Colorado Nonprofits

Surviving or thriving ?

The Colorado nonprofit sector represents about 10% of our jobs and generates more than $62 billion in economic activity. They do vital work, in the spaces between business and government.

Colorado has a strong ecosystem of nonprofits, with supportive philanthropic foundations, a strong Nonprofit Association, and other groups that help growth like the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center.

In recent years, from the intense service demands related to COVID, to the cutting of federal programs that nonprofits often help implement, these have been challenging times.

CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs has long had a nonprofit focus within our MPA degree, that is ranked in the top #20 nationally by US News for that work. Professor Shuyang Peng and SPA PhD students Tierney Bamrick and Michael Bell have started an important, regular panel survey of nonprofits leaders in Colorado, called CONOREP. With over 600 organizational responses, they produced a first report a few months ago, assessing the sector in 2024, as it emerged from COVID, but prior to the Trump administration cuts.

I recommend reading the report for the key findings.

Coming out of COVID and losing ARPA funding sources created financial and other challenges. Longer standing issues like sector competition and HR issues related to low pay and burnout came to the forefront in 2024.

Thanks to this important work, the next panel report will be able to track the impact of the newer challenges associated with federal cutbacks.