El Pomar Foundation is a

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, general purpose foundation established in 1937 by Spencer and Julie Penrose. With a mission to “enhance, encourage, and promote the current and future well-being of the people of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

,” El Pomar Foundation provides more than $22 million annually in grants and programs throughout the state.

History

Spencer Penrose Spencer Penrose (November 2, 1865 - December 7, 1939) was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He made his fortune from mining, ore processing, and real estate speculation in Colorado and other parts of the West. He founded the Utah Copper ...

incorporated El Pomar Foundation in 1937 with a donation of 15,000 shares of stock in El Pomar Investment Company and a check for $129,500. In its first year, the Foundation made 5 grants, totaling $81,737, to: Junior League of Colorado Springs Nutrition Camp, Fountain Valley School of Colorado, Penrose Colorado Community School, Glockner Hospital, and the Boys & Girls Club of Colorado Springs. Penrose contributed an additional $15 million two years later upon his death in 1939 and Julie Penrose served as the President of the Foundation until her passing in 1956. The name “El Pomar,” comes from the name of the estate that Spencer and Julie purchased for their home in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. The house was built on the site of the Dixon Apple Orchard and El Pomar translates to “the orchard” in

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. The Foundation celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2017. The Foundation’s assets have grown to more than $600 million as of 2018.

Grant Making & Funds

El Pomar Foundation serves as a general purpose foundation, providing

Trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

-approved grants across five grant making areas: arts and culture, civic and community initiatives, education, health, and human services. The Foundation also operates several endowed funds. Anna Keesling Ackerman Fund: Supports nonprofit organizations serving the Pikes Peak Region, with a specific focus on organizations working in arts and humanities, education, health, human services, and civic and community initiatives. Freda Hambrick Fund: Supports nonprofit organizations that prevent cruelty to animals, provide direct care and medical assistance, and offer educational programs for the proper care of and attention to animals within the state of

. Sally Beck Fund: Supports nonprofit organizations providing direct care to equines, therapeutic riding programs, equine education programs, and equine-related disaster response programs. Wildland Fire Fund: Assists with the immediate emergency needs of volunteer fire fighting agencies and first responders throughout the state of

. Dorothy Ferrand Fund: Provides support to organizations making a significant impact on the educational, medical, health care and other needs of low-income children and their parents in the

Pikes Peak Pikes Peak is the List of mountain ranges of Colorado#Mountain ranges, highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The Ultra-prominent peak, ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest ...

region (by invitation only). Karl E. Eitel Fund: Supports the work of

nonprofit organizations serving at-risk youth (by invitation only). Olin Fund: Supports investments in Olin Field at the Colorado Springs Youth Sports Park, the business and economics majors at the

University of Colorado Colorado Springs The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is one of four campuses that make up the University of Colorado system. As of Fall 2017, UCCS had over 12,400 undergraduate an ...

, and programs in small

communities (by invitation only). Hybl Fund: Supports

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

, and youth sports (by invitation only).

Programs

El Pomar also operates several Community Stewardship programs.

American Council of Young Political Leaders

Each year, El Pomar hosts two delegations of international leaders, introducing them to various community and state leaders.

Awards for Excellence

This program recognizes

nonprofit organizations by presenting them with cash awards for their work to support the people of

. In addition, El Pomar recognizes individuals for their contributions to the nonprofit sector. Since its inception in 1989, the Awards for Excellence program has provided more than $5.8 million in grant support to more than 700 nonprofit organizations throughout

El Pomar Fellowship

The Fellowship provides hands-on experience and a professional development curriculum for the next generation of

leaders. Each Fellow gets a 360-degree view of the nonprofit sector. The two-year paid Fellowship for recent college graduates prepares individuals for roles as community leaders. More than 250 leaders have gone through the Fellowship since its inception in 1991.

El Pomar Internship

El Pomar's summer internship program provides an opportunity for college students with an interest in the nonprofit sector and leadership to gain work experience. During the 10-12 week experience, interns support the work of all departments within the Foundation.

Emerging Leaders Development

This program equips ethnic minorities with the training to broaden their impact on the community at-large. ELD connects local organizations with specially-trained leaders.

