History

The Colorado Episcopal Foundation was incorporated in 1983 by Joan Francis, Ranald Macdonald and the Rev. Canon E. M. "Bert" Womack. Conversations with Bishop William "Bill" Frey and Bishop Suffragan William "Dub" Wolfrum were instrumental in establishing the Foundation.

The founders' purpose was to establish a foundation that would assemble financial resources and distribute them for Godly purposes. The original mission statement of the Foundation was to "provide special financial support for the work of Christ through the Episcopal Church in Colorado."

In November, 1985, the Rev. William "Bill" Crews became the first Executive Director. The Foundation's offices were located in the basement of the Diocesan Center.

The funding for the Foundation became secure in April, 1986, when the Colorado Trust's income for the benefit of the Episcopal Church, which resulted from the sale of Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital, was assigned to the Foundation.

In its early years, the Foundation focused on mission, education, service, and crisis response.

The Foundation relocated its offices to 723 Sherman Street, Denver, in 1987. At the end of December, 1990, the Foundation purchased a building at 1234 Bannock Street, which it occupied along with a few other non-profit organizations as tenants.

During the early years of building its programs and services, the Foundation assisted churches in the creation of endowments and began offering planned giving vehicles to benefit local congregations. The Foundation also established its Pooled Investment Funds to help churches and the Diocese invest their short and long-term funds.

In the decade of the 1990s, the Foundation began to focus on stewardship and planned giving. Financial services such as the stock gift and congregational loan programs were established to help congregants provide financial support to churches at no cost to the individuals.

The Rev. Bill Crews retired in 1997, and the Rev. Douglass Ray came on board in October of that year.

In 1999, the current mission statement was developed, which says, "The Mission of the Colorado Episcopal Foundation is to leverage the vision and resources of local congregations to help build the church in Colorado, helping people to be ever more effective witnesses to Christ in their communities."

As the Foundation refined its focus to ensuring the future vitality of the Church in Colorado, the Land Bank, which purchases and holds land for future churches, made its first purchase in Pueblo West in the Sangre de Cristo Region in 2003.

Anita Sanborn, a former health care executive, was appointed the third president of the Foundation in January, 2004.

In that same year, the Colorado Episcopal Legacy Society was launched as a means to encourage church members to remember the church in their wills and estate plans. A commemorative mosaic tree of life installation was dedicated in April, 2005, at the Diocesan Center to honor the 23 founding churches and 375 founding members of the Colorado Episcopal Legacy Society.

At the end of 2004, the current logo was introduced to reflect the Colorado Episcopal Foundation and its renewed focus on partnership, programs, and perspective.

In 2006 the Foundation sold the property at 1234 Bannock as a result of the Denver Art Museum's expansion. The current Foundation offices are located at 1300 Washington St., at the Lower Level of the Diocesan Center.