Few Coloradans alive today knew high-profile community benefactors Julie and Spencer Penrose, but the charitable groundwork the couple laid in the first half of last century is familiar to every generation since.

“One thing the trustees try to do every year and with every grant they make is to honor the intent of our donors, Julie and Spencer Penrose,” said El Pomar president and CEO Kyle Hybl.

In marking the 85th anniversary of the couple’s founding of the philanthropic foundation in December 1937, Hybl announced that the organization has surpassed $700 million in providing benevolent grants and community programs.

About 24,000 grants have been disbursed to more than 4,000 nonprofits and government entities, to fund projects related to arts and culture, civic and community initiatives, education, health and human services.

The couple’s original mission to “enhance, encourage, and promote the current and future well-being of the people of Colorado” hasn’t changed, Hybl said.

“Spencer and Julie were champions of entrepreneurship and regional pride, and they shared a spirit of generosity and adventure,” he said. “They’d be pleased that the bold philanthropic mission they set in motion has flourished and built such a momentum over 85 years of honoring their vision.”

The foundation received about 400 grant requests from nonprofits last year, Hybl said, which is more than in 2021 and nearing pre-pandemic numbers.

Post-COVID-19, areas of youth mental health, affordable and attainable housing, and ensuring sound economic development have been the most pressing needs for communities statewide, he said.

During the pandemic, the foundation made three allotments of $1 million primarily for emergency assistance such as food, utilities and housing, Hybl said.

The foundation released another $1 million in 2021 to help kickstart community gatherings, such as a potato festival in Monte Vista in the San Luis Valley, the Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival, Grand Lake’s Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Troupe event, the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, Fanfest in Colorado Springs and Durango’s Autumn Arts Festival.

Julie and Spencer Penrose were an integral part in sewing together what’s become the fabric of not only Colorado Springs but also the state, Hybl said.

“Whether it was the natural, cultural or health care needs of a community, Julie and Spencer were there,” he said.

Spencer Penrose’s economic development and tourism investments built The Broadmoor hotel, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the Pikes Peak Highway that runs to the top of the region’s signature mountain and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, where the pair are buried.

Penrose started The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 1916 and, along with his wife, founded the Broadmoor Art Academy, which has evolved into the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College.

Supporting the private, independent Fountain Valley School of Colorado as well as expansions at Colorado College and rejuvenation of the Central City Opera also were important to the Penrose legacy.

Their backing helped develop the Glockner-Penrose Hospital, now Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, and its renowned cancer center.

The Penroses created the foundation with a donation of 15,000 shares of stock in El Pomar Investment Co., which served the couple’s business ventures, and a $129,500 check, according to historical accounts.

El Pomar Foundation made five grants totaling $81,737 in its first year, to the Junior League of Colorado Springs’ Nutrition Camp, Fountain Valley School of Colorado, Penrose Colorado Community School, Glockner Hospital and the Boys & Girls Club of Colorado Springs.

Today, El Pomar is one of the largest grant-making foundations in Colorado, awarding some $25 million annually.

However, Hybl said, “we’re fully aware we’re not the ones doing the good work; it’s the nonprofits we’ve had the opportunity to support over the last 85 years that are doing the good work, and we’re grateful.”

To ensure the entire state benefits from the couple’s generosity, El Pomar relies on 70 representatives from all 64 Colorado counties to help trustees determine where grant money should be spent.

Spencer Penrose’s initial contribution worth $21 million has generated an endowment of nearly $700 million.

Private foundations by law are required to spend 5% of net investment assets on charity, which for El Pomar Foundation includes awarding grants and operating community leadership development programs, public forums and other enterprises.

Spencer died in 1939, and Julie died in 1956. Their home adjacent to The Broadmoor has been turned into a conference center for nonprofits to use at no cost, and a public Penrose Heritage Museum showcases the history of the couple and the region.

Julie Villiers Lewis McMillan Penrose is one of 16 women scheduled to be inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in March.

Contact the writer: 719-476-1656.

El Pomar Foundation accepts grant requests on a continual basis, and trustees meet quarterly to review proposals, which are selected for funding on a competitive basis. For more information, go to https://www.elpomar.org/grant-making.