The Mary Elizabeth Bates Foundation concentrates its giving on animal welfare in the Denver area, primarily supporting a single longtime beneficiary, the Denver Dumb Friends League. Most of its funding is channelled through repeated donations to that humane organization, with the remainder going to an apparent affiliated trust/estate vehicle. The foundation functions as a focused, donor-directed fund rather than a broad-spectrum grantmaker.
Highly concentrated giving: a majority of dollars and multiple grants go to one core grantee (repeat funding to Denver Dumb Friends League), with the remainder directed to a related family trust; small number of, but substantial, grants overall.
A $49,000 donation to the Denver Dumb Friends League in 2025 sits at the center of the Mary Elizabeth Bates Foundation’s recent giving and helps define the funder’s profile. The foundation repeatedly supports animal welfare organizations in Colorado, with a long-running pattern of donations to shelters, humane societies, and service-animal groups. In the recent-grants list, the Denver Dumb Friends League appears year after year, alongside other Colorado organizations serving companion animals and related services. The foundation’s giving is also closely linked to family trust activity. Recent grants include donations to Mary E Bates Trust and Dr Bates Trust, showing that its filings include both charitable support and trust-distribution items. Within the charitable side, the foundation favors organizations tied to humane adoption, shelter care, veterinary support, and service animals. Grantees such as Ark Valley Humane Society-Sunshine Shelter, Humane Society Pikes Peak Region, and International Hearing Dog Inc illustrate the range of animal-focused recipients it supports across Colorado.
Companion animal rescue and shelter work is the clearest theme in the Mary Elizabeth Bates Foundation’s grantmaking. In 2025, it gave $14,500 to Ark Valley Humane Society-Sunshine Shelter in Buena Vista and $12,500 to Teller County Regional Animal Center in Divide. The foundation also supports humane adoption and local shelter operations through recurring gifts to Humane Society Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, including $12,900 in 2025 and $11,800 in 2024. Another cluster of grants goes to Larimer Humane Society in Fort Collins, with $12,000 in 2025 and $10,600 in 2024. Service-animal and specialized animal support appear in the data as well. International Hearing Dog Inc in Henderson received $12,000 in 2025, following $10,800 in 2024 and $10,700 in 2023. The foundation also backed Freedom Service Dogs in Englewood with $11,000 in 2025.
Typical grants are modest and clustered around a narrow band: the 25th percentile is $3,400, the median is $5,800, and the 75th percentile is $9,200. The recent-grants list also shows larger recurring donations to a few organizations and trust-related payouts at the top end. This is a concentrated, repeat-giving pattern rather than a one-time or widely distributed one. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including the Denver Dumb Friends League, Humane Society Pikes Peak Region, International Hearing Dog Inc, and Larimer Humane Society. The foundation appears to function as a donor-directed family foundation, and its filings also include trust or estate distributions such as Mary E Bates Trust and Dr Bates Trust.
$281K
$2.8M
$374K
$359K
Most grants fall between $3K and $9K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$9K
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Notable grantees: Denver Dumb Friends League, Mary E Bates Trust
The Mary Elizabeth Bates Foundation gives locally and exclusively in Colorado: 100% of grants in the data go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Divide, Monte Vista, and Littleton all appear repeatedly among recipient locations, with Denver anchored by the Denver Dumb Friends League. The pattern is statewide but still concentrated within Colorado’s animal-welfare network, especially along the Front Range and into mountain and western communities.
It primarily funds companion animal rescue, shelter services, humane adoption, veterinary and animal welfare programming, and service-animal organizations in Colorado. Recent grantees include animal shelters and humane societies across the state, with a strong emphasis on local animal welfare operations.
Yes. All grants in the data go to recipients in Colorado, and the foundation’s giving is described as local. Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Divide, Monte Vista, Littleton, Denver, and other Colorado cities all appear among recipient locations.
Yes. The recent-grants list shows repeat support for several organizations across multiple years, including Humane Society Pikes Peak Region, International Hearing Dog Inc, Larimer Humane Society, and the Denver Dumb Friends League.
The grant-size distribution is modest: the 25th percentile is $3,400, the median is $5,800, and the 75th percentile is $9,200. Some gifts are larger, especially recurring donations to established animal-welfare and trust-related recipients.
