Mile High United Way fights for the education, health, and financial stability of everyone in Metro Denver.
Mile High United Way Inc. directs much of its grantmaking toward education and workforce pathways in Metro Denver, with large signature awards tied to school districts, colleges, and training intermediaries. In the recent grants list, the largest award is $2,001,772 to St Vrain Valley School District, and another major education-focused grant is $1,140,723 to Warren Village. Those awards sit alongside sizable commitments to organizations that sit between education and employment, including Western States College of Construct and Activate Work Inc. The pattern points to a funder using grant dollars to support early learning, literacy, youth services, post-secondary success, and basic stability needs. Their work is local in scope and heavily concentrated in Colorado, with most grants landing in the state. The foundation’s giving also reaches organizations connected to homelessness prevention and emergency support, which fits the broader description of funding for education, health, and financial stability. Across the recent list, the recipients include school districts, nonprofit service providers, education intermediaries, and community organizations serving Denver-area residents.
Education-related funding is central to the portfolio. Mile High United Way Inc. gave $2,001,772 to St Vrain Valley School District for a signature initiative, and $584,254 to Colorado Education Initiative for a separate grant in the same broad area. The recent list also includes $528,974 to Colorado League of Charter Schools and $562,120 to Relay Graduate School of Education, showing support for institutions that shape instruction and school quality. Workforce readiness appears alongside education rather than apart from it: $669,615 went to Activate Work Inc, and $651,656 went to Trinidad State College. Basic-needs and stability work also appears in the portfolio, including $470,570 to La Clinica Tepeyac and $578,973 to Family Tree Inc for a designated, signature, and other grant mix.
Typical grants cluster in the five-figure range, with a p25 of $10,000, median of $15,000, and p75 of $20,096. The recent awards list also shows a separate layer of much larger portfolio grants in the hundreds of thousands and millions, often tagged as other or signature initiative funding. The foundation is a regular funder, not a donor vehicle, and it does not make program-related investments. Several grantees recur in the recent list through duplicate entries, which suggests repeated funding records for the same organizations across the file. Most grants are local and heavily centered in Colorado.
$48.5M
$80.2M
$43.4M
$43.1M
Most grants fall between $10K and $20K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$20K
About 91% of grants go to recipients in CO.
CHRISTINE BENERO
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Giving is overwhelmingly concentrated in Colorado, which accounts for 91% of grants. Denver appears frequently among recipient locations, alongside Trinidad, Georgetown, Frisco, Englewood, Wheat Ridge, and Edgewater. The recent grants also reach beyond the Denver metro area to places such as Trinidad and Georgetown, while one grant went to New York, NY through Relay Graduate School of Education. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 1,661 grants to U.S. recipients.
The portfolio includes school districts, colleges, education intermediaries, workforce organizations, and community-service groups. Recent recipients include St Vrain Valley School District, Western States College of Construct, Activate Work Inc, Colorado Education Initiative, and La Clinica Tepeyac, which shows a mix of education, workforce readiness, and basic-needs funding.
The typical award is relatively small compared with the largest portfolio grants: p25 is $10,000, median is $15,000, and p75 is $20,096. The recent file also includes much larger grants in the hundreds of thousands and above, so the portfolio spans both modest and large awards.
Colorado is the clear center of the grantmaking portfolio, with 91% of grants going to recipients in the state. Denver appears most often among recipient cities, and the file also includes grants to Trinidad, Georgetown, Frisco, Englewood, Wheat Ridge, and Edgewater.
The recent grants distribution is entirely U.S.-based. The country data shows 1,661 grants to U.S. recipients and no grants listed outside the country.
