Adolph Coors Foundation

The Adolph Coors Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) family foundation established in October 1975 with funds from the Adolph Coors, Jr. Trust and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Adolph Coors, Jr. was the son of the founder of the Coors Brewing Company. The Coors family now controls both the brewing company and the foundation. The Adolph Coors Foundation describes its vision for America as including "the wisdom of the free enterprise system, traditional Judeo-Christian values and the rule of law."

The Foundation states that its public policy funding priorities include:

• "Enhancing understanding of the free enterprise system"
• "Preserving the principles upon which our democracy was founded to help ensure a limited role for government and the protection of individual rights as provided for in the Constitution"
• "Encouraging personal responsibility and leadership"
• "Upholding traditional American values"

After growing protest to the racist and anti-gay behavior of the Adolph Coors Foundation in the 1970's and 1980's, in 1993 the foundation publicly restricted its grants to Colorado organizations. In 1994, the Adolf Coors Foundation then formed the Castle Rock Foundation with an unrestricted $36.5 million in assets to continue funding radically conservative organizations under a different name. In November 2011, the Castle Rock Foundation and its more than $38 million in assets were dissolved back into its father foundation again.

The Foundation has provided $274 million in grant funding since 1976. In 2019, the Foundation funded 114 grants for a total of $8.88 million.

In 2018, the Adolph Coors Foundation reported a total of $14,819,922 in net investment income, made a total of $7,326,583 in contributions, gifts and grants and reported $170,181,331 in total assets.

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council

The Adolph Coors Foundation granted $330,000 to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) between 2012 and 2018, according to an analysis of the Foundation's 990 Forms by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD).

About ALEC

ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our PRWatch.org site.

Ties to the State Policy Network

The Adolph Coors Foundation has granted over $20.4 million to the State Policy Network and its member organizations between 2009-2018.

SPN is a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of January 2021, SPN's membership totals 163. Today's SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party. SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told the Wall Street Journal in 2017 that the revenue of the combined groups was some $80 million, but a 2019 analysis of SPN's main members IRS filings by the Center for Media and Democracy shows that the combined revenue is over $120 million. Although SPN's member organizations claim to be nonpartisan and independent, the Center for Media and Democracy's in-depth investigation, "EXPOSED: The State Policy Network -- The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government," reveals that SPN and its member think tanks are major drivers of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders.

In response to CMD's report, SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told national and statehouse reporters that SPN affiliates are "fiercely independent." Later the same week, however, The New Yorker's Jane Mayer caught Sharp in a contradiction. In her article, "Is IKEA the New Model for the Conservative Movement?," the Pulitzer-nominated reporter revealed that, in a recent meeting behind closed doors with the heads of SPN affiliates around the country, Sharp "compared the organization’s model to that of the giant global chain IKEA." She reportedly said that SPN "would provide 'the raw materials,' along with the 'services' needed to assemble the products. Rather than acting like passive customers who buy finished products, she wanted each state group to show the enterprise and creativity needed to assemble the parts in their home states. 'Pick what you need,' she said, 'and customize it for what works best for you.'" Not only that, but Sharp "also acknowledged privately to the members that the organization's often anonymous donors frequently shape the agenda. 'The grants are driven by donor intent,' she told the gathered think-tank heads. She added that, often, 'the donors have a very specific idea of what they want to happen.'"

A set of coordinated fundraising proposals obtained and released by The Guardian in early December 2013 confirm many of these SPN members' intent to change state laws and policies, referring to "advancing model legislation" and "candidate briefings." These activities "arguably cross the line into lobbying," The Guardian notes.

Grants Distributed

2018

The Adolph Coors Foundation gave at least $3,152,550 to SPN, its members, and associate members in 2018. These groups, as well as other entities that received grants in 2018, are broken down as follows:

