, lending capital for immigrant and refugee-owned businesses, affordable housing finance, and reentry-related work.
Recent recipients illustrate the range of organizations supported. Step Denver describes its work as providing men an opportunity to rebuild their lives through sobriety, work, accountability, and community. Breakthrough Alliance of Colorado describes its mission as supporting people in the criminal legal system through in-facility education and reentry care management. An individual recipient Community Foundation says it builds a community endowment, helps donors address community needs, and provides philanthropic leadership. These are the recipients’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 15 grants totaling $524,769 in 2024. Individual grants ranged from $1,169 to $100,000, with a median of $25,000. It reported 9 grants totaling $253,534 in 2023 and 13 grants totaling $628,000 in 2022.
Among the larger 2024 grants were $100,000 to Momentum Advisory Council to assist with opening a Cafe Momentum restaurant in Denver, and $100,000 to Step Denver to assist with opening a an individual recipient location. Other notable grants included $50,000 to Breakthrough Alliance of Colorado for services to incarcerated people, $50,000 to Friends of the Children for its youth-mentoring work, and two an individual recipient Community Foundation grants of $50,000 and $35,000 for education-related support.
The foundation also describes PRIs as low-interest financing, usually below-market loans and occasionally equity investments. It says most do not exceed $100,000 and that many have terms of five to seven years, with terms set case by case.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Kelsey Nolan as President and CEO; Andrew Sellers as Chairman; Peter Villella and Catherine Holaday as Vice Chairmen; and Will Kusler as Treasurer. It also lists Erin Finger, T Justin Bronder, Katrina Hancock, and Samantha Potter as board members, and A Bart Holiday as Chairman Emeritus.
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 is led by Kelsey C. Nolan, President & CEO since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 10 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Kelsey C. Nolan
President & CEO
Executive Director → President & CEO, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$87K (2020) → $143K (2024)
Andrew Sellers
Chairman
Adv Committee → Board Member, 2023
Board Member → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
A Bart Holiday
Chairman - Emeritus
Chairman → Chairman - Emeritus, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Catherine Holaday
Vice Chairman- Emeritus
Vice Chairman → Vice Chairman- Emeritus, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Erin Finger
Board Member
Adv Committee → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katrina Hancock
Board Member
Adv Committee → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peter Villella
Vice Chairman
Adv Committee → Board Member, 2023
Board Member → Vice Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
T Justin Bronder
Board Member
Adv Committee → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Will Kusler
Treasurer
Adv Committee → Board Member, 2023
Board Member → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Samantha Potter
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Brett Holaday (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Janet L Holaday (2020–2023) — Secretary Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $143K, to Kelsey Nolan (President and CEO).
Frequently asked questions about Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997
How much does Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 give each year?
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 gave $525K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $254K across 9 grants.
What is Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's typical grant size?
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $34,985, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 that year got $43K on average.
Where does Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 give grants?
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 gives mostly in Colorado: 72% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Texas (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Denver, CO (4 grants), Colorado Springs, CO (4 grants) and Aurora, CO (2 grants).
Does Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 give general operating support?
Yes: 13% of Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's largest grantees?
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's largest 2024 grantees include Momentum Advisory Council ($100,000), Step Denver ($100,000) and Pikes Peak Community Foundation ($85,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($22,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997?
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 reported $17.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 fund?
The foundation’s mission is to help people achieve greater self-sufficiency for themselves and their families by providing tools to help them help themselves. It also says it seeks to apply business discipline and an investment approach to its work, aiming for strong social returns. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997?
A formal PRI or grant request submission is required; the forms and application process are provided on the foundation’s website. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's EIN?
Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-7213554. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 28, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dakota-foundation-dtd-122997-morg_38e8f68b24884e1b801223e511419584
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_367213554_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997 funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dakota-foundation-dtd-122997-morg_38e8f68b24884e1b801223e511419584},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Dakota Foundation Dtd 122997'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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