August 1, 2026

On August 1, 1876, Colorado joined the Union exactly 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, earning its nickname as the Centennial State. This year, those anniversaries intersect in a unique way. As the nation commemorates America’s 250th anniversary, Colorado celebrates 150 years of statehood – making this our Sesquisemiquincentennial, a once-in-a-lifetime milestone unique to the Centennial State.

It’s a milestone worth celebrating – and an exciting opportunity to imagine what’s possible over the next 150 years. As Colorado reflects on how far we’ve come, we also have a chance to shape the partnerships and public systems that will help communities thrive for generations to come. 

At Communities Lead Communities Thrive (CLCT), we believe that part of our shared future begins with strengthening partnerships among government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and the communities they serve.

Colorado Has Always Been Built Through Partnership

Colorado’s story has always been shaped by diverse communities working together. When delegates gathered to write Colorado’s Constitution in 1876, they represented a territory with different languages, cultures, and histories. Nearly one-fifth of Colorado’s population spoke Spanish, while German immigrants made up the largest foreign-born community.

Recognizing that reality, Delegate Casimiro Barela successfully advocated for Colorado’s Constitution and state laws to be published in Spanish so southern Colorado residents could fully participate in their new state government. The convention also required a German translation, resulting in Colorado’s founding documents being published in English, Spanish, and German.

That decision reflected an important principle that remains relevant today: stronger systems are built when the people affected by them are included in shaping them.

The same principle guides our coalition-building and advocacy work focused on strengthening the partnership between the state and nonprofits today. Communities across Colorado have different experiences, challenges, and priorities, but lasting solutions are built when organizations work together to improve the systems that serve everyone.

Nonprofits Are Essential Partners in Colorado’s Future

Today, Colorado is home to more than 34,000 nonprofit organizations, and the sector’s total economic impact reached roughly $62 billion in 2024 — a 55% jump from $40 billion just five years earlier. That activity now supports more than 262,000 jobs across the state.

Behind those numbers are organizations providing food assistance, health care, affordable housing, arts and cultural programming, legal services, workforce development, early childhood education, disaster response, and countless other services that help communities thrive.

Nonprofits are more than service providers – they are trusted community partners that help identify needs, build local solutions, and connect public investments to the people they are intended to serve.

Building Better Systems Together

Strong partnerships require shared goals and systems that work for everyone involved. That’s why CLCT brings together more than 80 nonprofit organizations from across Colorado to identify barriers that prevent community-based organizations from accessing public resources and to advance practical solutions that improve how state government partners with nonprofits.

This year marked an important step forward with the passage of House Bill 26-1274: State Agency Payments to Grant Recipients, legislation that expands state agencies’ ability to provide advance payments to nonprofit grant recipients. The law helps address one of the most significant challenges nonprofits have identified: covering the cost of delivering services months before reimbursement arrives.

The legislation demonstrates what is possible when nonprofits, state agencies, legislators, and philanthropy work together to improve public systems. Rather than changing who receives grants, it improves how funding flows – helping organizations focus more of their time and resources on serving communities.

That same collaborative approach guides CLCT’s broader Funding the Frontlines Policy Agenda, which focuses on making government grantmaking more transparent, efficient, and accessible. From simplifying grant applications to improving reporting processes and increasing transparency around funding opportunities, these reforms help ensure organizations of all sizes can compete for public funding.

CLCT’s free State Grant Database for Nonprofits reflects that same commitment by making funding opportunities easier to find and helping organizations across Colorado connect with public resources.

Looking Ahead

Colorado’s next 150 years will bring new opportunities and new challenges. Meeting them will require continued investment in the partnerships that have always helped communities succeed. That means:

• Building funding systems that reach every community. A stronger nonprofit sector isn’t simply a larger one – it’s one where public and philanthropic investments reach the community-rooted organizations with the deepest relationships and greatest understanding of local needs.
• Modernizing how public dollars flow. HB 26-1274 is an important step, but it’s only the beginning. More transparent, efficient, and flexible grantmaking – from application through reporting – will help nonprofits spend less time navigating bureaucracy and more time serving communities.
• Recognizing nonprofits as essential public infrastructure. Colorado’s nonprofit sector contributes more than $62 billion to the state’s economy while strengthening health, civic engagement, education, housing, the arts, and countless other aspects of community life. Public policy should reflect nonprofits’ role as trusted partners in building stronger, more resilient communities.
• Continuing to design systems with communities, not just for them. The best public solutions are shaped by the organizations and community leaders closest to the challenges they’re working to solve, ensuring government partnerships are more responsive, effective, and equitable.

These are practical improvements that make government work better while strengthening the organizations communities rely on every day.

A Strong Foundation for the Next 150 Years

Colorado’s history reminds us that progress has always depended on people working together across communities, sectors, and perspectives.

As we celebrate 150 years of statehood, we also have an opportunity to build stronger systems for the future – systems that are more transparent, more efficient, and more responsive to the communities they are designed to serve.

That’s the work CLCT and our coalition of more than 80 community-rooted nonprofit organizations and the leaders who contribute to their missions are advancing every day: helping build lasting partnerships that strengthen Colorado’s nonprofit sector, improve public systems, and ensure communities across the state have the resources they need to thrive for generations to come.