Greetings community leaders, neighbors, and partners,

As we kick off the long-awaited springtime season, we are excited to share evolution and news about our two organizations that, while holding unique differences, work closely together to achieve common goals.

Founded in 1958 and 1975 respectively, United Way of Larimer County (UWLC) and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado (now known as NoCo Foundation) have been working together for over 50 years. Both organizations were established to address community needs and bridge funding gaps that were impacting our community’s quality of life. While our approaches differ, our goals align: fostering meaningful impact through community leadership, collaboration, and innovative solutions.

United Way of Larimer County (UWLC): As part of a global network, through individual giving, corporate support, and grant seeking, UWLC raises and quickly distributes funding to meet an array of community needs and priorities across the county. Last year, UWLC reached a significant milestone, investing over $10 million into the community with the majority of funds supporting children, youth, and their families.

In 2024, UWLC’s Board of Directors formalized and approved a single focus on one powerful priority: the success of children and youth. Prioritizing investments in children and youth creates lasting ripple effects that benefit society—improving public safety and health, workforce readiness, and economic growth.

UWLC is proud to share their new Mission and Vision statements, which will guide its work in the years ahead:

Mission: We mobilize the caring power of our community to support the success of all children and youth in Larimer County.

Vision: A Larimer County where all children and youth have everything they need to thrive.

UWLC advances this mission through four key strategies: Child Care and Education, Early Literacy, Family Financial Stability, and Belonging. These come to life through initiatives like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, WomenGive and Larimer Child Care Fund scholarships, and community hubs like the Community Impact Center and Loveland Youth Campus—spaces that foster collaboration, strengthen nonprofit capacity, and make life easier for Larimer County families.

Beyond direct investments in projects and programs like these, UWLC facilitates donor-directed giving to qualified nonprofits across the globe and partners with corporations to manage workplace giving and corporate philanthropy programs, making it easy for donors to support the causes they care about most.

The NoCo Foundation focuses on today’s needs and building a better tomorrow through long-term investments, being the philanthropic “easy button” for complex gifts and planned giving, and community engagement.  Donors and organizations who hold funds with the NoCo Foundation recommend how their funds are distributed. The Foundation also steward dozens of scholarships that memorialize special people while providing higher educational support.

The NoCo Foundation serves as a neutral, convening organization working to solve complex community challenges. The NoCo Foundation works at the confluence of ideas, impact, and solutions. When there is a community need, Foundation staff and stakeholders are ready to learn about the topic and create space for ideas and solutions, while impacting the future of the community. In fact, the NoCo Foundation tagline sums up its purpose: Community is our Business.

As a regional convener, the NoCo Foundation takes  their community role seriously. For nearly 50 years, the NoCo Foundation has focused on initiatives, partnerships, programs, and funding that shape the future of the region. Donors’ funds are stewarded in perpetuity – for a very, very long time – as their value increases, so do the grants out into the community, activating impact for the community’s well-being.

Did you know? Ten years ago, the State Demographer forecasted that from 2015-2045, the two-county region (Weld and Larimer Counties) will grow by 92%. In early 2024, the NoCo Foundation, along with our sponsors, created the inaugural Northern Colorado Intersections Report, Pursuing Well-Being.

The Intersections Report frames this growth as intersections of complex issues that affect everyone’s quality of life.  The NoCo Foundation will be releasing a follow-up summary of this information later in 2025 and offer ideas on how to align resources – philanthropic, government funding, private sector funding, and more, to scale what works in areas feeling the most pressure of population growth such as, childcare, literacy rates, affordable housing, food access, and more. As you might guess, the nonprofit sector is feeling the pressure of more people. The Foundation continues to support the sector in a variety of ways, including raising awareness of funding gaps and building capacity within the sector for community well-being. Visit nocointersections.org to read the online report, watch a brief video, and connect to other Report resources.

The NoCo Foundation is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, AND its work is just getting started in making local and regional impact with donors and partners. The NoCo Foundation recently launched a refreshed website and brand to celebrate the campaign, 50 Years of Philanthropy, and to share its evolving work and steadfast mission to shape the future of the region.  Watch nocofoundation.org website and social media feeds from May to November 2025 for historical and inspirational stories of philanthropic impact in Northern Colorado and learn about community events and activities across the region. Join the NoCo Foundation to envision what the next 50 years will be like in Northern Colorado.

Emergency Support and Resources

For more than twenty years, UWLC and the NoCo Foundation have worked together behind the scenes to support survivors of natural disasters and public health emergencies.

In 2024, to remain laser-focused on the priority of children and youth success, UWLC transitioned leadership of disaster fundraising and response as well as nearly $500,000 in funds raised for disaster recovery to the NoCo Foundation.

The NoCo Foundation now leads the community’s philanthropic response to disasters and ensures the gifts are reaching survivors and organizations most impacted by disasters during the recovery phase.

UWLC remains actively involved in disaster response efforts through 211 Colorado resource navigation and participates as a key member Larimer County Long-Term Recovery Group.

Galvanizing Philanthropy and Partnerships

Philanthropy is a powerful lever in community impact. Nonprofits can be innovative and holistic in their work thanks to community generosity. But philanthropy can’t do it alone. Both of our organizations work closely with government and public institutions, the business community, and other nonprofits. We share our time, resources, and expertise and we leverage strategic investment to meet the most critical needs in our community. While our two organizations may operate day to day in different ways, we are united in the goal to elevate our communities and are committed to ensuring community members have pathways to give at every level and engage in changemaking.

We are grateful for the generosity and partnership in our northern Colorado region. Thank you for being part of our shared work.

Joy Sullivan, President and CEO

United Way of Larimer County

Kristin Todd, President and CEO

NoCo Foundation