The Borgen Family Foundation concentrates its giving in Colorado with large, place-based investments in health care, land conservation, and mountain recreation/athletics. Its grants favor regional institutions (Vail/Eagle County and Denver) and include repeated, sizable awards to a handful of organizations that anchor community health, environmental stewardship, and youth ski programs. The foundation prefers funding capital or core charity needs rather than small, one-off projects.
Borgen Family Foundation’s recent giving is defined by repeated large grants to a small set of Colorado institutions, especially Vail Health Foundation, Eagle Valley Land Trust, and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. Those awards point to a place-based strategy that ties health care, land stewardship, and youth recreation to mountain communities in the Vail and Eagle County area. The foundation’s grant history also includes support for Denver-area horticulture through Denver Botanic Gardens and Chatfield, showing that its Colorado focus reaches beyond the mountains into the metro region. The pattern is concentrated rather than broad. Many awards land on core operating needs or major projects for organizations that serve residents and visitors in specific parts of the state. Vail Health Foundation received three grants of $300,000 across 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Eagle Valley Land Trust and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail also appear in multiple years. Alongside those anchor relationships, the foundation has funded education and recreation groups such as Walking Mountains Science Center, Vail Valley Foundation, and Colorado Mountain College, reinforcing a portfolio built around community infrastructure and regional institutions.
Health care is one of the clearest themes in the Borgen Family Foundation’s portfolio. In 2025, it gave $300,000 to Vail Health Foundation, matching $300,000 grants in both 2023 and 2024. That three-year pattern shows sustained support for a mountain-region health system rather than a one-time gift. Land conservation is another recurring line of giving. The foundation awarded $152,000 in 2025 to Eagle Valley Land Trust after a $140,000 grant in 2024, placing conservation and watershed protection among its larger commitments. In outdoor recreation and youth development, it gave $133,500 in 2025 to Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, following a $130,000 grant in 2023. The portfolio also includes education and science programming, with $67,000 to Walking Mountains Science Center in 2025 and $54,333 to Students Shoulder-to-shoulder in 2024.
Typical grants are mid-to-large in size, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $15,000, and a p75 of $50,000. The recent record shows a much more concentrated upper tier, including multiple awards at $300,000 and repeated five-figure gifts to the same institutions across consecutive years. The pattern also suggests long-term relationships: Vail Health Foundation, Eagle Valley Land Trust, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, and Denver Botanic Gardens each appear more than once. The foundation is not an individual-giving funder and does not make program-related investments, so its support is structured as charitable grantmaking.
$1.8M
$16.6M
$747K
$2M
Most grants fall between $5K and $50K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small set of repeat grantees within Colorado; mix of multi-grant relationships and one-time large gifts rather than many small, distributed awards.
Notable grantees: Vail Health Foundation, Eagle Valley Land Trust, Denver Botanic Gardens – Chatfield, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
Borgen Family Foundation gives overwhelmingly in Colorado: 77% of its grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and Colorado is also the top state by grant count. Within the state, grants cluster in Vail, Edwards, Avon, Eagle, Denver, and Glenwood Springs. A few outside-Colorado grants appear in Wisconsin, including Strum and Madison, but the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
Its recent grants center on regional health care, land conservation and watershed protection, botanical gardens and public horticulture, youth ski and snowboard athlete development, and recreation and outdoor infrastructure in mountain communities. Those themes show up through repeated support for Colorado institutions in Vail, Eagle County, and Denver.
Yes. Colorado is the top state by grant count, and 77% of the foundation’s grants go to recipients in its HQ state. The recent list also shows repeated Colorado recipients in Vail, Edwards, Avon, Eagle, Denver, and Glenwood Springs.
Its grant-size distribution is p25 $5,000, median $15,000, and p75 $50,000. The recent grants list also includes several larger awards at $125,000, $152,000, and $300,000, indicating that the foundation makes a relatively small number of much larger commitments alongside smaller gifts.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Vail Health Foundation with $300,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Eagle Valley Land Trust in 2024 and 2025; and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail in 2023 and 2025. Denver Botanic Gardens - Chatfield also appears in both 2023 and 2024.
