Colorado AAPI Circle Fund

The Colorado AAPI Circle Fund is a private funding opportunity supporting Asian, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities across Colorado. The Denver Foundation invites qualified organizations to apply for funding from the fund. The Colorado AAPI Circle Fund is a collective giving circle formed in 2021 and envisions authentic, visible, and interconnected Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi communities. It was created to fill a role in Colorado's philanthropic and foundation ecosystem by supporting, expanding, and investing in AAPI-centric initiatives and creating civic opportunities for Colorado's AANHPI individuals throughout the state. In 2024, the fund also commissioned the Colorado Lotus Project, a statewide needs assessment intended to better understand the strengths, barriers, and lived experiences of Colorado's AANHPI communities and inform more equitable philanthropic investments. The fund's mission is to elevate the many Asian, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in Colorado by increasing resources, lifting voices, and growing civic engagement. Funding is particularly focused on supporting AANHPI communities most in need. Applicants are therefore expected to demonstrate alignment with this mission and show that their work serves, supports, and addresses the needs of AANHPI communities in Colorado. The source directs prospective applicants to findings from the Colorado Lotus Project for additional context regarding community needs. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or organizations that have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. They must serve, support, and address the needs of Asian, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in Colorado and align with the fund's goals of increasing resources, lifting voices, and growing civic engagement. The opportunity is statewide in Colorado, with no narrower county, city, or other sub-state geographic restriction identified in the provided material. Grant awards received in previous years do not guarantee that an organization will receive a grant in a future funding cycle. The typical grant range is $1,000 to $4,000. The source reports that 71 percent of applicants are funded. It does not state the total amount available through the program, the anticipated number of awards, a required cost share or matching contribution, a specified project period, or detailed restrictions governing allowable and unallowable grant expenditures. Because no matching contribution is stated as required, the opportunity is treated as having no matching requirement. The provided material also does not identify separate funding tiers or tracks. Applications for the current opportunity opened July 1, 2026, and close August 17, 2026. Applicants must register on The Denver Foundation's grant application portal before completing the online application. The source also directs applicants to The Denver Foundation's Grant FAQs. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified. The provided source does not specify individual application questions, required attachments, evaluation scoring criteria, award notification timing, or a performance period. As of August 7, 2026, the application period is open because the July 1, 2026 opening date has passed and the August 17, 2026 closing date has not yet passed. The source labels the opportunity Open. It does not explicitly state that the opportunity recurs annually or according to another regular schedule, so recurrence is not inferred solely from the existence of previous-year awards. Questions about the grant process may be directed to coaapicircle@gmail.com. No individual program contact or program-specific telephone number is identified in the provided material.

Demonstrate clear alignment with the mission to increase resources, lift voices, and grow civic engagement among Colorado AANHPI communities; clearly show how the organization serves, supports, and addresses AANHPI community needs; give particular attention to communities most in need; consider the Colorado Lotus Project findings for relevant community-needs context.