• Access After School: $20,000
• American Enterprise Institute: $175,000
• American Indian College Fund: $48,200
• American Legislative Exchange Council: $75,000
• Arkansas Valley Pregnancy Center: $10,000
• Becket Fund: $125,000
• Bessie’s Hope: $10,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: $30,000
• Big Idea Project: $100,000
• Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club: $15,000
• Book Trails: $7,000
• Book Trust: $25,000
• Boston Children’s Hospital: $250,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County: $10,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Larimer County: $100,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver: $40,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Pueblo County: $20,000
• Boys and Girls Club of San Luis Valley: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Club of South Park: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Weld County: $15,000
• Breakthrough Ken Denver: $20,000
• Bridge House: $300,000
• Buckeye Institute: $25,000
• Buddy Program: $15,000
• Cascade Policy Institute: $30,000
• Challenge Foundation: $15,000
• Children’s Literacy Center: $92,000
• Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists: $10,000
• Colorado Association of Funders: $4,370
• Colorado BioScience Institute: $7,000
• Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation: $15,000
• Colorado School of Mines Foundation: $230,500
• Common Sense Policy Roundtable: $20,000
• Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives: $50,000
• Community Resource Center: $5,000
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society: $30,000
• Cross Purpose: $250,000
• Denver Youth Program: $20,000
• Discovery Institute: $25,000
• DonorsTrust: $975,000
• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation: $200,000
• Durango Discovery Museum: $15,000
• EdChoice: $25,000
• Empire Center for Public Policy: $40,000
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: $75,000
• Eureka McConnell Science Museum: $20,000
• Evergreen Freedom Foundation: $45,000
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies: $75,000
• First Liberty Institute: $30,000
• Foundation for Government Accountability: $60,000
• Foundation for Individual Rights in Education: $35,000
• Franklin News Foundation: $25,000
• FreedomWorks Foundation: $40,000
• Generation Justice: $250,000
• Georgia Center for Opportunity: $200,000
• Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver: $30,000
• Gunnison Hinsdale Youth Services: $15,000
• Help the Needy: $10,000
• Heritage Foundation: $75,000
• High Valley Community Center: $15,000
• Hillsdale College: $195,000
• Illinois Policy Institute: $40,000
• Independence Institute: $77,550
• Independent Institute: $60,000
• Institute for Free Speech: $30,000
• Institute for Justice: $70,000
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute: $50,000
• Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain: $50,000
• Kids Pasta Project: $3,000
• Leadership Program of the Rockies: $20,000
• Longs Peak Council Boy Scouts of America: $15,000
• Lucy Burns Institute: $35,000
• Manna- The Durango Soup Kitchen: $10,000
• Media Research Center: $75,000
• Minds Matter of Denver: $15,000
• Mountain States Legal Foundation: $75,000
• Mt. Carmel Center of Excellence: $100,000
• National Taxpayers Union Foundation: $20,000
• Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs: $130,000
• Other Side Academy: $100,000
• Pacific Legal Foundation: $90,000
• Pacific Research Institute: $35,000
• Philanthropy Roundtable: $75,000
• Pioneer Institute: $30,000
• Playworks: $10,000
• Pregnancy Resource Center: $23,000
• Publius Lex: $500,000
• Reaching Out to Community and Kids: $10,000
• Rural Young American Center for Financial Education Wray: $15,000
• San Luis Valley Developmental Resources Group: $5,250
• San Miguel Mentoring Program: $10,000
• Save Our Youth: $60,000
• Soccer Without Borders: $7,500
• SOS Outreach: $15,000
• Southeastern Legal Foundation: $60,000
• State Policy Network: $80,000
• Summer Scholars: $15,000
• Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine - UC Irvine: $350,000
• Tax Foundation: $40,000
• Team Rubicon: $100,000
• United States Olympic Museum: $500,000
• University of Northern Colorado: $31,500
• Western Stock Show Association: $500,000
• Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty: $25,000
• Women’s Bean Project: $20,000
• Woodland Park Pregnancy Center: $10,000
• Wray Rehabilitation and Activities Center: $5,000
• Yankee Institute for Public Policy: $30,000
• Young America’s Foundation: $60,000
• Young Americans Center for Financial Education: $30,000
• YouthEntity: $20,000
• YouthPower: $15,000
• YouthRoots: $12,500

2017

The Adolph Coors Foundation gave at least $2,547,550 to SPN, its members, and associate members in 2017. These groups, as well as other entities that received grants in 2017, are broken down as follows:

