The Patten-Davis Foundation concentrates its charitable support exclusively on a single higher-education institution, funding university-based medical research in Colorado. All recorded grants are to the University of Colorado Foundation and are directed to a Center for Rare Melanoma, indicating a focused interest in advancing research and treatment for a specific cancer subtype. The foundation appears to operate as a targeted funder, channeling substantial resources to a designated university center rather than spreading gifts across many organizations.
The Patten-Davis Foundation’s largest recent commitment was a $2,000,000 grant in 2024 to the University of Colorado Foundation for the Bell Opthamalogy Chair, a sign of how heavily it backs named academic research and faculty support. Across its recent grants, the foundation channels most of its resources into the University of Colorado Foundation in Broomfield for a cluster of related purposes: the Center for Rare Melanoma fund, translational research, immunology and immunotherapy, and strategic faculty recruitment. That pattern points to a funder that supports disease-focused biomedical work through university infrastructure rather than through a broad portfolio of charities. The foundation’s recent giving also includes dedicated support for scholarship and community programs in Colorado and Wyoming, alongside a small set of grants to conservation and historic-preservation organizations. The recurring use of restricted funds, endowed chairs, and initiative-based gifts shows a preference for targeted, program-specific support. Several of the listed grants are sized in the six-figure range, indicating substantial commitments to a limited number of recipients rather than many small awards.
In rare melanoma research, The Patten-Davis Foundation gave $500,000 in 2024 and $466,667 in 2023 to the University of Colorado Foundation for the Center for Rare Melanoma fund, plus another $166,667 in 2024 for the same center. It also supported translational work with grants of $466,667 in 2023, $333,333 in 2024, and $200,000 in 2024 for the Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund. The foundation also backed immunology and faculty development. A $466,666 grant in 2023 supported the Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Initiative Fund, while a $300,000 grant in 2024 went to the Patten-Davis Foundation Strategic Faculty Recruit Fund. For ophthalmology, it made a $2,000,000 grant in 2024 for the Bell Opthamalogy Chair. Outside university research, the foundation supported community greening and scholarship work in Colorado with grants to The Park People, ARCS Foundation Inc, and Friends of Nursing.
Typical grants cluster at meaningful mid-to-large sizes: the 25th percentile is $20,000, the median is $75,600, and the 75th percentile is $250,000. That distribution fits a pattern of concentrated, restricted giving rather than many small awards. The recent record shows repeated support to the same institutions and funds across 2023 and 2024, especially through the University of Colorado Foundation. The Patten-Davis Foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$2.8M
$38.2M
$2.7M
$3.1M
Most grants fall between $20K and $250K, with a median of $76K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$76K
75th Percentile
$250K
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Highly concentrated giving: repeated, sizable grants exclusively to a single institutional grantee (University of Colorado Foundation) for a designated program. Funding is targeted rather than distributed across many organizations.
Notable grantees: University of Colorado Foundation (Center for Rare Melanoma)
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States, with 33 grants recorded there. Colorado receives the bulk of the foundation’s giving, and Broomfield appears repeatedly through the University of Colorado Foundation. Other Colorado recipients include Denver and Englewood, while Wyoming recipients include Cheyenne and Laramie. Outside the Rocky Mountain region, the foundation also made grants to Arlington, Virginia; Washington, DC; and Plano, Illinois.
Its recent grants center on university-based rare melanoma research and related biomedical work at the University of Colorado Foundation, including translational research, human immunology and immunotherapy, and a faculty recruitment fund. It also makes smaller grants for scholarships, urban forestry, hospice-related activities, conservation, and historic preservation.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $75,600 at the median, and $250,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include several six-figure gifts, with one $2,000,000 grant standing out at the high end.
Colorado is the top state by grant count, and 64% of the foundation’s grants go to recipients in its HQ state of Colorado. Recent Colorado recipients include organizations in Broomfield, Denver, and Englewood.
It does not fund individuals. The recent record shows grants to organizations such as university foundations, scholarship groups, and community nonprofits rather than to private persons.