No. The foundation’s profile indicates that it funds organizations rather than individuals, so its grantmaking is directed to charities, foundations, schools, and similar institutions rather than personal awards.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAIL HEALTH FOUNDATION | VAIL, CO | $650,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| SKI AND SNOWBOARD CLUB VAIL | VAIL, CO | $132,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS | DENVER, CO | $125,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| WALKING MOUNTAINS SCIENCE CENTER | AVON, CO | $67,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| NORWEGIAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION | NORTHFIELD, MN | $65,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| THE CYCLE EFFECT | EAGLE, CO | $55,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| STUDENTS SHOULDER TO SHOULDER | EDWARDS, CO | $52,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| BETTY FORD ALPINE GARDENS | VAIL, CO | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| GRALAND COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | DENVER, CO | $35,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ELEVA-STRUM | STRUM, WI | $34,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| VAIL MOUNTAIN SCHOOL | VAIL, CO | $32,500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN LAND LIBRARY | DENVER, CO | $30,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | AVON, CO | $30,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | BOULDER, CO | $30,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| EAGLE VALLEY LAND TRUST | EDWARDS, CO | $27,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| WESTERN COLORADO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | GRAND JUNCTION, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| AMERICAN RIVERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| COMMUNITY BUILDERS | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ROUNDUP RIVER RANCH | GYPSUM, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| SONORAN INSTITUTE | TUCSON, AZ | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| DEERFIELD ACADEMY | DEERFEILD, MA | $20,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| COLORADO SUCCEEDS | DENVER, CO | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| HIGH COUNTRY NEWS | PAONIA, CO | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| TEACH FOR AMERICA COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| PROCTOR ACADEMY | ANDOVER, NH | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| THE COLORADO SUN | DENVER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN REPERTORY THEATRE | GRAND LAKE, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| VAIL VETERANS PROGRAM | VAIL, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| KIPP COLORADO SCHOOLS | DENVER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| DENVER CHILDREN'S HOME | DENVER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| FOOD BANK OF THE ROCKIES | DENVER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| RACHEL'S NETWORK | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE | MIDDLEBURY, VT | $7,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| UNIVERSITY OF OREGON FOUNDATION | EUGENE, OR | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| LLIFF SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| COLORADO OPEN LANDS | LAKEWOOD, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| COLORADO SNOWSPORTS MUSEUM | VAIL, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| YOUTH ON RECORD | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| UNIVERSITY OF DENVER | DENVER, CO | $4,000 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| VAIL VALLEY SOCCER CLUB | EDWARDS, CO | $500 | 2026 | CHARITY |
| Vail Health Foundation | Vail, CO | $300,000 | 2025 | Charity |
| Eagle Valley Land Trust | Edwards, CO | $152,000 | 2025 | Charity |
| Ski and Snowboard Club Vail | Vail, CO | $133,500 | 2025 | Charity |
| Denver Botanic Gardens | Denver, CO | $125,000 | 2025 | Charity |
| Walking Mountains Science Center | Avon, CO | $67,000 | 2025 | Charity |
| The Cycle Effect | Eagle, CO | $55,000 | 2025 | Charity |
| Vail Valley Foundation | Avon, CO | $54,100 | 2025 | Charity |
| School District of Eleva-Strum | Strum, WI | $52,000 | 2025 | Charity |
DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
$125,000CHARITY
NORWEGIAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
$65,000CHARITY
CHARITY
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ELEVA-STRUM
$34,000CHARITY
VAIL MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
$32,500CHARITY
ROCKY MOUNTAIN LAND LIBRARY
$30,000CHARITY
VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION
$30,000CHARITY
EAGLE VALLEY LAND TRUST
$27,000CHARITY
WESTERN COLORADO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$25,000CHARITY
PROCTOR ACADEMY
$15,000CHARITY
THE COLORADO SUN
$10,000CHARITY
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REPERTORY THEATRE
$10,000CHARITY
LLIFF SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
$5,000CHARITY
COLORADO SNOWSPORTS MUSEUM
$5,000CHARITY
VAIL VALLEY SOCCER CLUB
$500CHARITY
Eagle Valley Land Trust
$152,000Charity
Denver Botanic Gardens
$125,000Charity
School District of Eleva-Strum
$52,000Charity