Gary Community Ventures

Today, our Gary Philanthropy team is excited to announce $720K in grant funding designed to help more 9th graders succeed in school and ensure families gain access to the public benefits they’re eligible to receive. When it comes to 9th grade success, we believe Colorado already has the building blocks for success — supportive legislation, technical assistance providers and statewide momentum. What’s missing is coordination. That’s why we’re thrilled to invest in Stand for Children to focus on coordinating and collaborating with school districts and communities to expand proven systems of support for 9th graders across the state. Meanwhile, we know $500 million in food, healthcare child care and other benefits are going unclaimed by Colorado families. As part of our new County Public Benefits Innovation Cohort, the human service departments with Pueblo County Government, Lake County Government and Gunnison County will pilot bold new strategies to help families access and use these benefits. The human service departments with the City and County of Denver, Arapahoe County, Adams County Government and Jefferson County, Colorado will also join as an Acceleration Cohort to further scale what is working. Congratulation to all the grantees, and we look forward to partnering with you all on this work!

If you’ve tried to apply for child care assistance recently, a message on your county’s human services website may have sent chills down your spine. “Due to budgetary constraints, the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program is on an enrollment freeze.” And it’s not just families who rely on CCCAP support who are struggling to afford quality child care in Colorado. Thanks to the Common Sense Institute Colorado, we now know that Colorado families with an infant and a 4-year-old spend on average 37.9% of their household income on child care. When care is too expensive, parents also can’t go to work. When parents can’t work, business declines across key industries employing thousands of Coloradans. With more of this federal and state support drying up, long-term public investment in child care is what will help fuel Colorado’s economy. We were proud to produce this op-ed in partnership with the Buell Foundation and the David + Laura Merage Foundation, we thank Steffanie Clothier, Laura Carlson and Sue Renner for raising their voices on this issue, and we deeply appreciate The Colorado Sun for creating space to allow their voices to be heard. Click to learn more about a growing coalition working to change this status quo.

“By 2035, Gary is not going to exist as an institution, and in the process, we want to make Colorado the best place to raise a child.” Santhosh Ramdoss joined a powerful panel of foundation leaders at Confluence Philanthropy’s 15th Anniversary Practitioners Gathering to share how bold approaches to funding can shape foundation missions and legacies. Some foundations opt to spend down their endowments over time, while others seek to preserve them indefinitely in line with founders' wishes. Santhosh, alongside Katherine Pease of Pathstone, Ellen Dorsey of the Wallace Global Fund and Jennifer V. Nguyen of the Stupski Foundation, explored a compelling middle path - one that balances immediate impact with long-term legacy. Our founders, Sam and Nancy Gary, believed that the goal of philanthropy isn’t institutional longevity — it’s community transformation. As a result, we aim to deploy all of our assets into the community by 2035, investing deeply in the systems, tools, and institutions that will outlive us and continue to support Colorado’s kids and families for generations to come. Our goal is to ensure that the capital we manage today will continue to have the most profoundly powerful impact tomorrow, even after Gary sunsets as an organization. Curious about how foundations are rethinking perpetuity, payout, and purpose? Learn more in Pathstone’s recent report: https://lnkd.in/gpvxzaTx

Amid the deepening wealth gap facing millions of economically vulnerable households in the U.S., innovative impact investing approaches are helping unlock more avenues to economic opportunity and mobility for all. Leading the charge are trailblazing funds like Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, Zeal Capital Partners and ResilienceVC. We're honored to be a limited partner in these three funds, all of which are leveraging a range of financial tools to back companies and solutions that ensure every household has a chance to participate in the upside of America.  In partnership with our friends at Skoll Foundation and World Education Services, we were proud to host a conversation during the recent Skoll World Forum highlighting these three funds and their pioneering approaches to economic participation. Our powerhouse panel explored how mission-aligned investors are activating their endowments to drive systemic transformation and build pathways to prosperity. A huge thank you to the panelists and planning partners who brought this important conversation to the #SkollWF stage, including Nasir C. Qadree, Philip Reeves, Todd Leverette, Tahira Dosani, Vikas Raj, Smitha Das, Shivani Garg Patel, Elyssa Lewis, Jonathan Subash and Santhosh Ramdoss.