The record shows repeated support to the same recipient and fund across multiple years. The University of Colorado Foundation appears in both 2023 and 2024 with several grants tied to the same center and named funds, showing an ongoing relationship rather than isolated one-off gifts.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Park People | Denver, CO | $1,475,000 | 2026 | Denver Digs Trees, incentive matching fund & emergency rescue grant |
| National Trust for Historic Preserv | Washington, DC | $333,333 | 2026 | Farnsworth House Support |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Denver, CO | $250,000 | 2026 | Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at UC Anschutz |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $250,000 | 2026 | General needs |
| Cheyenne Regional Foundation | Cheyenne, WY | $200,000 | 2026 | Davis Hospice Center |
| ARCS Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | $75,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| Friends of Nursing | Englewood, CO | $75,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Denver, CO | $60,000 | 2026 | Ludeman Family Center |
| Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroo | Cheyenne, WY | $40,000 | 2026 | Endowment |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $500,000 | 2025 | Bell Opthamalogy Chair |
| National Trust for Historic Preserv | Washington, DC | $333,333 | 2025 | Farnsworth House Support |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $250,000 | 2025 | General needs |
| The Park People | Denver, CO | $190,000 | 2025 | Denver Digs Trees, incentive matching fund & memorial gift |
| Friends of Nursing | Englewood, CO | $75,000 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| ARCS Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | $75,000 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $23,500 | 2025 | Women's Health Research |
| Univ of Wyoming Foundation | Laramie, WY | $16,500 | 2025 | Center for Law & Energy resources in the Rockies |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $2,000,000 | 2024 | Bell Opthamalogy Chair |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $500,000 | 2024 | Center for rare melanoma fund |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $333,333 | 2024 | Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $333,333 | 2024 | CC Research for high risk, high reward ideas |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $300,000 | 2024 | Patten-Davis Foundation Strategic Faculty Recruit Fund |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $250,000 | 2024 | General needs |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $250,000 | 2024 | General needs |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $200,000 | 2024 | Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $166,667 | 2024 | Center for Rare Melanoma Fund |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $166,667 | 2024 | BDC Executive Director's Fund |
| The Park People | Denver, CO | $100,000 | 2024 | Denver Digs Trees, incentive matching fund & memorial gift |
| The Park People | Denver, CO | $80,000 | 2024 | Denver Digs Trees & incentive matching fund |
| ARCS Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | $75,600 | 2024 | Scholarships |
| ARCS Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | $65,000 | 2024 | Scholarships |
| The Denver Hospice | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | Activities for children and to support fundraising |
| Cheyenne Regional Foundation | Cheyenne, WY | $25,000 | 2024 | Davis Hospice Center |
| Friends of Nursing | Englewood, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | Scholarships |
| Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroo | Cheyenne, WY | $20,000 | 2024 | Endowment |
| Friends of Nursing | Englewood, CO | $10,000 | 2024 | Scholarships |
| Farnsworth House of Nat'l Tr for Hi | Plano, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | General Operations |
| Univ of Wyoming Foundation | Laramie, WY | $10,000 | 2024 | Center for Law & Energy resources in the Rockies |
| National Trust for Historic Preserv | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | The Peter Grant Fund for Colorado |
| National Trust for Historic Preserv | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | Memorial |
| Glessner House | Chicago, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | General needs |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $466,667 | 2023 | Center for rare melanoma fund |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $466,667 | 2023 | Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Broomfield, CO | $466,666 | 2023 | Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Initiative Fund |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $250,000 | 2023 | General needs |
| The Park People | Denver, CO | $66,000 | 2023 | Denver Digs Trees, incentive matching fund & memorial gift |
| ARCS Foundation Inc | Denver, CO | $65,000 | 2023 | Scholarships |
| Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroo | Cheyenne, WY | $20,000 | 2023 | Endowment |
| Friends of Nursing | Englewood, CO | $10,000 | 2023 | Scholarships |
| National Trust for Historic Preserv | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | Memorial |
Denver Digs Trees, incentive matching fund & emergency rescue grant
Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at UC Anschutz
Davis Hospice Center
ARCS Foundation Inc
$75,000Scholarships
Friends of Nursing
$75,000Scholarships
Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroo
$40,000Endowment
University of Colorado Foundation
$500,000Bell Opthamalogy Chair
Friends of Nursing
$75,000Scholarships
ARCS Foundation Inc
$75,000Scholarships
Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund
CC Research for high risk, high reward ideas
Patten-Davis Foundation Strategic Faculty Recruit Fund
Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund
ARCS Foundation Inc
$75,600Scholarships
ARCS Foundation Inc
$65,000Scholarships
The Denver Hospice
$50,000Activities for children and to support fundraising
Friends of Nursing
$25,000Scholarships
Friends of Nursing
$10,000Scholarships
Farnsworth House of Nat'l Tr for Hi
$10,000General Operations
National Trust for Historic Preserv
$10,000The Peter Grant Fund for Colorado
Glessner House
$5,000General needs
Lucy Patten Davis Translational Research Fund
Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Initiative Fund
ARCS Foundation Inc
$65,000Scholarships
Friends of Nursing
$10,000Scholarships