• Alternatives Pregnancy Center: $20,000
• America's Future Foundation: $20,000
• American Enterprise Institute: $175,000
• American Indian College Fund: $48,200
• American Legislative Exchange Council: $75,000
• American Private Radio: $25,000
• Aspen Youth Center: $10,000
• The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: $125,000
• Belay Enterprises: $25,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: $30,000
• Big City Mountaineers: $10,000
• Big Idea Project: $218,000
• Bill of Rights Institute: $20,000
• Boston Children's Hospital: $250,000
• Boy Scouts of America, Denver Area Council: $75,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Fremont County: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver: $40,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Colorado: $20,000
• Bridge House: $300,000
• Buena Vista Pregnancy Center: $7,500
• California Policy Center: $25,000
• Canon Literacy Center: $3,500
• Cato Institute: $75,000
• Center for American Values: $15,000
• Center of the American Experiment: $30,000
• Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy: $25,000
• Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation: $5,000
• Colorado Robotics Excelling at Science and Technology: $10,000
• Colorado School of Mines Foundation: $330,500
• Colorado Springs Teen Court: $15,000
• Colorado Youth Outdoors: $20,000
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society: $30,000
• Costilla County Economic Development Council: $35,000
• The Council for Economic Education: $50,000
• Crisis Pregnancy Center of Montrose: $10,000
• Cross Purpose: $15,000
• DonorsTrust: $900,000
• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation: $200,000
• Dress for Success Denver: $15,000
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: $75,000
• Fathers in the Field: $15,000
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies: $60,000
• Generation Justice: $265,000
• Georgia Center for Opportunity: $250,000
• Gilpin County Public Library: $2,000
• Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver: $30,000
• Girls on the Run of Denver: $15,000
• Girls on the Run of Western Colorado: $10,000
• Goldwater Institute: $60,000
• Goodwill Industries of Denver: $15,000
• Greenhouse Scholars: $15,000
• Hands of the Carpenter: $20,000
• Hillsdale College: $445,000
• Hopewest: $15,000
• Hudson Institute: $30,000
• I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County: $30,000
• Independence Institute: $77,550
• Institute for Justice: $70,000
• Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain, Inc: $50,000
• The Leadership Institute: $50,000
• Libertas: $25,000
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: $35,000
• Manhattan Institute for Policy Research: $40,000
• Media Research Center: $75,000
• Mesa Youth Services: $15,000
• Military Community Youth Ministries: $20,000
• Mountain States Legal Foundation: $75,000
• Moving Picture Institute: $50,000
• Museum of Friends: $5,000
• National Review Institute: $50,000
• New England Legal Foundation: $30,000
• Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association: $10,000
• Pacific Legal Foundation: $90,000
• Palmetto Promise Institute: $20,000
• Parents Challenge: $10,000
• Partners in Routt County: $10,000
• Pathways Hospice: $15,000
• Pelican Institute for Public Policy: $25,000
• The Philanthropy Roundtable: $75,000
• Phillipe County, CO: $40,000
• Platte Institute for Economic Research: $30,000
• Pregnancy Research Connection: $10,000
• R12 Charities: $2,500
• Reason Foundation: $50,000
• Roaring Fork Leadership: $2,500
• Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute: $20,000
• Roundup River Ranch: $75,000
• Saluting America Foundation: $7,500
• Save Our Youth: $60,000
• Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust: $15,000
• Smart Colorado - CNDC: $25,000
• Southwestern Legal Foundation: $60,000
• State Policy Network: $80,000
• Step 13: $20,000
• Stout Street Foundation: $25,000
• Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine - UC Irvine: $304,333
• Tax Foundation: $40,000
• Team Rubicon: $100,000
• Texas Public Policy Foundation: $50,000
• The Production Company: $7,500
• United Way of Pueblo County: $6,000
• University of Northern Colorado Foundation: $31,500
• Washington Policy Center: $30,000
• Western Stock Show Association: $500,000
• Whiz Kids Tutoring: $15,000
• Work Options for Women: $25,000
• Yampa Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center: $5,000
• Young America's Foundation: $130,000
• Young Americans Center for Financial Education: $30,000
• Young Life - Vail Valley: $10,000
• Young Voices: $7,500

2016

The Adolph Coors Foundation gave at least $1,225,000 to SPN, its members, and associate members in 2016. These groups, as well as other entities that received grants in 2016, are broken down as follows:

