By Jodie Riesenberger, Vice President, Community Impact, NoCo Foundation
As 2026 unfolds, one truth is increasingly clear: Northern Colorado's nonprofit sector is not a "nice to have." It is essential infrastructure for community well-being.
Nonprofits ensure families have food and stability, seniors can age with dignity, young people can learn and belong, and our arts, lands, and waterways remain vibrant and protected. Like any critical infrastructure, this work requires reliable investment and strong systems to withstand disruption and adapt to change.
Today's funding landscape is increasingly volatile. Government cuts, shifts in corporate giving, heightened competition for foundation dollars, and donor uncertainty are squeezing organizations already facing rising community needs. When funding becomes unpredictable, the entire ecosystem weakens. This moment calls not just for endurance, but for reimagining and redesigning.
Across Northern Colorado, nonprofit leaders are responding with resolve. They are pursuing deeper collaboration, exploring shared administrative services, and considering mergers where they can strengthen impact and sustainability.
Momentum is also growing around a long-overdue mindset shift: nonprofits are businesses with mission-driven purpose and a different tax status. They are essential institutions and should be recognized, resourced, and supported as such.
Donors play a critical role in helping the sector emerge stronger from this period of change. They can do so by:
- Providing unrestricted funding, allowing organizations to direct resources where they are most needed for mission success and operational stability.
- Committing to multi-year gifts, enabling leaders to plan confidently, retain staff, and invest in long-term solutions.
- Supporting capacity-building efforts, including systems, finance, technology, evaluation, and talent, that strengthen the infrastructure behind programs and services.
These investments are what transform short-term responses into lasting community well-being.
For fifty years, the NoCo Foundation has served as a connector, catalyst, and partner—advancing philanthropy, nonprofit capacity, and community engagement for regional well-being. In uncertain times, our commitment remains steady because we live here, work here, and believe deeply in this region.
We support nonprofit leaders at every stage through leadership development, board training, strategic planning, and peer learning—investing in the systems and skills organizations need to strengthen their work and sustain their impact.
Together, we are not merely responding to change. We are reinforcing and redesigning the nonprofit sector as the vital infrastructure our community depends on—now and into the future.
Learn more about our support programs.
