Starting Line Foundation concentrates giving in the Boulder, CO community, prioritizing unrestricted/general operating support to local institutions that address education, basic needs, and community health. They repeatedly fund a small set of core local partners (community foundation, K–12 education intermediary, emergency family services, food bank) while occasionally supporting international economic development. Grants skew toward general purposes rather than project-restricted awards, suggesting a preference for flexible funding.
Starting Line Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by a $75,000 general-purpose grant to Community Foundation Boulder in 2025, followed by repeated support for Boulder-area institutions that work on education, emergency family assistance, food security, and community health. The pattern is not a one-off gift strategy: the foundation returns to the same local partners across multiple years, including Community Foundation Boulder, Emergency Family Assistance Association, Impact on Education, and Community Food Share. That recurring support suggests a funder that favors continuity with organizations already embedded in the Boulder community. The foundation also makes occasional grants outside its Boulder-centered pattern, including a $50,000 general-purpose grant to Endeavor Global Inc. in 2025 and smaller awards to organizations such as Khan Academy, DonorsChoose, Hillel at Stanford, and World Central Kitchen. Even with those broader grants, the dominant shape of the portfolio is flexible support for local nonprofits rather than narrow project funding. The mix of grantees points to a foundation that funds community infrastructure, student supports, family stability, and hunger relief, with general-purpose awards appearing throughout the recent record.
Education is one of the clearest threads in the portfolio. Starting Line Foundation gave $35,000 to Impact on Education in 2023, then renewed that support with $25,000 in 2024 and $25,000 in 2025, all for general purposes. It also backed DonorsChoose with $20,000 in 2025 and $15,000 in 2023, plus $15,000 to Khan Academy in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025. Basic needs show up through emergency assistance and food access. The foundation awarded $32,500 to Emergency Family Assistance Association in 2024 and $30,000 in 2025, after a $25,000 grant in 2023. Community Food Share received $20,000 in 2025, $15,000 in 2024, and $10,000 in 2023. Community health also appears in the record through a $25,000 grant to Boulder Community Health Foundation in 2025 and a $10,000 award in 2023.
Typical grants fall in a relatively tight band: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $15,000. Larger awards do appear, but most grants cluster around modest general-purpose gifts. The record shows repeat support to several organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-time awards. Starting Line Foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant descriptions are overwhelmingly general purpose or general operating in nature, indicating flexible support rather than project-specific funding.
$279K
$1.6M
$391K
$315K
Most grants fall between $5K and $15K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$15K
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Concentrated, mid-sized grants to a core set of repeat local grantees with an emphasis on general operating / unrestricted support; a mix of multi-grant relationships and a few one-off gifts, with occasional out-of-area international giving.
Notable grantees: Community Foundation Boulder, Impact on Education, Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA), Community Food Share, Endeavor Global
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Colorado: 77% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and Colorado is also the top state by grant count. Boulder and Louisville appear repeatedly, including Boulder-based Community Foundation Boulder, Emergency Family Assistance Association, Boulder Community Health Foundation, There With Care - Boulder, Blue Sky Bridge, and Thorne Nature Experience, plus Louisville-based Impact on Education and Community Food Share. Outside Colorado, the foundation’s U.S. giving reaches New York, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, and Washington, DC. All recent grants in the file went to U.S. recipients.
The foundation most often supports Boulder-area nonprofits working on education, emergency family services, food security, and community health. Recent grants also include general-purpose support for community endowment work and occasional awards to national education and service organizations such as DonorsChoose, Khan Academy, and World Central Kitchen.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Community Foundation Boulder, Emergency Family Assistance Association, Impact on Education, and Community Food Share. The repeated pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than single grants.
The grant-size distribution is fairly compact. The 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $15,000. Most recent awards sit in that range, even though a few larger grants appear above it.
Colorado is the top state by grant count, and 77% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Boulder and Louisville account for many of the Colorado-based awards, with additional grants going to recipients in other U.S. states and Washington, DC.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endeavor Foundation | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) | Boulder, CO | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| IMPACT ON EDUCATION | louisville, CO | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COMMUNITY FOOD SHARE | LOUISVILLE, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| THE ASPEN INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| donors choose | Philadelphia, PA | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Roots Music Project | Boulder, CO | $10,799 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| THE COLORADO CHAUTAUQUA | BOULDER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GROWING GARDENS | BOULDER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THERE WITH CARE - BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CAL WOOD EDUCATION CENTER | JAMESTOWN, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| KHAN ACADEMY | MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| EXPLORATORIUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BLUE SKY BRIDGE | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Blue Sky Bridge | Boulder, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| University of Colorado | Boulder, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| Boulder County Farmers Market | Boulder, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | General Purpose |
| E-TOWN | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| VIA MOBILITY SERVICES | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| stanford jazz workshop | Stanford, CA | $2,500 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PRESENTING DENVER | DENVER, CO | $1,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| community foundation boulder | Boulder, CO | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| endeavor global inc | new york, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) | Boulder, CO | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| IMPACT ON EDUCATION | louisville, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Boulder Community Health foundation | Boulder, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| donors choose | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COMMUNITY FOOD SHARE | LOUISVILLE, CO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THERE WITH CARE - BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| world centre kitchen | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| KHAN ACADEMY | MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CAL WOOD EDUCATION CENTER | JAMESTOWN, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| stanford jazz workshop | Stanford, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) | Boulder, CO | $32,500 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| IMPACT ON EDUCATION | louisville, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| COMMUNITY FOOD SHARE | LOUISVILLE, CO | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| KHAN ACADEMY | MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| Hillel at Stanford | Stanford, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| THERE WITH CARE - BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| Wolfram Foundation | Champaign, IL | $7,500 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| CAL WOOD EDUCATION CENTER | JAMESTOWN, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| THORNE NATURE EXPERIENCE | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Boulder, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| BLUE SKY BRIDGE | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| IMPACT ON EDUCATION | louisville, CO | $35,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| EFAA | Boulder, CO | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| DONORSCHOOSE | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THERE WITH CARE - BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
Endeavor Foundation
$50,000General Purpose
Stanford University
$25,000General Purpose
GENERAL PURPOSE
donors choose
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE
Roots Music Project
$10,799General Purpose
THE COLORADO CHAUTAUQUA
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
EXPLORATORIUM
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
University of Colorado
$5,000General Purpose
Boulder County Farmers Market
$5,000General Purpose
PRESENTING DENVER
$1,000GENERAL PURPOSE
community foundation boulder
$75,000GENERAL PURPOSE
donors choose
$20,000GENERAL PURPOSE
THERE WITH CARE - BOULDER
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
world centre kitchen
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
Wolfram Foundation
$7,500GENERAL PURPOSES
DONORSCHOOSE
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE