Myron Stratton Home

Myron Stratton Home operates from one of the most precisely bounded philanthropic mandates in Colorado. Winfield Scott Stratton's 1902 will directed his Cripple Creek gold-mining fortune toward 'poor persons who are without means of support' — specifically the poor elderly, poor children and their families, and those who are sick or infirm and unable to earn a living. Every grant application must thread this needle: your program must demonstrably serve one of these populations within El Paso County or Teller County. No exceptions have been observed in the grantee record, which covers 133 grants totaling $2,690,000, all in Colorado.

This is an operating foundation first and a grantmaker second. With $4.6 million in direct residential program expenses (housing 107 low-income seniors on campus), $718,044 in Stratton Consortium facility support for partner nonprofits, and a $30 million Chamberlin Hall construction project now entering Phase 2, the board views external grants as a purposeful complement to its own direct services — not a separate charitable agenda. Organizations whose work sits adjacent to Stratton's direct care capacity and fills gaps the Consortium cannot cover are the clearest fit.

The grantee record reveals a strong preference for multi-year relationships. Silver Key has received $225,000 across two grants; Cripple Creek-Victor School District, $200,000 across two cycles; Partners in Housing, $60,000 over two grants; Fostering Hope and We Fortify each received $100,000 in proactive multi-cycle grants. The board designates some awards as 'proactive grants' — meaning trustees identify worthy organizations and invite them to apply, rather than waiting for competitive proposals. First-time applicants should therefore approach this as a trust-building exercise: a modest initial grant in the $15,000–$35,000 range typically precedes a deeper, proactive relationship.

Geographic discipline is absolute. All 133 grants on record went to Colorado organizations serving the Pikes Peak corridor. Organizations serving multiple counties must explicitly identify their El Paso or Teller County program footprint in any proposal. Statewide organizations with a regional office qualify; remote-only programs do not.

The foundation's external grant budget has grown steadily over the past decade. Grants paid climbed from $275,500 in FY2013 to $320,000 in FY2015, then accelerated: $597,500 in FY2019, $651,000 in FY2020, $635,000 in FY2021, $650,000 in FY2022, $759,500 in FY2023, and $967,000 in 2025 — a 62% increase over six years. The 2025 figure represents disbursements to 34 agencies, implying an average award of roughly $28,440 per grant that year.

The typical grant size from the DB grantee record is more conservative: median $15,000, average $20,226–$23,767 across 133 recorded grants. The range is wide — the foundation reports typical awards of $2,500–$150,000 — but the practical cluster is $15,000–$50,000. The outlier grants above $100,000 (Silver Key at $225,000, Cripple Creek-Victor School District at $200,000, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity at $150,000, Fostering Hope and We Fortify each at $100,000) are all multi-grant or proactive-grant relationships, not first-time competitive awards.

Program area breakdown by the grantee record reveals a clear hierarchy. Senior services and housing dominate at roughly 35–40% of recorded grant value: Silver Key ($225,000), Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity ($150,000 for senior housing), Day Break Adult Day Program ($50,000), UCCS Aging Center ($40,000), Innovations in Aging Collaborative ($40,000), Energy Resource Center ($40,000 for elderly home repairs), Teller Senior Coalition ($25,000), and Cheyenne Village ($25,000) all represent direct senior-focused funding.

Children and family services represent roughly 25–30% of top-50 grant value: Fostering Hope ($100,000), CASA of the Pikes Peak Region ($50,000), The Place ($50,000), Atlas Preparatory School ($80,000), Griffith Centers for Children ($30,000), and Children's Literacy Center ($25,000) illustrate this priority.

Affordable housing as a standalone category — distinct from senior housing — accounts for another 10–15%: Mercy's Gate ($45,000 across three grants), Partners in Housing ($60,000), Homeward Pikes Peak ($35,000), Dream Centers ($35,000), and Brothers Redevelopment ($30,000) confirm that housing-insecure families, not exclusively seniors, qualify.

Total giving (including internal programs) grew from $4.5 million in FY2012 to $8.1 million in FY2023. Net investment income of $24.7 million in FY2023 on $260.9 million in assets gives the board significant latitude to expand external grants further.

