The first priority is to determine your charitable goals. The best way to do this is to look at what you have supported in the past, what you currently support and how you would like your contributions to help the community in the future. Once you have answered these questions, The Denver Foundation staff and your financial or legal advisor can assist with recommendations about which type of fund would best suit your goals.

There is no minimum to contribute to The Denver Foundation, although there are minimums to establish certain types of funds. The minimum gift to establish an immediately active donor-advised fund is $10,000. Some donors choose to grow their funds over time, but they may not issue grants until they reach the $10,000 minimum. The minimum gift to establish an immediately active Designated or Field of Interest Fund is $25,000. The minimum to establish a Supporting Organization is $1 million.

Once you determine your charitable goals, you can start a Denver Foundation fund with a short written agreement and a donation to your fund. You can make the donation with almost any type of asset: cash, stock, real estate, and other real property.

Donors can make gifts of any size at any time, to any fund.  The Foundation also accepts gifts in memory of or in honor of an individual or special occasion.