Gary Community Ventures

Gary Community Ventures is a philanthropic organization dedicated to reshaping the opportunity landscape for children and families in Colorado. By 2035, they aim to utilize all their resources to create lasting impact through a combination of catalytic grantmaking, impact investments, policy advocacy, and the development of new ventures. Their mission is to partner with the community to leverage business, policy, and philanthropy to reshape the arc of opportunity for Colorado kids and families. Their vision is that all children in Colorado have the opportunity to grow up healthy and reach their full potential.

The organization focuses on three key areas: School Readiness, Youth Success, and Family Economic Mobility. They work to ensure that every child in Colorado is prepared for school, every youth has the opportunity to succeed, and every family has the resources to achieve economic mobility. Their approach includes listening with humility to the community, daring to be bold in their actions, and delivering breakthrough solutions in partnership with others. They are committed to understanding and addressing systems of racial oppression to advance racial equity in all their endeavors.

Gary Community Ventures operates through three distinct entities: Gary Philanthropy, Gary Ventures, and Gary Advocacy. Gary Philanthropy provides grants to nonprofit organizations and new venture pilots designed to create long-lasting sustainable change. Gary Ventures makes impact investments that can improve the lives of Colorado’s children while potentially yielding a financial return that can be used toward creating deeper positive impact in the community. Gary Advocacy invests in a thriving policy ecosystem and ongoing improvement of public systems to create transformational policies at the state and local level. Together, these entities work to ensure that all resources are used to create maximum impact in the community, with a focus on transforming systems and building wealth for Colorado kids and families.