Meet the statewide director who has partnered with four local organizations to stabilize Colorado’s child care system and make care more affordable so that families can work and businesses can thrive. To move Colorado forward, Gary Community Ventures, Buell Foundation, David + Laura Merage Foundation and Colorado Gives Foundation have partnered with Susy Bates to lead a statewide initiative designed to stabilize Colorado’s child care system and make care more affordable so that families can work and businesses can thrive. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gmHYA5GQ

The wealth gap isn't just a headline; it's a reality. We're witnessing an alarming consolidation of economic power, leaving too many behind. It's time to shift the paradigm. Don't just observe the problem – understand the solution. The Ownership Investing report lays out actionable strategies to democratize wealth. Discover the four critical levers and 20+ investment opportunities that can empower working people. A deep thanks to Santhosh Ramdoss, Emily Williams, Catherine Toner, Ida Rademacher, Joanna Smith-Ramani, Devin Murphy, Atharva S. and their respective teams at The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program and The Bridgespan Group for their partnership on this work. Download the Ownership Investing report here: https://lnkd.in/esyAh-xU #OwnershipInvesting #OwnershipEconomy #InclusiveEconomy

MyFriendBen has now helped more than 37,000 Coloradans find out which public benefits programs and tax credits they're eligible to receive in 6 minutes on average. Now, with the help of Code the Dream and United Way of North Carolina, MFB is excited to help North Carolinians do the same!

We’re thrilled to see Apis & Heritage Capital Partners was named one of this year’s recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation! The Skoll Foundation presents these international awards each year to innovative organizations who demonstrate a commitment to collective action and transforming global systems. We deeply believe Philip Reeves, Michael Brownrigg, Todd Leverette and their team at A&H are deserving of this high praise alongside fellow honorees Community Health Impact Coalition, EarthEnable, Healthy Learners and Pacto pela Democracia. A&H is building prosperity for communities by helping low- and middle-income employees become owners of their businesses when sellers are ready to retire, ensuring continuity for businesses and stability for workers. A&H has already transitioned businesses with a combined value of $65 million to employee ownership, benefiting hundreds of workers and their families. But don’t take our word for it. Our team at Gary is a proud investor in A&H, and it was an honor to be able create this short film about the impact they’ve had in our home state Colorado. That includes helping commercial plumbing company Apex Underground make an ESOP transition and win a major contract with Denver Water, which increased revenues by $16M in one year. That led to employees' stock values growing 43% in a matter of months. You can learn more about A&H and how to watch the full film here: https://lnkd.in/g4uRVKq4

"There's a strong probability we'll continue to have Colorado companies in our portfolio — it's just too good here." We were thrilled to hear Philip Reeves of Apis & Heritage Capital Partners deliver this assessment of the market for employee ownership investment in Colorado. It was delivered as part of a fireside chat with our own Santhosh Ramdoss and Philip's A&H co-founder Michael Brownrigg. The trio discussed how this national fund is narrowing wealth gaps through employee ownership strategies, and how Gary went from an early investor to a supportive partner as A&H has expanded its work in Colorado. A&H has now made their own investments in local businesses like Apex Underground and Sky Blue Builders, LLC, both of which are creating valuable wealth-building pathways for more than 150 employee-owners here in our state. We are eager to expand this kind of work. Despite being one of the 10 richest states in the country, only 1-2% of Colorado's wealth is invested locally and in service of our communities. Our founders felt that ALL of our assets and solutions should work towards improving outcomes for kids and families in Colorado, and we're actively pursuing that reality. Last week, we hosted a group of investors, wealth managers and community leaders for a conversation exploring how a place-based investing approach can deliver not only compelling financial performance but also critical mission impact in Colorado. Through Gary’s COinvest platform, led by Jim Bunch, we have created an opportunity for investors to engage in a structure that delivers both market-competitive returns and meaningful outcomes with the power to transform local communities. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gU99v2aV

The path to building an early childhood industry capable of caring for all young children is rooted in relationships and collaboration. We were honored to support this year’s Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Conference (RMECC), which brought together teachers, professionals, business leaders, policymakers, caregivers and other stakeholders from across the early childhood education ecosystem to connect, learn and inspire. Our own Steffanie Clothier joined Shelby Mattingly, CEO of Denver's Early Childhood Council, to share remarks emphasizing the growing strength of Colorado’s ECE community in uncertain times. Whether it's federal cuts, addressing Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) needs or finding ways to center families and providers, this community is coming together to solve tough challenges facing our state’s early childhood system. A special thank you to Denver's Early Childhood Council for creating this essential forum for innovation, knowledge-sharing and collaboration among ECE professionals and advocates.