• Acton Institute: $25,000
• American Council of Trustees and Alumni: $30,000
• American Enterprise Institute: $175,000
• American Indian College Fund: $47,000
• American Legion Colorado Boys State: $12,500
• American Legislative Exchange Council: $75,000
• American Red Cross - Mile High Chapter: $250,000
• Bear River Young Life: $10,000
• Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: $100,000
• Bent County Las Animas Community Activity Center: $5,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: $30,000
• Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club: $15,000
• Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions: $15,000
• Boston Children's Hospital: $250,000
• Boys Scouts of America, Denver Area Council: $100,000
• Boys and Girls Club of South Park: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Chaffee County: $10,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver: $40,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County: $20,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of San Luis Valley: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Weld County: $15,000
• Buckeye Institute: $25,000
• Cato Institute: $75,000
• Center for Individual Rights: $30,000
• Colorado Association of Funders: $4,240
• Colorado Council on Economic Education: $35,000
• Colorado Future Farmers of America Foundation: $10,000
• Colorado School of Mines Foundation: $240,000
• Colorado Succeeds: $35,000
• Colorado Technology Community Foundation: $10,000
• Colorado UpLift: $40,000
• Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives: $35,000
• Community Resource Center: $10,000
• Computers for Kids Foundation: $15,000
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society: $30,000
• Cross D Bar Recreation Foundation: $2,500
• Custer 2020, Inc: $10,000
• Custer County: $25,000
• David Horowitz Freedom Center: $45,000
• Delta Montrose Youth Services: $15,000
• Denver K-Life: $10,000
• Denver Youth Program: $20,000
• DonorsTrust: $250,000
• Dunn Laboratory - UCLA: $113,334
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: $75,000
• Family Resource Center: $10,000
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies: $60,000
• Foundation for Economic Education: $40,000
• Foundation for Government Accountability: $50,000
• Foundation for Individual Rights in Education: $35,000
• Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge: $50,000
• Friends of Lamar HOPE Center: $2,500
• Galen Institute: $20,000
• George Mason University Foundation: $25,000
• Georgia Center for Opportunity: $40,000
• Georgia Public Policy Foundation: $20,000
• Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver: $30,000
• Gold Crown Foundation: $10,000
• Gunnison Hinsdale Youth Services: $15,000
• Heart and Hand Center for Youth and their Families: $10,000
• Heartland Institute: $40,000
• Help the Needy: $10,000
• High Valley Community Center: $12,500
• Hillsdale College: $432,000
• Hope House of Colorado: $75,000
• Idaho Freedom Foundation: $15,000
• IdRaHaJe: $100,000
• Independence Institute: $75,000
• Independent Institute: $60,000
• Institute for Justice: $70,000
• Institute on Religion and Public Life: $25,000
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute: $50,000
• Junior Achievement of Southern Colorado: $150,000
• Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain: $50,000
• Larimer County Partners: $20,000
• Leadership Program of the Rockies: $20,000
• Legacy Family Ministries: $2,500
• Lincoln Network: $25,000
• Lone Cone Library Foundation: $20,000
• Longs Peak Council, Inc, Boy Scouts of America: $15,000
• Loveland Youth Gardners: $7,000
• Lucy Burns Institute: $35,000
• Lutheran Medical Center Foundation: $10,000
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: $35,000
• Manna - The Durango Soup Kitchen: $8,000
• Media Research Center: $60,000
• Mi Casa Resource Center: $50,000
• Mile High Workshop: $10,000
• Mississippi Center for Public Policy: $10,000
• Mountain States Legal Foundation: $75,000
• Mt. Carmel Center of Excellence: $200,000
• National Association of Scholars: $50,000
• National Center for Public Policy Research: $30,000
• Network of Enlightened Women: $10,000
• Pacific Legal Foundation: $90,000
• Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy: $35,000
• Partners in Housing: $30,000
• Peak Education: $10,000
• People Improving Communities and Kids: $10,000
• Philanthropy Roundtable: $75,000
• Property and Environment Research Center: $50,000
• Providence Network: $50,000
• Reading Partners: $10,000
• Restoration Project: $10,000
• Riverside Educational Center: $15,000
• Rural Young Americans Center for Financial Education Wray: $15,000
• Saguache Works: $5,000
• San Miguel Mentoring Program: $10,000
• Sangre de Cristo Hospice and Palliative Care: $10,000
• Save our Youth: $60,000
• Secure Futures Colorado - CNDC: $35,000
• Service Corp of Retired Executive Association: $5,000
• Smart Colorado - CNDC: $50,000
• SOS Outreach: $15,000
• Southeastern Legal Foundation: $60,000
• Southern Colorado Community Foundation: $172,000
• State Policy Network: $80,000
• Steamboat Institute: $15,000
• Student Free Press Association: $20,000
• Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine - UC Irvine: $178,334
• Tax Foundation: $35,000
• Team Rubicon: $1,000,000
• Texas Public Policy Foundation: $50,000
• The American Studies Center: $50,000
• The GEAR Alliance: $5,000
• University of Northern Colorado Foundation: $21,000
• Wet Mountain Valley Saddle Club: $5,000
• YESS Institute: $12,000
• YouthPower365: $15,000
• YouthRoots: $12,500

