The Zarpet Family Foundation makes a small number of very large grants focused primarily on arts and cultural organizations in the Rocky Mountain region alongside significant gifts to higher-education institutions for health-related purposes and capital campaigns. Although based in Chicago, its recent giving is concentrated in Colorado and emphasizes sustaining cultural infrastructure (film, studio arts, community art labs) and supporting university-led health initiatives.
Highly concentrated giving: very few (5) grants overall but large dollar amounts (three grants of $340k–$1M+), repeated support to at least one institution (University of Colorado), and preference for multi-hundred-thousand to million-dollar gifts rather than many small grants.
A pair of seven-figure grants defines the Zarpet Family Foundation’s recent pattern: $1,000,000 to Denver Film Society and $1,000,000 to Groundworks Art Lab, both in Colorado, both in 2025. Those awards sit within a broader portfolio that favors arts and cultural organizations, with support for film, studio arts, community art spaces, and related organizational sustainability. The foundation also backs university health work, especially through The University of Colorado Foundation, and its recent grants show a mix of operating support, capital campaign support, and program-specific funding. The scale is notable for a foundation with relatively few grants. Its recent activity includes large commitments to Colorado institutions such as Studio Arts Boulder, along with repeated health-related gifts to The University of Colorado Foundation across multiple years. Smaller awards extend to education and social-service groups, including organizations connected to children’s health, family assistance, and cultural programming. Across the list, the foundation’s giving is concentrated in named institutions rather than broad, dispersed microgrants, and the largest checks appear tied to sustaining infrastructure, programming, and institutional capacity rather than short-term projects.
Arts and cultural organizations are the clearest thread in the Zarpet Family Foundation’s recent grants. In 2025, it gave $1,000,000 to Denver Film Society for Sustainability and another $1,000,000 to Groundworks Art Lab for Cultural and Religious purposes. Earlier support included $340,000 to Studio Arts Boulder for Capital Campaign Support, showing an interest in facilities and organizational strength, not only programming. Education-related grants also appear, often tied to cultural or community institutions. The foundation gave $50,000 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025 to Ah Haa School for the Arts in Telluride, both labeled Education. It also supported Yahad In Unum Mid America in Cincinnati with $50,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, including a 2023 award for Hiring of Educational Coordinator. Health and social services are smaller but recurring themes. Grants included $658,445 in 2025 and $511,460 in 2024 to The University of Colorado Foundation for Health, plus support for Project HEAL and Colorado Horse Rescue.
$6.1M
$47.8M
$15.3M
$6.2M
Most grants fall between $19K and $63K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$63K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CO.
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Notable grantees: The University of Colorado Foundation, Denver Film Society, Groundworks Art Lab, Studio Arts Boulder
The foundation’s typical grant size sits at $18,750 at the 25th percentile, $35,000 at the median, and $62,500 at the 75th percentile, but its recent distribution includes several much larger outliers. Granting appears programmatic and relationship-based rather than open-application: the data shows a small set of named recipients, not a broad public call. Recurrence is visible in multiple years of support for the same organizations, including The University of Colorado Foundation and Yahad In Unum Mid America. The foundation is a family foundation, makes program-related investments, and does not fund individuals.
All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. Colorado is the clear center of giving, with Denver, Boulder, Telluride, and Longmont appearing repeatedly, and the foundation gives most often in Texas by grant count. Outside Colorado, named recipients include Cincinnati, Brooklyn, Dallas, Ann Arbor, Seminole, and New York. The 0% figure for Illinois recipients shows that none of the recent grants landed in the headquarters state.
Recent grants lean toward arts and cultural organizations, especially in Colorado. Examples include Denver Film Society, Groundworks Art Lab, and Studio Arts Boulder. The pattern also includes university health funding, education-related awards, and smaller gifts to social-service and cultural community groups.
Yes. The University of Colorado Foundation received grants in 2024 and 2025, and Yahad In Unum Mid America received three consecutive annual awards from 2023 through 2025. That suggests recurring rather than purely one-time support in parts of the portfolio.
The typical grant size is $18,750 at the 25th percentile, $35,000 at the median, and $62,500 at the 75th percentile. Even so, the recent record also includes much larger awards, including two $1,000,000 grants in 2025.
No. Recent grants went entirely to U.S. recipients outside Illinois, and the dataset shows 0% of grants to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Colorado receives the most grants, and Texas is the top state by grant count.
Yes. Health-related grants include $658,445 in 2025 and $511,460 in 2024 to The University of Colorado Foundation, $40,000 to Project HEAL in Brooklyn, and $30,000 to Children’s Medical Center Foundation in Dallas. One earlier award to Children’s Medical Center Foundation was labeled for a pediatric eating disorders center.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groundworks Art Lab | Boulder, CO | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Cultural and Religious |
| Denver Film Society | Denver, CO | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Sustainability |
| The University of Colorado Foundation | Denver, CO | $658,445 | 2025 | Health |
| Yahad In Unum Mid America | Cincinnati, OH | $50,000 | 2025 | Education |
| Emergency Family Assistance Association | Boulder, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | Social Services |
| Ah Haa School for the Arts | Telluride, CO | $15,000 | 2025 | Education |
| Anti-Defamation League | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | Education |
| CU Boulder Hillel Foundation | Boulder, CO | $10,000 | 2025 | Cultural and Religious |
| The University of Colorado Foundation | Denver, CO | $511,460 | 2024 | Health |
| Colorado Horse Rescue | Longmont, CO | $100,000 | 2024 | Social Services |
| Ah Haa School for the Arts | Telluride, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | Education |
| Yahad In Unum Mid America | Cincinnati, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | Education |
| Project HEAL | Brooklyn, NY | $40,000 | 2024 | Health |
| Children's Medical Center Foundation | Dallas, TX | $30,000 | 2024 | Health |
| Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | $25,000 | 2024 | Cultural and Religious |
| Boulder Jewish Community Center | Boulder, CO | $10,000 | 2024 | Cultural and Religious |
| Tara Institute of the Performing Arts Inc | Boulder, CO | $10,000 | 2024 | Education |
| Studio Arts Boulder | Boulder, CO | $340,000 | 2023 | Capital Campaign Support |
| Mad Agriculture | Boulder, CO | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| Yahad In Unum Mid America | Cincinnati, OH | $50,000 | 2023 | Hiring of Educational Coordinator |
| Learning Independence for Tomorrow (LIFT) | Seminole, FL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| Emergency Family Assistance Association | Boulder, CO | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| Childrens Medical Center Foundation | Dallas, TX | $15,000 | 2023 | Children's Health Center for Pediatric Eating Disorders |
| Motus Theatre in Boulder | Boulder, CO | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
Groundworks Art Lab
$1,000,000Cultural and Religious
Ah Haa School for the Arts
Education
CU Boulder Hillel Foundation
$10,000Cultural and Religious
Ah Haa School for the Arts
$50,000Education
Project HEAL
$40,000Health
Tara Institute of the Performing Arts Inc
$10,000Education
Studio Arts Boulder
$340,000Capital Campaign Support
Children's Health Center for Pediatric Eating Disorders
Motus Theatre in Boulder
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT