Micah Foundation

The Micah Foundation is a family private foundation established in June 2019 by the Goldstein family, headquartered at 250 Steele Street, Suite 375 in Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood. With approximately $18.2 million in total assets and annual giving in the $650,000–$856,000 range, it operates as a tightly controlled, invitation-only grantmaker that proactively selects its grantees rather than accepting unsolicited proposals.

The foundation's philosophy is anchored in Jewish values — its largest documented grantee, the Micah Fund at Rose Community Foundation, explicitly advances "inclusive, engaged, and equitable Greater Denver communities through values-driven philanthropy." The name Micah references the biblical prophet whose call to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly" (Micah 6:8) undergirds a broad tradition of Jewish philanthropic giving. Understanding this ethical-spiritual framework is essential context for any organization seeking to connect with this funder.

Governance is tightly held within the Goldstein family: Jeffrey S. Goldstein serves as President, with Ezra F. and Jared F. Goldstein as Directors. Kristina B. Fraser holds the Secretary position and Jennifer Crossett serves as Treasurer. Total officer compensation has been $0–$8,000 annually across all filings, confirming this is a lean family foundation without professional program staff. There is no grants manager or development officer to contact.

The foundation's grantee list reveals two structural categories: core multi-year partners (American Jewish World Service, Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains, Jewish Family Service of Colorado) that receive repeat, substantial grants across multiple fiscal years; and exploratory or one-time grants (Children's Hospital Colorado, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, Rose Andom Center) that reflect responsive giving rather than strategic programming. The Micah Fund at Rose Community Foundation — the foundation's single largest grantee — functions as a pass-through to the broader Denver Jewish community ecosystem, suggesting the foundation's actual grantmaking footprint is wider than its 990 grantee list alone implies.

First-time prospective grantees should internalize this core reality: the Micah Foundation does not post RFPs, maintain a grants portal, publish deadlines, or engage in any public-facing competitive process. The pathway to funding is entirely relationship-driven, running through Denver's Jewish philanthropic ecosystem — most directly through Rose Community Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Denver, and aligned Jewish community service organizations. Cold outreach is ineffective and may signal organizational misalignment.

The Micah Foundation has distributed between $650,000 and $856,578 annually from FY2020 through FY2024, holding to a remarkably consistent giving band despite meaningful asset and revenue fluctuations. Total assets have ranged from $15.7M (FY2019) to $18.3M (FY2023), and annual revenue — entirely investment-driven — has swung from $132,000 (FY2019) to $3.57M (FY2023, a strong equity recovery year). This endowment-only structure (contributions received: $0 across all years) means giving levels are calibrated to long-term asset preservation, not fundraising cycles. The IRS minimum 5% distribution requirement on $18M in assets implies an annual floor of roughly $900,000, which the foundation is approaching but has not yet consistently met.

Grant size analysis (12 documented grants, $1,430,000 total across the top-grantee dataset): - Average grant: $119,167 - Median grant: approximately $50,000 - Range: $10,000 (Rose Andom Center, domestic violence services) to $420,000 (Micah Fund at Rose Community Foundation) - Typical single-cycle grant for core partners: $150,000–$200,000 per year

Programmatic breakdown by cumulative giving:

• Jewish values-driven philanthropy (Micah Fund at Rose Community Foundation): $420,000 — 29% of documented giving
• Jewish education and services internationally (American Jewish World Service): $400,000 — 28%
• Reproductive healthcare (Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains): $300,000 — 21%
• Jewish community social services (Jewish Family Service of Colorado): $160,000 — 11%
• Children's health and cancer research (Children's Hospital CO + Fred Hutchinson): $100,000 — 7%
• Domestic violence and other human services (Rose Andom Center, AJJDC): $50,000 — 4%

Geographic concentration: 8 of 12 documented grants went to Colorado-based organizations, 3 to New York (primarily American Jewish World Service, headquartered in NYC), and 1 to Washington state (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research in Seattle). The foundation's stated geographic focus of CO/NY/WA maps directly to its grantee distribution.

Annual grant counts have declined from a peak of 8 grantees (FY2021) to just 3 (FY2024), while total disbursements actually reached their highest point in FY2024 at $856,578 — confirming a concentration strategy.

The following table compares the Micah Foundation to five similarly sized private foundations in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category, drawn from the foundation's database peer set. All peer foundations hold approximately $18.2 million in assets, placing them in the same endowment tier. Peer annual giving is estimated at approximately 5% of assets (the IRS minimum distribution requirement) where specific 990 data was unavailable.

Among this asset-peer group, the Micah Foundation is distinctive for its strong programmatic identity — Jewish community values and reproductive healthcare access — compared to peers that carry only the broad Philanthropy & Grantmaking classification with no documented thematic focus. Its Denver-centric geographic concentration also sets it apart: most similarly sized family foundations of this tier either operate nationally or focus on a single metropolitan area with less defined programmatic boundaries. The Goldstein family's multi-generational leadership structure (Jeffrey as President, Ezra and Jared as Directors) and the partnership with Rose Community Foundation's infrastructure suggest a more institutionalized philanthropic model than is typical for single-generation family giving vehicles of this asset size.

No press releases, news announcements, leadership changes, or new program launches were identified in web research for 2025 or 2026. The Micah Foundation maintains no public-facing web presence — the website listed in IRS records (micah.org) resolves to an entirely unrelated Minneapolis-based housing advocacy coalition. This communications silence is structurally consistent with an invitation-only grantmaker that does not solicit applications, host public events, or publicize its grantmaking decisions.

The most recent publicly available data is the FY2024 Form 990, filed December 30, 2025 with the IRS. Key findings from that filing: total charitable disbursements reached $856,578 — the highest annual giving figure since the foundation's 2019 establishment — while total assets declined modestly to $18,199,452 from $18,316,873 in FY2023, reflecting disbursements that slightly exceeded investment returns in a normalized interest-rate environment.

FY2024 revenue came in at $913,826, derived entirely from investment income (dividends, interest, and capital gains from asset sales) with zero in contributions. The foundation spent $1,101,893 in total expenses against that revenue, producing a net operating deficit of approximately $188,000 — offset by unrealized investment appreciation on the endowment.

Jeffrey S. Goldstein has served as President since the foundation's 2019 founding, providing consistent leadership continuity across all six years of filings. Director compensation for Ezra F. and Jared F. Goldstein was $4,000 per person in FY2023, returning to $0 in FY2024 — a minor fluctuation with no programmatic significance. No new board members or officers appear in recent filings.

Given the Micah Foundation's strict invitation-only model, traditional grant-seeking strategies — submitting LOIs, completing online applications, attending funder briefings — are structurally inapplicable. Every piece of advice below is specific to this funder's relationship-driven approach.

Engage the Rose Community Foundation ecosystem first. The Micah Fund at Rose Community Foundation is the single largest documented grantee ($420,000 across two grants) and the Goldstein family's primary vehicle for community-level Denver grantmaking. Organizations that are active Rose Community Foundation grantees, fund advisors, or participants in its Jewish philanthropic programs are in the best structural position to come to the Goldstein family's attention organically.

Use values-aligned language from the first contact. Any introductory one-pager or email should anchor your organization's mission in language consistent with the foundation's explicitly stated philosophy: "inclusive, engaged, and equitable communities through values-driven philanthropy." For Jewish-community organizations, tikkun olam and tzedakah framing is appropriate and expected. For non-Jewish organizations (healthcare, DV services), emphasize community equity and moral obligation language.

Target first contact to Q1–Q2. The foundation operates on a calendar fiscal year, and grant decisions appear to concentrate in annual cycles (likely Q3–Q4 board decisions). Organizations seeking introductions should prioritize relationship-building conversations in January–June to allow time for a relationship to develop before year-end decisions.

Secure a peer-level warm introduction, not a cold referral. The most effective bridges into this funder are current grantees — particularly Jewish Family Service of Colorado, American Jewish World Service, or a colleague organization at Rose Community Foundation. A board-to-board introduction is considerably stronger than a staff-level referral.

Do not mistake the $10,000 Rose Andom Center grant as evidence of an open small-grants program. That grant (domestic violence services) appears to be a responsive, one-time gift rather than evidence of a competitive small-grants cycle. It should not be read as a lower entry point for new organizations.

Avoid critical missteps: Do not call the listed phone number (303-596-4283) cold — it is a building suite line, not a grants office. Do not visit or email the micah.org website — it belongs to an unrelated Minnesota organization. Do not assume that Colorado or Denver geography alone creates a pathway — programmatic alignment with the documented funding areas is equally required.