2015

The Adolph Coors Foundation gave at least $4,255,000 to SPN, its members, and associate members in 2015. These groups, as well as other entities that received grants in 2015, are broken down as follows:

• American Action Forum: $15,000
• American Enterprise Institute: $175,000
• American Indian College Fund: $48,200
• American Legislative Exchange Council: $50,000
• Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: $100,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: $30,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado: $20,000
• Big Idea Project: $5,000
• Boston Children's Hospital: $250,000
• Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado: $20,000
• Boys and Girls Club of Fremont County: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County: $15,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver: $40,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado: $20,000
• Breakthrough Kent Denver: $20,000
• Bridge House: $50,000
• Business and Consumer Foundation of the BBB of Denver/Boulder: $10,000
• C.A.P.B.A.S: $10,000
• Carson J. Spencer Foundation: $15,000
• Cascade Policy Institute: $25,000
• Cato Institute: $75,000
• Center for Competitive Politics: $25,000
• College Track: $15,00
• Colorado BioScience Institute: $7,000
• Colorado Council on Economic Education: $35,000
• Colorado Institute of Funders: $8,110
• Colorado Robotics Excelling at Science and Technology, Inc.: $10,000
• Colorado School of Mines Foundation: $303,750
• Colorado Uplift: $40,000
• Colorado Volunteers in Juvenile and Criminal Justice: $20,000
• Community Resource Center: $10,000
• Competitive Enterprise Institute: $50,000
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society: $30,000
• Denver Urban Scholars: $15,000
• Denver Youth Program/Metro Partners: $20,000
• DonorsTrust: $3,050,000
• Dunn Laboratory - UCLA: $56,666
• Durango Nature Studies: $10,000
• EdChoice: $25,000
• Emily Griffith Foundation: $75,000
• Empire Center for Public Policy: $25,000
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: $75,000
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies: $60,000
• Foundation for Teaching Economics: $25,000
• Four Corners School of Outdoor Education: $5,000
• Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity: $25,000
• FreedomWorks Foundation: $40,000
• Freedom Foundation: $45,000
• Full Circle of Lake County, Inc: $10,000
• Girl Scouts of Colorado: $30,000
• Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver: $30,000
• Girls on the Run of Denver: $15,000
• Golden View Classical Academy Foundation: $200,000
• Goodwill Industries of Denver: $15,000
• Hands of the Carpenter: $15,000
• Hard at Work Kids: $4,000
• Heritage Foundation: $75,000
• Hillsdale College: $425,000
• Horizons at Colorado Academy: $10,000
• Independence Institute: $75,000
• Institute for Energy Research: $50,000
• Institute for Justice: $70,000
• Intellectual Takeout: $50,000
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute: $50,000
• John McConnell Math and Science Center: $20,000
• Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain, Inc: $50,000
• Launch: Community Through Skateboarding: $4,500
• Leadership Institute: $50,000
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: $25,000
• Maine Heritage Policy Center: $25,000
• Media Research Center: $60,000
• Mesa Youth Services, Inc: $15,000
• Montana Policy Institute: $15,000
• Mountain Area Alternatives Crisis Pregnancy Center: $5,000
• Mountain States Legal Foundation: $60,000
• Mt. Carmel Center of Excellence: $100,000
• National Center for Policy Analysis: $20,000
• National Taxpayers Union Foundation: $20,000
• Our Hometown Charitable Foundation: $20,000
• Pacific Legal Foundation: $90,000
• Pagosa Crisis Pregnancy Center, Inc: $5,000
• Philanthropy Roundtable: $50,000
• Pioneer Institute: $30,000
• Playworks: $10,000
• Prairie Family Center: $5,000
• Reason Foundation: $50,000
• Rio Grande Foundation: $10,000
• Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute: $15,000
• San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition: $5,000
• Save Our Youth: $60,000
• See the Change, USA: $10,000
• Silverton Youth Center: $5,000
• Smart Colorado: $50,000
• Soccer Without Borders: $5,000
• State Policy Network: $80,000
• Step 13: $20,000
• Summer Scholars: $15,000
• Summit Pregnancy Information Center Exchange: $2,500
• Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine - UC Irvine: $178,334
• Texas Public Policy Foundation: $50,000
• The Buddy Program: $10,000
• The Challenge Foundation: $15,000
• The Conflict Center: $10,000
• The National Catholic Bioethics Center: $20,000
• The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs: $20,000
• True North Youth Program: $2,500
• University of Northern Colorado Foundation: $18,000
• Ute Springs Experiential Learning Center: $5,000
• Vail Valley Charitable Fund: $10,000
• Walking Mountains Science Center: $10,000
• Washington Policy Center: $25,000
• Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Inc: $25,000
• Women's Bean Project: $20,000
• Woodland Park Pregnancy Center: $8,000
• Yankee Institute for Public Policy: $20,000
• Young America's Foundation: $50,000
• Young Life - Arkansas Valley: $10,000
• YouthZone: $10,000