Empty Stocking Fund

In partnership with Colorado Springs' daily newspaper,

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, El Pomar assists this holiday fundraising campaign that raises money for 20 health and human service agencies across the

region. Individuals and businesses raise over $1 million each holiday season. The Gazette Charities-El Pomar Foundation's Empty Stocking Fund provides funding for the
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado

West Side Cares
various programs for the needy.
Catholic Charities of Central Colorado

Community Partnership for Child Development
(CPCD),
Griffith Centers for Children Chins Up

Lutheran Family Services

Mercy’s Gate

Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center

National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI- Colorado Springs),
Partners in Housing
(PIH owns or co-owns 119 units of affordable housing with Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust and Greccio Housing),
Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative CareSilver Key Senior Services
(Empty Stocking Fund partner: Nursing Home Volunteer Program as well as age in place assistance),
TESSA
(serves more than 15,000 victims and includes a 32-bed safe house),
The Place
(runaway and homeless youth services),
The Resource Exchange
(TRE: helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities DDin

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

Teller and

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

counties),
The Salvation Army

Tri-Lakes Cares
A largely grass-roots and volunteer ran organization providing food, housing, medical care, and financial assistance. The organization provides a food pantry and a Neighborhood Nurse Center in partnership with Penrose-St. Francis Health Services,
YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region

Forum for Civic Advancement

Forum for Civic Advancement seeks and supports individuals interested in the civics of the

region. Throughout the year, Forum brings in speakers from across the country to provide insights on

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

issues affecting

Military Affairs

With numerous

military bases A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

and

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, El Pomar Foundation supports service members and their families throughout

Nonprofit Executive Leadership

This four-day program offered to the

nonprofit community in partnership with Colorado Springs' Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). CCL offers training to managers and leaders seeking developmental experiences.

Rocky Mountain Tax Seminar for Private Foundations

This seminar updates and informs managers and trustees of

private foundation A private foundation is a tax-exempt organization not relying on broad public support and generally claiming to serve humanitarian purposes. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private foundation in the U.S. with over $38 billion ...

s about

tax law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

s that affect private foundations.

Pikes Peak Heritage Series

El Pomar's

Heritage Series increases knowledge and interest in a part of the region's economy and quality of life. Discussion topics focus on key challenges to how the region can preserve, protect, and promote natural assets.

El Pomar Foundation Wildland Fire Fund

The foundation provides funding and grants to organizations including the American Red Cross. In 2019 donations were for the Decker Fire In response to the 2020 Colorado fires ( Cameron Peak Fire, CalWood Fire,

Lefthand Canyon Fire Left Hand (also Justices, Knights, or Lefthand) is an unincorporated community in southeastern Roane County, West Virginia, United States. It lies along West Virginia Route 36 southeast of the city of Spencer, the county seat A county seat ...

and

East Troublesome Fire This is a list of Colorado wildfires which have occurred periodically throughout its recorded history. Colorado State Forest ServiceWildfire Policy in Transition: Where There's Smoke, There's Mirrors. One of the most significant fires in United St ...

) the foundation provided $50,000 in grants. Also in 2020 the Foundation collaborated with the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

of Pueblo County, and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority to help those who were displaced by a fire at the Fenix Apartment complex.

El Pomar grants

In 2018, in response to the July and August storms, the Foundation provided two grants totaling $500,000. The El Paso County’s Fraud Investigation Unit determined eligibility. El Paso County finance representatives issued on-site checks from a special account.

Regional Partnerships

With the intent to increase impact and establish connections throughout the entire state, El Pomar created Regional Partnerships to help communities identify and address local needs. The program convenes community leaders into 11 Regional Councils that advise El Pomar's Trustees and recommend multi-year grants to address the needs in their home communities. More than 70 community leaders make up 11 Regional Councils representing all 64 Colorado counties. Regional Council members represent the business, nonprofit, and public sectors. Each Council member comes to El Pomar with an established record of community engagement and the ability to provide firsthand information about the needs in the local region. Each Council provides direct grant recommendations to El Pomar’s Trustees, with the potential for a combined annual impact of more than $2 million across the state. Since 2003, the Councils have invested more than $22 million in their communities.

Penrose House Conference Center

The former home of El Pomar founders Spencer and Julie Penrose now serves as a nonprofit conference and education center owned and operated by El Pomar Foundation. Penrose House serves as an education and conference center available exclusively for the nonprofit community. Penrose House is not intended to host the routine or regularly scheduled activities of nonprofit organizations, but is offered as a venue for strategic meetings and conferences.Penrose House / Meeting Space Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.elpomar.org/penrose-house/penrose-house-general-information/ Use of Penrose House space is provided at no cost for qualified organizations and requests: * Qualified organizations are 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and government agencies * Qualified requests are strategic or productive in nature (vs. social, networking, celebratory, or recognition-oriented)

References

Sources

El Pomar. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.elpomar.org/ Noel, T. J., & Norman, C. M. (2002). ''Pikes Peak Partnership: The Penroses and the Tutts''. University Press of Colorado. {{Authority control 1937 establishments in Colorado Non-profit organizations based in Colorado