The table below compares Myron Stratton Home to four peer foundations operating in Colorado, drawn from public IRS filings and foundation directories.

Myron Stratton occupies a distinctive niche among Colorado Springs funders: it is simultaneously an operating organization (housing 107 seniors directly) and a community grantmaker, with a mandate locked in by a 1902 will. El Pomar is the dominant Pikes Peak peer by prestige and asset scale, but El Pomar funds statewide and across all sectors — making Stratton more accessible and predictable for organizations specifically serving low-income seniors and vulnerable families in the Pikes Peak corridor. The Pikes Peak Community Foundation overlaps geographically but operates more as a donor-advised vehicle with diffuse priorities. For organizations fitting Stratton's narrow mandate, it is arguably the most reliable and mission-aligned funder in El Paso County.

The most significant recent development is the Chamberlin Hall affordable housing project — the largest capital undertaking in the organization's 112-year history. Phase 1 opened in 2025 with 81 independent living apartments for income-restricted seniors, funded by a $30 million board-designated grant (described publicly as the largest affordable housing donation from a private foundation in Colorado). The design, by architecture firm Kephart, represents Phase 1 of a 15-year plan to create 300 new affordable homes on the Stratton campus. Phase 2 is set to launch spring 2026, adding 35 additional residents to Chamberlin Hall.

On the grantmaking side, 2025 was a notably strong year: $967,000 distributed to 34 agencies across the Pikes Peak Region, representing a 27% increase over the $759,500 paid in FY2023. This suggests the board is deliberately expanding external grantmaking capacity now that the Chamberlin Hall capital phase is largely complete.

Executive Director Daniel O'Rear has led the organization continuously across all years in the financial record, with compensation growing from $174,305 to $223,960 over four annual filings — a strong indicator of institutional stability. President C. David McDermott, Vice President Thomas Naughton, Secretary Meredith Vaughan, and Treasurer Stephen Woodford also appear consistently across multiple years, reflecting an unusually stable board structure.

The Stratton Consortium served over 16,700 individuals in 2024 through facility partnerships with Peak Vista Community Health Centers, Partners in Housing, and TESSA. No major leadership changes, strategic reorientations, or public controversies were identified in 2025–2026 web research.

Anchor every section to Stratton's will. The board reviews every proposal against a specific legal standard: IRC Section 4942(g) distributions that serve the populations named in Winfield Stratton's 1902 will — the poor elderly, poor children and their families, and those sick or infirm unable to earn a living. Generic 'community benefit' language will not pass review. Name your client population explicitly, report the percentage meeting low-income thresholds, and quantify how many reside in El Paso or Teller County.

Use the Self-Assessment Tool before anything else. The foundation hosts it specifically to screen organizations before they invest time in a full application. If you score poorly, do not try to reframe your program — seek a different funder.

Call Daniel O'Rear before the window opens. The foundation's own application instructions say 'contact Daniel O'Rear at 719-579-0930.' This is not a formality; it is a signal that a pre-application conversation is part of their process. Use the call to confirm eligibility, understand what the board is emphasizing in the current cycle, and ask whether a collaborative proposal structure would strengthen your submission. Organizations that call in advance report better alignment in their final proposals.

Lead with the 'avoid duplication' requirement. The website explicitly states that collaborative projects avoiding duplication of existing services are a high priority. In your narrative, map the existing service landscape in the Pikes Peak region and explain — with specifics — how your program fills a genuine gap. Name peer organizations and differentiate your approach.

Calibrate your request to the funding pattern. For a first-time applicant, target $15,000–$35,000 — consistent with the median grant of $15,000 and the most common award band in the grantee record. Requesting $100,000+ on a first application, without a prior relationship, is almost certainly rejected. Build a track record with a modest first grant, then pursue a proactive, multi-year relationship.

Time your cycle strategically. Spring cycle (April 1–June 1 deadline) produces decisions by late September or October — good if you need funding for Q1 of the following year. Fall cycle (October 1–December 1 deadline) produces decisions by late March — better for spring program launches. Decisions take approximately 3–4 months from submission.

Submit reports on time. Follow-up reports are due May 1 (spring grants) or November 1 (fall grants). Late reports are a disqualifier for renewal applications.