A smaller part of the recent-grants list includes trust or estate-related donations, such as Mary E Bates Trust and Dr Bates Trust. The charitable grantmaking itself remains centered on animal welfare organizations and related services in Colorado.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humane Colorado | Denver, CO | $39,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Ark Valley Humane Society-Sunshine Shelter | Buena Vista, CO | $12,200 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Larimer Humane Society | Fort Collins, CO | $12,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Upper Rio Grande Animal SocietyConour Shelter | Monte Vista, CO | $10,700 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Teller County Regional Animal Center | Divide, CO | $10,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Humane Society Pikes Peak Region | Colorado Springs, CO | $10,400 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Humane Society Pagosa Springs | Pagosa Springs, CO | $9,900 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Humane Society South Platte Valley | Littleton, CO | $9,900 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Foothills Animal Shelter | Golden, CO | $8,800 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Hamlett Spay & Neuter Clinic Inc | Colorado Springs, CO | $8,800 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Freedom Service Dogs | Englewood, CO | $8,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Montrose Animal Protective Agency | Montrose, CO | $8,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Second Chance Humane Society Ridgeway | Ridgeway, CO | $8,125 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Longmont Humane Society | Longmont, CO | $8,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Scholarship CO State | Fort Collins, CO | $7,150 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Max Fund Inc | Denver, CO | $7,025 | 2026 | DONATION |
| PAWS for Life Animal Welfare & Protective Society | Pueblo, CO | $6,700 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Boulder Valley Humane Society | Boulder, CO | $6,200 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Fort Morgan Humane Society | Fort Morgan, CO | $5,800 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehab | Florence, CO | $5,103 | 2026 | DONATION |
| International Hearing Dog Inc | Henderson, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Second Chance Lamar | Denver, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Evergreen Animal Protective League | Evergreen, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Animal Friends Alliance | Fort Collins, CO | $4,100 | 2026 | DONATION |
| National Mill Dog Rescue | Colorado Springs, CO | $4,025 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Eagle Valley Humane Society | Eagle, CO | $4,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Divine Feline Fix ( Rocky Mnt Alley Cat) | Denver, CO | $3,950 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CAWS-Delta County | Paonia, CO | $3,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| PAWS Second Chance | Log Lane Village, CO | $3,425 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Almost Home Adpotions | Westminster, CO | $3,150 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Feline Rescue (Look What the Cat Brought In) | Colorado Springs, CO | $3,150 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Animal Rescue of the Rockies | Breckenridge, CO | $3,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| LITTLE RESCUE ON THE PRAIRIE | LOG LANE VILLAGE, CO | $3,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| North Eastern Colorado Feral Cat | Fort Collins, CO | $2,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Canine Partners of The Rockies | Aurora, CO | $2,425 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Project Animal Aid | Boulder, CO | $2,400 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Front Porch Felines | Denver, CO | $2,350 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue | Denver, CO | $2,225 | 2026 | DONATION |
| CATS ALIVE Alamosa CO | Alamosa, CO | $2,175 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Breeder Release & Adoption Service | Boncarbo, CO | $2,150 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Southern Colorado Spay & Neuter Assn | Pueblo, CO | $2,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Street Dog Coalition | Fort Collins, CO | $2,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| SLV Spay and Neuter | Alamosa, CO | $2,000 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Front Range Freedom Rescue | Boulder, CO | $1,900 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Second Chance Wildlife Rehab--Pueblo | Pueblo, CO | $1,500 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals | Fort Collins, CO | $1,425 | 2026 | DONATION |
| Denver Dumb Friends League | Denver, CO | $49,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| Scholarship CO State | Fort Collins, CO | $15,000 | 2025 | DONATION |
| Ark Valley Humane Society-Sunshine Shelter | Buena Vista, CO | $14,500 | 2025 | DONATION |
| Humane Society Pikes Peak Region | Colorado Springs, CO | $12,900 | 2025 | DONATION |
Humane Colorado
$39,500DONATION
Ark Valley Humane Society-Sunshine Shelter
$12,200DONATION
Larimer Humane Society
$12,000DONATION
Upper Rio Grande Animal SocietyConour Shelter
$10,700DONATION
Teller County Regional Animal Center
$10,500DONATION
DONATION
Humane Society Pagosa Springs
$9,900DONATION
Foothills Animal Shelter
$8,800DONATION
Hamlett Spay & Neuter Clinic Inc
$8,800DONATION
Montrose Animal Protective Agency
$8,500DONATION
Second Chance Humane Society Ridgeway
$8,125DONATION
Scholarship CO State
$7,150DONATION
Max Fund Inc
$7,025DONATION
PAWS for Life Animal Welfare & Protective Society
$6,700DONATION
Boulder Valley Humane Society
$6,200DONATION
Fort Morgan Humane Society
$5,800DONATION
Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehab
$5,103DONATION
International Hearing Dog Inc
$5,000DONATION
Second Chance Lamar
$5,000DONATION
Evergreen Animal Protective League
$5,000DONATION
Eagle Valley Humane Society
$4,000DONATION
Divine Feline Fix ( Rocky Mnt Alley Cat)
$3,950DONATION
CAWS-Delta County
$3,500DONATION
PAWS Second Chance
$3,425DONATION
Almost Home Adpotions
$3,150DONATION
Feline Rescue (Look What the Cat Brought In)
$3,150DONATION
LITTLE RESCUE ON THE PRAIRIE
$3,000DONATION
North Eastern Colorado Feral Cat
$2,500DONATION
Canine Partners of The Rockies
$2,425DONATION
Project Animal Aid
$2,400DONATION
Front Porch Felines
$2,350DONATION
Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue
$2,225DONATION
CATS ALIVE Alamosa CO
$2,175DONATION
Breeder Release & Adoption Service
$2,150DONATION
Southern Colorado Spay & Neuter Assn
$2,000DONATION
SLV Spay and Neuter
$2,000DONATION
Front Range Freedom Rescue
$1,900DONATION
Second Chance Wildlife Rehab--Pueblo
$1,500DONATION
Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals
$1,425DONATION
Scholarship CO State
$15,000DONATION
Ark Valley Humane Society-Sunshine Shelter
$14,500DONATION