Serving Our Community Since 1928

Rooted in History

Creating Community Since 1928

Our origin dates back to 1928 with the creation of the Colorado Springs Community Trust by visionary citizens who believed that the Pikes Peak Region needed a way to build a permanent charitable endowment to improve the quality of life in our community. The Trust was a collection of separate trusts managed by three local banks: US Bank, Bank One, and Wells Fargo.

In 1996, Board members of the Community Trust determined that establishing a community foundation would best serve the needs of philanthropists and a growing community. In 1998, Pikes Peak Community Foundation and the Colorado Springs Community Trust began operating alongside each other with combined administrative and grantmaking objectives. The Colorado Springs Community Trust was fully dissolved into Pikes Peak Community Foundation in 2009.

Since the first grant was made more than 90 years ago, the Community Foundation has made more than an estimated $125 million investment in our region.

Key Dates in our History

  • 1928: Colorado Springs Community Trust (CSCT) is created
  • 1996: Community Foundation Serving Southern Colorado is founded
  • 1998: Name changed to Pikes Peak Community Foundation (PPCF) to more accurately reflect geographic region served
  • 2009: CSCT is dissolved into PPCF as one organization
  • Today: Over $125M in grants have been distributed to nonprofits
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Alice Bemis Taylor: the first female member of the grants distribution committee, she served 1929 – 1942
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Original Trustee, A.H Hunt at First National Bank
Other original Trustees include: Charles P. Bennett, Fred L. Crissey, Ralph O. Giddings, William S. Jackson, Fred L. Sherwin, Alice Bemis Taylor, and Frank F. Wulff

Mission

We inspire generosity, serve fundholders, and mobilize resources to effectively and equitably address the Pikes Peak Region's critical issues and transformational opportunities, now and for generations to come.

Vision

A thriving, resilient, sustainable community with a vibrant quality of life for all.

Our Commitments to the Community

  • We know our community, listen to our community, and work for its common good.
  • We advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in who we are and how we work.
  • We lead and collaborate with a wide array of community partners, exploring root causes to drive systemic change.
  • We are the community's endowment and adhere to the highest ethical standards as grant makers and stewards of funds.
  • We have been here since 1928 and we are here to stay.