Brief Description:

The Colorado Bar Foundation has been providing grants to Colorado nonprofits for over 70 years. Foundation grants support statewide, regional, or local projects with demonstrated community need. Established programs and new or innovative projects are encouraged to apply. We fund programs, projects, and organizations that:

assist in the provision or improved delivery of legal services to the disadvantaged
promote law-related education, and/or
improve the administration of justice

In 2025, the Foundation awarded $461,622 to 81 grantees throughout Colorado with an average grant size of $5,699. Please review our Annual Report for additional details on our previous funding cycles. If you know of an organization or program that could benefit from the Foundation’s grants, please encourage them to apply.

The Evaluation Process and Criteria
Each year, the Board of Trustees meets to review applications to determine the current year’s awards. In particular, the Board of Trustees strives to identify a pool of grantees that are diverse in terms of geographical location, subject-matter emphasis, and a demonstrated financial need.

Please note that the Foundation prefers to fund specific program expenses rather than general operating funds. Exceptions are made for organizations whose missions strongly and wholly align with one or more of the funding areas noted above. Additionally, in its grant-review process, the Foundation generally considers the availability of other grant funds when allocating grant resources. The size of each grant award is dependent upon the amount requested, the size of the organization, and the total grant funds available for the year. Small organizations and organizations located in rural areas of the state are encouraged to apply.

During its evaluation process, the Board of Trustees places specific emphasis on the following factors:

alignment with one or more of the three funding areas
clarity of application and sufficiency of information provided
financial stability of the organization or program
financial needs of the organization or program
community need and impact
geographic impact
ability and likelihood of success of the organization or program

Please note that the Colorado Bar Foundation will not provide funding for the following excluded activities:

grant making organizations except COLTAF

lobbying or political activities
endowments, fundraising benefits or solicitations
programs that are wholly or significantly funded by government grants or funds
non-501(c) (3) entities unless the entity is considered a related entity to the Colorado Bar Foundation as classified by the IRS. Charitable organizations without 501(c) (3) status are encouraged to apply using a fiscal sponsor. Please contact eakalin@cobar.org for guidance on fiscally sponsored applications.
individual scholarships
non-charitable programs and organizations, including law firms and other for-profit businesses

COLTAF Pro Bono Grants
Each year, the Colorado Bar Foundation provides funding to the COLTAF pro bono grants program. This funding is used to bolster the amount of available grants made to pro bono organizations and goes directly to the selected grantees. With this community partnership, grantees receive funding benefits from both the Colorado Bar Foundation and COLTAF through a single grant.
COLTAF grant recipients interested in additional funding are welcome to apply to the Colorado Bar Foundation for programs or projects not covered by their COLTAF funds.

Reporting Requirements
All Colorado Bar Foundation grant recipients are required to submit a report describing their use of grant funds. The final report will be due upon re-application and is built directly into the application portal. The report module will become visible when the prior-year funding question is completed. If you wish to submit a final report but are not planning to re-apply for funds, please contact eakalin@cobar.org for alternate arrangements.

Begin Accepting Applications Date:

3/01/2026

Deadline Date (MST Time Zone):

6/18/2026 5:00 PM

APPLY HERE