2014

The Adolph Coors Foundation gave at least $1,245,000 to SPN, its members, and associate members in 2014. These groups, as well as other entities that received grants in 2015, are broken down as follows:

• Alpha Center: $10,000
• Alternative Pregnancy Center: $15,000
• America's Future Foundation: $10,000
• American Enterprise Institute: $150,000
• American Indian College Fund: $47,000
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): $40,000
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation: $120,000
• Aspen Youth Center: $7,500
• AspenPointe Enterprises: $325,000
• Beacon Center of Tennessee: $25,000
• The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: $100,000
• Bessie's Hope: $10,000
• Better Business Bureau serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming Foundation: $10,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: $30,000
• Big City Mountaineers: $10,000
• Bill of Rights Institute: $20,000
• Book Trust: $25,000
• BookTrails: $5,000
• Boy Scouts of America, Denver Area Council: $100,000
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Chaffee County: $10,000
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County: $20,000
• Boys & Girls Clubs of South Park: $10,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver: $40,000
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Weld County: $15,000
• Bridge House: $50,000
• Buena Vista Pregnancy Center: $5,000
• Butterfly Pavillion: $10,000
• California Policy Center: $20,000
• Cato Institute: $75,000
• Center for Individual Rights: $30,000
• Center of the American Experiment: $20,000
• Children's Literacy Center: $15,000
• Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy: $25,000
• Colorado Association of Funders: $3,880
• Colorado Children's Campaign: $10,000
• Colorado Council on Economic Education: $35,000
• Colorado Outward Bound School: $75,000
• Colorado School of Mines Foundation: $230,000
• Colorado Uplift: $40,000
• Colorado Youth at Risk: $15,000
• Colorado Youth Outdoors: $30,000
• Community Resource Center: $10,000
• Community Resources: $10,000
• Computers for Kids Foundation: $15,000
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society: $25,000
• The Council for Economic Education: $50,000
• Crisis Pregnancy Center of Montrose: $10,000
• Delta Montrose Youth Services: $15,000
• Denver Area Youth for Christ: $10,000
• Denver Kids, Inc.: $25,000
• Denver Youth Progress/Metro Partners: $20,000
• Downtown Aurora Visual Arts: $7,500
• Dress for Success Denver: $10,000
• Encore Life: $5,000
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: $75,000
• Family Learning Center: $20,000
• Family Resource Center: $10,000
• Fathers in the Field: $10,000
• Florence Crittenton Services: $50,000
• Foundation for Government Accountability: $50,000
• Foundation for Individual Rights in Education: $25,000
• Generation Schools Network: $10,000
• Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver: $30,000
• Girls on the Run of Western Colorado: $7,500
• Greenhouse Scholars: $15,000
• Gunnison Hinedale Youth Services: $15,000
• HalfMoon Arts: $3,000
• Help the Needy: $10,000
• Heritage Foundation: $75,000
• Hillsdale College: $175,000
• Hopewest: $15,000
• Hudson Institute: $30,000
• I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County: $20,000
• Illinois Policy Institute: $15,000
• Independence Institute: $75,000
• Independent Institute: $50,000
• Independent Women's Forum: $75,000
• Institute for Justice: $70,000
• Intellectual Takeout: $50,000
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute: $40,000
• Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain: $50,000
• Karis Community: $10,000
• Larimer County Partners: $15,000
• Leadership Program of the Rockies: $15,000
• Manhattan Institute for Policy Research: $30,000
• Manna Soup Kitchen: $8,000
• Massachusetts General Hospital: $448,015
• Media Research Center: $60,000
• Mi Casa Resource Center: $25,000
• Military Community Youth Ministries: $10,000
• Mission Wear: $5,000
• Mountain States Legal Foundation: $50,000
• National Association of Scholars: $40,000
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship: $50,000
• New England Legal Foundation: $30,000
• North Littleton Promise: $5,000
• Pacific Legal Foundation: $80,000
• Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy: $25,000
• Pathways Hospice: $15,000
• Philanthropy Roundtable: $50,000
• Platte Institute for Economic Research: $20,000
• Plumfield Learning Systems: $3,000
• Pregnancy Resource Connection: $8,000
• ProjectVOYCE-CNDC: $5,000
• Prospect Home Care Hospice: $3,500
• Roundup River Ranch: $100,000
• Save Our Youth: $120,000
• Seeds of Hope: $15,000
• SOS Outreach: $10,000
• Southeastern Legal Foundation: $50,000
• Tax Foundation: $30,000
• Teach for America: $175,000
• Texas Public Policy Foundation: $50,000
• The Bridge Project-University of Denver: $15,000
• The Youth Foundation: $12,500
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital: $298,000
• University of Northern Colorado Foundation: $18,000
• Whiz Kids Tutoring: $15,000
• Work Options for Women: $25,000
• Wray Rehabilitation and Activities Center: $10,000
• Young Philanthropists Foundation: $15,000
• Youth Directions: $10,000
• YouthRoots: $12,500