The stated focus areas are early childhood education, literacy and reading programs, youth services, basic needs such as food and housing assistance, homelessness prevention, workforce readiness and post-secondary success, and call center or information-and-referral work through 2-1-1. The recent grants align with those areas through education, workforce, and stability-related recipients.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT | DENVER, CO | $2,001,772 | 2025 | OTHER, SIG |
| ST VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT | DENVER, CO | $2,001,772 | 2025 | OTHER, SIG |
| WESTERN STATES COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCT | DENVER, CO | $1,012,024 | 2025 | OTHER |
| WESTERN STATES COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCT | DENVER, CO | $1,012,024 | 2025 | OTHER |
| ASSOC GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF CO | TRINIDAD, CO | $860,297 | 2025 | OTHER |
| ASSOC GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF CO | TRINIDAD, CO | $860,297 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO RIVER BOCES | GEORGETOWN, CO | $793,218 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO RIVER BOCES | GEORGETOWN, CO | $793,218 | 2025 | OTHER |
| AFRICAN AMERICAN TRADE ASSOCIATION | DENVER, CO | $726,590 | 2025 | OTHER |
| AFRICAN AMERICAN TRADE ASSOCIATION | DENVER, CO | $726,590 | 2025 | OTHER |
| ACTIVATE WORK INC | FRISCO, CO | $669,615 | 2025 | OTHER |
| ACTIVATE WORK INC | FRISCO, CO | $669,615 | 2025 | OTHER |
| TRINIDAD STATE COLLEGE | DENVER, CO | $651,656 | 2025 | OTHER |
| TRINIDAD STATE COLLEGE | DENVER, CO | $651,656 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $641,400 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $641,400 | 2025 | OTHER |
| DENVER HYBRID COLLEGE DBA ADVANCEED | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $599,113 | 2025 | OTHER |
| DENVER HYBRID COLLEGE DBA ADVANCEED | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $599,113 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO EDUCATION INITIATIVE | DENVER, CO | $584,254 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO EDUCATION INITIATIVE | DENVER, CO | $584,254 | 2025 | OTHER |
| CROSSPURPOSE | DENVER, CO | $580,028 | 2025 | OTHER |
| CROSSPURPOSE | DENVER, CO | $580,028 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO LEAGUE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS | EDGEWATER, CO | $528,974 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO LEAGUE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS | EDGEWATER, CO | $528,974 | 2025 | OTHER |
| THE ATTAINMENT NETWORK | DENVER, CO | $517,396 | 2025 | OTHER |
| THE ATTAINMENT NETWORK | DENVER, CO | $517,396 | 2025 | OTHER |
| LA CLINICA TEPEYAC | DENVER, CO | $470,570 | 2025 | OTHER |
| LA CLINICA TEPEYAC | DENVER, CO | $470,570 | 2025 | OTHER |
| CAREERWISE COLORADO | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $468,886 | 2025 | OTHER |
| CAREERWISE COLORADO | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $468,886 | 2025 | OTHER |
| RELAY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION | MONTVALE, NJ | $452,202 | 2025 | OTHER |
| RELAY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION | MONTVALE, NJ | $452,202 | 2025 | OTHER |
| FDTN FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE | DENVER, CO | $446,606 | 2025 | OTHER |
| FDTN FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE | DENVER, CO | $446,606 | 2025 | OTHER |
| LA PLATA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIA | DENVER, CO | $445,399 | 2025 | OTHER |
| LA PLATA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIA | DENVER, CO | $445,399 | 2025 | OTHER |
| CRAIG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | GOLDEN, CO | $419,551 | 2025 | OTHER |
