Otter Cares Foundation Aka Ottercares Foundation
ActiveHuman ServicesFunds Individuals
About Otter Cares Foundation Aka Ottercares Foundation
The OtterCares Foundation inspires students to become entrepreneurs and philanthropists by equipping K–12 students with hands-on learning, philanthropy education (Project Heart), makerspace/innovation learning, and community engagement.
Focus Areas
K-12 educationentrepreneurship educationphilanthropy educationmakerspaces / hands-on learningyouth developmentschool supplies / Pack2School
Who They Fund
K-6 students (elementary)middle school studentshigh school studentsyouth in Northern Colorado and Wyoming (including Larimer and Weld counties)school districts and individual schools (teachers/staff/programs)Girl Scouts and other youth organizations
About Otter Cares Foundation Aka Ottercares Foundation
Otter Cares Foundation AKA OTTERCARES FOUNDATION centers student entrepreneurship and philanthropy through K–12 programming, makerspaces, and youth engagement. A defining thread in its grant history is support for hands-on student enterprise: Junior Achievement USA received $57,500 in 2025 to fund JA in Northern Colorado, Wyoming and rural eastern Colorado, and Colorado State University Foundation received $50,000 in 2023 for the Institute for Entrepreneurship to build an entrepreneurship ecosystem. The foundation also backs student-run and school-based programs that turn learning into practice. Poudre High School received $25,000 in 2024 for its student-run coffee shop, Poudre Perk, while Canon City Schools Fremont Re-1 received $25,000 in 2025 for the Tiger Den School Store fund. That pattern fits the foundation’s stated emphasis on K–12 entrepreneurship education, philanthropy education, makerspaces, and community engagement. Its grantmaking also reaches district-level and nonprofit partners working on student agency, leadership, and career pathways, including programs tied to financial education, innovation spaces, and workforce-oriented learning. Across the recent grants list, the recurring theme is direct support for projects that let students create, operate, and contribute within their schools and communities.
What Otter Cares Foundation Aka Ottercares Foundation Funds
In entrepreneurship education, the foundation backed Generation Schools Network Inc with $40,000 in 2024 for Building Student Agency & Economic Development Through Entrepreneurship Pathways, and Young Americans Center for Financial Education with $25,000 in 2023 for YouthBiz. For philanthropy education, Girl Scouts of Colorado received $25,000 in 2025 for the OtterCares Project Heart Patch Program, following a $25,000 grant in 2024 for the same patch program. In makerspaces and hands-on learning, Harris Bilingual Elementary School received $20,000 in 2025 for Harris Bilingual Innovation Station - PHASE I fund, and Preston Middle School received $15,405 in 2025 for Preston VR Makerspace Refresh fund. Career and technical education also appears in the grant list: Habitat for Humanity International Inc received $20,000 in 2025 for a Construction-Electrical Pathway Career and Technical education program.
How Otter Cares Foundation Aka Ottercares Foundation Gives
Typical grants are small and standardized: the p25, median, and p75 are all $275, $275, and $550, even though the recent-grants list includes much larger program awards. The foundation operates as a regular funder and accepts unsolicited applications for the Impact Fund, Innovation Station Fund, and the Impact & Inspiration pre-application intake. The pattern suggests a mix of one-off awards and repeated support over time; several recipients appear in multiple years, including Girl Scouts of Colorado, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inc, Global Leaders Inc, and Colorado State University Foundation. Programmatically, the foundation gives operating, project, staffing, and capacity-building support rather than PRIs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2M
Total Assets
$9.7M
Total Revenue
$2.7M
Total Expenses
$1.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $275 and $550, with a median of $275.
25th Percentile
$275
Median
$275
75th Percentile
$550
Geographic Reach
Regional43 states funded
About 72% of grants go to recipients in CT.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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