Grants Made to SPN Members Between 2009 and 2014

The Adolph Coors Foundation gave at least $8,063,402 to SPN, its members, and associate members from 2009 to 2014, broken down as follows:

• American Enterprise Institute: $900,000 (2009-2014)
• American Legislative Exchange Council: $90,000 (2012-2013)
• Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research: $60,000 (2014)
• Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions: $10,000 (2014)
• Cascade Policy Institute: $25,000 (2014)
• Cato Institute: $375,000 (2009-2010, 2013)
• Center for Competitive Politics: $15,000 (2013)
• Center of the American Experiment: $20,000 (2012)
• Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives: $25,000 (2014)
• Competitive Enterprise Institute: $45,000 (2012-2013)
• DonorsTrust: $25,000 (2012)
• EdChoice: $25,000 (2012)
• Ethics and Public Policy Center: $135,000 (2012, 2014)
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies: $110,000 (2012, 2014)
• Foundation for Economic Education: $40,000 (2014)
• Foundation for Government Accountability: $50,000 (2014)
• Freedom Foundation: $30,000 (2014)
• Georgia Public Policy Foundation: $10,000 (2012)
• Heartland Institute: $30,000 (2014)
• Heritage Foundation: $800,000 (2009-2014)
• Idaho Freedom Foundation: $10,000 (2014)
• Illinois Policy Institute: $20,000 (2013)
• Independence Institute: $2,768,402 (2009-2014)
• Independent Institute: $50,000 (2012)
• Independent Women's Forum: $90,000 (2012-2013)
• Institute for Justice: $340,000 (2011-2014)
• Intellectual Takeout: $20,000 (2012)
• James Madison Institute: $50,000 (2012, 2014)
• Landmark Legal Foundation: $90,000 (2011-2012)
• Leadership Institute: $335,000 (2010-2014)
• Manhattan Institute: $20,000 (2013)
• Mississippi Center for Public Policy: $20,000 (2014)
• Mountain States Legal Foundation: $355,000 (2009-2014)
• National Center for Policy Analysis: $55,000 (2012, 2014)
• Pacific Legal Foundation: $510,000 (2009-2013, 2014)
• Property and Environment Research Center: $50,000 (2014)
• Reason Foundation: $100,000 (2012, 2014)
• Southeastern Legal Foundation: $30,000 (2012)
• State Policy Network: $130,000 (2012, 2014)
• Steamboat Institute: $10,000 (2014)
• Tax Foundation: $30,000 (2013)
• Texas Public Policy Foundation: $80,000 (2013-2014)
• Washington Policy Center: $20,000 (2013)
• Young America's Foundation: $60,000 (2012, 2014)

Core Financials

2018

• Total Revenue: $8,441,647
• Total Expenses: $12,509,151
• Net Assets: $166,048,471

2017

• Total Revenue: $16,196,106
• Total Expenses: $10,364,281
• Net Assets: $170,181,331

2016

• Total Revenue: $16,290,925
• Total Expenses: $9,915,531
• Net Assets: $164,284,150