| CRAIG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | GOLDEN, CO | $419,551 | 2025 | OTHER |
| NE CO BOARD OF COOP EDUC SVS | DENVER, CO | $406,503 | 2025 | OTHER |
| NE CO BOARD OF COOP EDUC SVS | DENVER, CO | $406,503 | 2025 | OTHER |
| IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC | DENVER, CO | $400,042 | 2025 | OTHER |
| IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC | DENVER, CO | $400,042 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO STATE UNIV PUEBLO FDTN | DENVER, CO | $393,937 | 2025 | OTHER |
| COLORADO STATE UNIV PUEBLO FDTN | DENVER, CO | $393,937 | 2025 | OTHER |
| SECOND CHANCE CENTER INC | DENVER, CO | $390,384 | 2025 | OTHER |
| SECOND CHANCE CENTER INC | DENVER, CO | $390,384 | 2025 | OTHER |
| BATKY-HOWELL LLC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $389,783 | 2025 | OTHER |
| BATKY-HOWELL LLC | KANSAS CITY, MO | $389,783 | 2025 | OTHER |
| MILE HIGH MONTESSORI EARLY LEARNING | WESTMINSTER, CO | $345,906 | 2025 | OTHER, SIG, DESIG |
| MILE HIGH MONTESSORI EARLY LEARNING | WESTMINSTER, CO | $345,906 | 2025 | OTHER, SIG, DESIG |
ST VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
$2,001,772OTHER, SIG
ST VRAIN VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
$2,001,772OTHER, SIG
WESTERN STATES COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCT
$1,012,024OTHER
WESTERN STATES COLLEGE OF CONSTRUCT
$1,012,024OTHER
ASSOC GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF CO
$860,297OTHER
ASSOC GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF CO
$860,297OTHER
COLORADO RIVER BOCES
OTHER
COLORADO RIVER BOCES
$793,218OTHER
AFRICAN AMERICAN TRADE ASSOCIATION
$726,590OTHER
AFRICAN AMERICAN TRADE ASSOCIATION
$726,590OTHER
ACTIVATE WORK INC
$669,615OTHER
ACTIVATE WORK INC
$669,615OTHER
TRINIDAD STATE COLLEGE
$651,656OTHER
TRINIDAD STATE COLLEGE
$651,656OTHER
COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$641,400OTHER
COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$641,400OTHER
DENVER HYBRID COLLEGE DBA ADVANCEED
$599,113OTHER
DENVER HYBRID COLLEGE DBA ADVANCEED
$599,113OTHER
COLORADO EDUCATION INITIATIVE
$584,254OTHER
COLORADO EDUCATION INITIATIVE
$584,254OTHER
CROSSPURPOSE
$580,028OTHER
CROSSPURPOSE
$580,028OTHER
COLORADO LEAGUE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
$528,974OTHER
COLORADO LEAGUE OF CHARTER SCHOOLS
$528,974OTHER
THE ATTAINMENT NETWORK
$517,396OTHER
THE ATTAINMENT NETWORK
$517,396OTHER
LA CLINICA TEPEYAC
$470,570OTHER
LA CLINICA TEPEYAC
$470,570OTHER
CAREERWISE COLORADO
$468,886OTHER
CAREERWISE COLORADO
$468,886OTHER
RELAY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
$452,202OTHER
RELAY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
$452,202OTHER
FDTN FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
$446,606OTHER
FDTN FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
$446,606OTHER
LA PLATA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIA
$445,399OTHER
LA PLATA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIA
$445,399OTHER
CRAIG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
$419,551OTHER
CRAIG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
$419,551OTHER
NE CO BOARD OF COOP EDUC SVS
$406,503OTHER
NE CO BOARD OF COOP EDUC SVS
$406,503OTHER
IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC
$400,042OTHER
IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC
$400,042OTHER
COLORADO STATE UNIV PUEBLO FDTN
$393,937OTHER
COLORADO STATE UNIV PUEBLO FDTN
$393,937OTHER
SECOND CHANCE CENTER INC
$390,384OTHER
SECOND CHANCE CENTER INC
$390,384OTHER
BATKY-HOWELL LLC
$389,783OTHER
BATKY-HOWELL LLC
$389,783OTHER
MILE HIGH MONTESSORI EARLY LEARNING
$345,906OTHER, SIG, DESIG
MILE HIGH MONTESSORI EARLY LEARNING
$345,906OTHER, SIG, DESIG