Brighton Legacy Foundation asks city for $25,000 to cover prior shortfall; city budget adds $30,000

Brighton Legacy Foundation leaders said Tuesday they face a $25,000 funding shortfall from the previous grant year and asked the Brighton City Council for an increase to make up the gap.

At a City Council study session, Yvette Martinez, co-chair of the Brighton Legacy Foundation, and co-chair Rhiannon Collins reviewed the foundation's recent grants and programs and said the shortfall meant some local nonprofit requests went unmet. Collins said, "we are respectfully requesting a funding increase of $25,000 to cover last year's shortfall and continue to meet the needs of our community." The presentation listed recent grantees and described programs supported by the foundation.

The request matters because the Brighton Legacy Foundation distributes city-appropriated funds to local nonprofits that provide housing assistance, mental health response and youth services. City staff later told councilors the proposed 2026 budget includes a $30,000 allocation to the Legacy Foundation, which is $5,000 more than the foundation's formal request.

During a question-and-answer segment, councilors asked for more financial detail. Councilmember Green asked for the foundation's current balance and a listing of mini-grant recipients and said he would like each dollar accounted for before supporting a larger appropriation. Presentation materials and council statements indicated the foundation distributed approximately $200,000 in grants this cycle but that up-to-date financials for August were not available during the meeting.

The foundation detailed several recent grantees. Rhiannon Collins described Cultural Brokers, a new organization working to connect culturally diverse residents with behavioral health resources, and praised its founder Anthony Johnson for early progress. She summarized Reaching Hope's co-responder program, which sends clinicians alongside law enforcement in Brighton and Federal Heights for crisis calls and includes follow-up case management to reduce repeated emergency responses. Brothers Redevelopment was described as a long-time grantee that now runs three new matched-savings grant programs for education, small business and home buying; Collins said those programs target households earning roughly 80% to 120% of area median income and match $1,000 in personal savings with $9,000 from the program to create a $10,000 seed.

Speakers from grantee organizations supplied written statements read aloud at the meeting. Sherry Nicholas, director of education programs at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, said her organization is nearly 60% federally funded and lost a partnering NSF grant with one week's notice, forcing cancellations. A statement from Almost Home said it has seen a nearly $2 million funding reduction in fiscal year 2026 compared with fiscal year 2025 and has reduced staff capacity, including laying off four employees, furloughing one and reducing hours for three others.

Council members signaled willingness to consider the request as part of the budget process. Council members asked that the foundation present earlier in the year going forward so city budget staff can factor the request into the proposed budget rather than dealing with it late in the budget cycle. City staff said applications for the foundation's grants open in October and that grant decisions occur at the foundation's November meeting.

The foundation said it budgets a modest administrative line (typically $5,000) that covers the website and minor operating costs and that unused admin funds roll back into grant funds. The foundation also said it maintains a small line for youth funding and emergency micro-grants.

Councilmembers requested the foundation provide detailed financial statements, a list of mini-grant recipients and the foundation's remaining balance before the council finalizes a funding decision later in the budget cycle.