2015

• Total Revenue: $2,316,353
• Total Expenses: $11,198,807
• Net Assets: $157,908,756

2014

• Total Revenue: $9,787,003
• Total Expenses: $6,900,375
• Net Assets: $166,791,210

2013

• Total Revenue: $22,828,360
• Total Expenses: $6,340,372
• Net Assets: $160,587,325

2012

• Total Revenue: $3,910,478
• Total Expenses: $9,249,440
• Net Assets: $144,099,337

2011

• Total Revenue: $11,262,275
• Total Expenses: $5,873,142
• Net Assets: $149,438,299

Personnel

Staff

As of March, 2021:

• Alejandra Major
• Cindy Kennedy
• Carol Strathman
• Carrie Tynan
• Liz Tara Losinski

Board of Directors and Trustees

As of March 3, 2020:

• John Jackson, Executive Director, Secretary
• Peter H. Coors, President and Chairman
• Jeffrey H. Coors, Treasurer
• Melissa Coors Osborn, Vice President
• Cecily Coors Garnsey, Vice President
• Benjamin R Windsor
• Carin Coors Bremer
• Christina Coors Williams
• Carrie Tynan, Executive Director/Secretary (from April 2019)
• Michael Garnsey

Former Board of Directors and Trustees

• Robert G. Windsor
• William K. Coors

Contact Information

Adolph Coors Foundation
215 Saint Paul Street
Suite 300
Denver, Colorado 80206

Employer Identification Number (EIN): 51-0172279
Phone: (303) 388-1636
Email: generalinfo@acoorsfdn.org
Web: http://www.coorsfoundation.org
Facebook: Adolph Coors Foundation
Twitter: @acoorsfdn

Resources and Articles

IRS Form 990 Filings

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Related SourceWatch Articles

• Acton Institute
• Coors Brewing Company
• America's Future Foundation
• American Action Forum
• American Council of Trustees and Alumni
• American Enterprise Institute
• American Legislative Exchange Council
• Americans for Prosperity Foundation
• Beacon Center of Tennessee
• Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
• Bill of Rights Institute
• Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions
• Buckeye Institute
• California Policy Center
• Cascade Policy Institute
• Castle Rock Foundation
• Cato Institute
• Center for Competitive Politics
• Center for Individual Rights
• Center of the American Experiment
• Claremont Institute
• Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives
• Competitive Enterprise Institute
• David Horowitz Freedom Center
• Discovery Institute
• Donors Capital Fund
• DonorsTrust
• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
• Durango Nature Studies
• EdChoice
• Empire Center for Public Policy
• Ethics and Public Policy Center
• Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies
• Foundation for Economic Education
• Foundation for Government Accountability
• Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
• Franklin News Foundation
• Freedom Foundation
• FreedomWorks Foundation
• Galen Institute
• Georgia Center for Opportunity
• Georgia Public Policy Foundation
• Goldwater Institute
• Heartland Institute
• Heritage Foundation
• Hudson Institute
• Idaho Freedom Foundation
• Illinois Policy Institute
• Independence Institute
• Independent Institute
• Independent Women's Forum
• Institute for Energy Research
• Institute for Free Speech
• Institute for Justice
• Intellectual Takeout
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute
• James Madison Institute
• Landmark Legal Foundation
• Leadership Institute
• Leadership Program of the Rockies
• Lincoln Network
• Lucy Burns Institute
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy
• Maine Heritage Policy Center
• Manhattan Institute
• Media Research Center
• Mississippi Center for Public Policy
• Montana Policy Institute
• Mountain States Legal Foundation
• Moving Picture Institute
• National Association of Scholars
• National Center for Policy Analysis
• National Center for Public Policy Research
• National Review Institute
• National Taxpayers Union Foundation
• Network of Enlightened Women
• New England Legal Foundation
• Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
• Pacific Legal Foundation
• Pacific Research Institute
• Palmetto Promise Institute
• Pelican Institute for Public Policy
• Philanthropy Roundtable
• Pioneer Institute
• Platte Institute for Economic Research
• Property and Environment Research Center
• Reason Foundation
• Rio Grande Foundation
• SPN Members
• Southeastern Legal Foundation
• State Policy Network
• Steamboat Institute
• Student Free Press Association
• Tax Foundation
• Texas Public Policy Foundation
• Washington Policy Center
• Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
• Yankee Institute for Public Policy
• Young America's Foundation

Other Resources

• Center for Media and Democracy, ALECexposed.org, organizational resource website.