Giving Network

The Giving Network engages philanthropists in the Aspen, CO, region about pressing community issues and needs through collaborative learning. By pooling funds and resources, we make impactful grants to regional nonprofits who serve to catalyze change.

Mission

Through collaborative learning, the Giving Network provides a forum for philanthropists to learn about critical community needs, discuss opportunities, and decide where to grant pooled membership funds.

Vision

The Giving Network envisions a region where committed philanthropists are actively engaged in learning about and supporting the local nonprofit sector to address the critical needs from Aspen to Parachute.

Learn, Discuss, Decide

High-Impact Philanthropy

We are a group of committed philanthropists in the Aspen region who are interested in making a difference by supporting the work of nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3)) serving our community from Aspen to Parachute, CO.

Giving Network members meet several times a year to learn from experts and practitioners who are dedicated to finding solutions for the region’s most pressing issues and needs. Members listen, review data, discuss the challenges and seek to identify promising solutions through peer conversations and collaborative learning.

Founded in 2016 and hosted by the Aspen Community Foundation with the generous support of Laura and Gary Lauder, the Giving Network provides a unique opportunity for philanthropists to pool funds and allocate large grants that have meaningful impact (over $650,000 annually).

Since our inception, over $3,700,000 in Giving Network investments have advanced health and human services outcomes by supporting youth and families, social-emotional well-being, and nonprofits supporting basic needs.

Giving Network Grants

We are an independent group of philanthropists who lean on the support and expertise of the Aspen Community Foundation. Our grant process is exclusively run by Giving Network members, who score and vote on outcomes.

Apply for a Grant

The Giving Network’s 2026 Request for Proposal will open January 6, 2026. The Giving Network seeks to support organization serving the Aspen to Parachute region who address the most pressing health and human services needs. Organizations may request funding from one of following cohort focus areas:

Children & Families: academic support, developmental disabilities, domestic violence, early childhood education, wrap-around support
Mental Health: prevention services, social-emotional well-being, substance use, therapy
Basic Needs: financial stability, food insecurity, healthcare, housing, and transportation

For more information about this funding opportunity and timeline please review our request for proposals.

All applications must be submitted through Aspen Community Foundation’s grants portal by Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. MST.

Office Hours and Questions

Two sessions of virtual office hours will be offered to answer any additional questions to help organizations get clarity about this funding opportunity. These are optional, informal conversations, no RSVP is needed.

2025 Grantees

Giving Network awarded $675,000 to 18 local nonprofits, filling gaps and needs in the Roaring Fork community. In 2025, Giving Network funded the following nonprofits:

Basic Needs

Alpine Legal Services
Food Bank of the Rockies
Harvest for Hunger
Mountain Valley Development Services
River Center of New Castle
Safe and Abundant Nutrition Alliance (SANA)
The Farm Collaborative

Mental Health

Aspen Hope Center
A Way Out
DU – Rural MSW Program
La Clinica Del Pueblo – The People’s Clinic
River Bridge Regional Center

Children and Families

Access After School
Children’s Rocky Mountain School
English in Action
Family Resource Center of the RFV
Garfield County School District #16
YouthEntity

Join the Giving Network

Contact Ramona Bruland, the Giving Network Chair, at ramona@giving-network.org or call Ramona at c.970-497-6775. Giving Network membership starts at $5,000 annually, with additional giving levels available.

Resources

2026 Giving Network Members

Kalah Espinoza and David Agger

Pam Alexander

Jill and Paul Aschkenasy

Sonya Auvray

Tasia Bade

Jayne and Jarett Banks

Sally Sakin and Duncan Barber

Holly and Albert Baril

Jennifer Moses and Ron Beller

Meredith Berman

Jody and Jeffrey Black

Pollyanna Uruena and Noah Bremen

Julia Pirrung and Bob Bridger

Courtney and Michael Brown

Andrea and Chris Bryan

Robin and Neal Buchalter

Glenn Bucksbaum

Diana Bulman

Lauren and David Chazen

Kate and Ryan Craft

John Cresap

Autumn and Mike Davidson

Tony DiLucia

Megan DiSabatino

Minnie Dubiliere

Heather and Todd duBoef

Gail and Alfred Engelberg

Laurel Gilbert and Bruce Etkin

Vanessa Obregon and Edgar Farah

Jaimie and David Field

Kristen and Andrew Firman

Anna and Matt Freedman

Barbara and Karl Friedman

Dale Genet

Rachel and Ephraim Gildor

Ramona Bruland and Michael Goldberg

Andi and Jim Gordon

Lisie and Michael Gottdenker

Jerry and Glenda Greenwald

Jenna and Jason Grosfeld

Amanda and Brett Hirsh

Jackie Merrill and Jay Hughes

Meredith Loring and Sami Inkinen

Susan and Steven Insoft

Laura and Mike Kaplan

Robin and Jeffrey Kaplan

Christine Karnes

Erica and Jeff Keswin

Susan Crown and William Kunkler

Laura and Gary Lauder

Melony and Adam Lewis

Susan and Fred Lodge

Katherine Lorenz

Whitney and Tracy McLaughlin

Morgan Fixel and Duncan Mendelson

Martha and Adam Metz

Sissy and Brent Miller

Wendy Mitchell

Ellen-Jane and Ben Moss

Marcie and Robert Musser

Esther and Craig Navias

Helen Obermeyer

Laurie Crown and Rick Ortega

Casey and Michael Patak

Caroline and Tom Patricelli

Laura and Michael Paulus

Susan Espinoza and Marc Piatkowski

Sarah Broughton and John Rowland

Michelle Rubell

Stephen Sander

Kirsten and Chad Schmit

Zibby and Rick Schwartz

Jen and Paul Sciarra

Marina and Oliver Sharpe

Hillary and Scott Simon

Lesley and Tommy Slatkin

Katya and Zach Sternberg

Jacqueline Neuwirth and Stephen Swire

Molly Lynch and Chester White