WFCO President & CEO Lauren Y. Casteel to Retire in 2025
Lauren Y. Casteel Exemplified Commitment, Community, and Compassion Throughout Her 35 Years in Philanthropy
The Women’s Foundation of Colorado Named Casteel President and CEO in 2015
The Women’s Foundation of Colorado today announces the January 2025 retirement of President and CEO Lauren Y. Casteel (she/her), punctuating a rich and impactful 35-year career in philanthropy. Named president and CEO of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado in 2015, Casteel’s tenure is defined by excellence and inclusivity in philanthropy, innovative and values-based grantmaking, as well as substantial growth in revenue and assets.
“We at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado have the deepest appreciation for how Lauren’s leadership lifted the trajectory of WFCO, internally and externally,” said Tania Zeigler (she/her), chair of the board of trustees. “With her bold commitment to gender, racial, and economic equity, Lauren has transformed our statewide impact. As the first woman of color to lead The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, she took us on a learning journey of how to be an inclusive community foundation and operate from a place of joy and abundance. Her effortless ability to connect and collaborate with diverse communities as well as her powerful speaking will continue to inspire our work as we pursue change on behalf of all Colorado women. Today, our strategies are more relevant, effective, and impactful than ever.”
With her bold commitment to gender, racial, and economic equity, Lauren transformed our statewide impact. – Tania Zeigler, chair of the board of trustees
Casteel Built Equitable Opportunities for Overlooked and Underserved Colorado Communities
A hallmark of Lauren Y. Casteel’s career has been her commitment to building equitable opportunities for overlooked and underserved Colorado communities. She introduced an intersectional lens to programs and operations and positioned The Women’s Foundation of Colorado as a full-service statewide community foundation. Today, The Foundation offers community-led grantmaking, holds donor-advised funds, and maximizes donor impact through our gender-lens investments.
Under Lauren Y. Casteel, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado:
- Diversified our giving communities and investments: Casteel ensured board, staff, committees, and partners reflect the communities they serve. She aligned 100% of The Foundation’s investable assets with our gender-lens investment strategies. She also grew donor-advised funds and giving circles substantially, including welcoming The Foundation’s first Black women’s giving circle. Similarly, Casteel ensured that the majority of The Foundation’s assets are managed by investment firms in which a third or more of the firm’s ownership or leadership are women and/or people of color.
- Joined the national discourse: For The Foundation’s 30-year anniversary in 2017, Lauren Y. Casteel interviewed Michelle Obama at the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena) in the former First Lady’s first publicly-ticketed speaking engagement after leaving The White House. The interview generated over one billion media impressions. Also during Casteel’s tenure, The Foundation received first-time support from several national funders, including Ford Foundation, Momentum Fund, Ms. Foundation, S&P Global Foundation, and The Kresge Foundation.
- Built values-based and innovative grantmaking programs: With a new strategic framework and branding in 2017, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado introduced our WAGES (Women Achieving Greater Economic Security) grantmaking program that brought together direct-service and public policy grantees to serve all 64 Colorado counties. In 2021, The Foundation introduced WINcome – the next iteration of WAGES. It works with direct-service and public policy organizations to provide holistic resources and trust women with flexible cash assistance to meet their families’ financial needs. Also in 2021, with a lead gift from The Colorado Health Foundation, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado introduced our community-led Women & Girls of Color Fund to combat the chronic underinvestment in women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals of color leading nonprofit organizations.
- Increased fundraising and grew assets: The Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s annual contributions more than quadrupled from $1.4 million in 2015 to $5.6 million in 2023. Additionally, total assets rose from $20.5 million in 2015 to $34.5 million in March 2024 and grantmaking from $1.2 million in 2015 to $3.8 million in March 2024. Similarly, with a commitment to stewardship and accountability, Lauren Y. Casteel strengthened internal systems, technology, evaluation, and infrastructure.
- Solidified our role as public policy leader: Since 2015, The Foundation helped Colorado lead the national movement toward pay transparency by passing groundbreaking equal pay legislation. Additionally, The Foundation helped pass FAMLI, the Reproductive Health Equity Act, and Don’t Tax Dignity. The Women’s Foundation of Colorado continues to strengthen access to child care and cash for Coloradans through legislation.
Accolades and Philanthropic Accomplishments
Inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014, Lauren Y. Casteel also has been awarded with a Governor’s Citizenship Medal, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Colorado, the League of Women Voters’ Leader of Democracy Award, the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce’s Athena Award, Axios Power Player Award, Community Investment Network Lynetta Gilbert Award, and the Mountain Region Black Economic Summit’s Legacy Award, among many others.
“The Women’s Funding Network celebrates the impact that Lauren Casteel has had on the evolution and relevance of women’s funds and foundations,” said Elizabeth Barajas-Román (she/her), president & CEO of Women’s Funding Network. “She has been a pivotal player in shifting their perception as ‘ladies who lunch’ to full-blown philanthropic institutions that innovate and lead through policy advocacy, impact investing, and community-led grantmaking.”
Upon joining The Women’s Foundation of Colorado in 2015, Casteel became the first person in Colorado to lead three separate foundations – including the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation and Hunt Alternatives Fund. Immediately prior to joining The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, she was a vice president at The Denver Foundation for 16 years. She has served on many nonprofit boards, including the board of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado from 1993-1999.
“Lauren has been at the forefront of using policy and grantmaking to change lives, communities, and systems,” said Noah Atencio (he/him), CEO of Philanthropy Colorado. “She has been a bold and unapologetic champion for equity and has continually inspired Colorado’s philanthropic sector to meet the needs of historically marginalized members of our community. I know that even in retirement, she will continue to shape and influence how we make a more just and fair society.”
“She has been a bold and unapologetic champion for equity and has continually inspired Colorado’s philanthropic sector to meet the needs of historically marginalized members of our community. – Noah Atencio, CEO of Philanthropy Colorado
Celebrate Lauren’s Legacy With WFCO on September 27, 2024
Following her retirement early next year, Casteel will continue serving on the board of trustees for The Colorado Health Foundation. She will also explore what “radical rest“ looks like while abiding by her favorite mantra borrowed from Maya Angelou: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, some style…. and generosity and kindness.”
“Philanthropy is love of humankind, and I have loved my time at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado,” said Casteel. “I’m most proud of the passion, innovation, and excellence generated by the board and staff during the last decade. Standing together, we have made significant economic gains for women and their families, and yet, the importance of supporting our work is greater than ever. Expanding investments in women and families of every background and identity is how we chart a strong economic future for Colorado. The Foundation is well positioned for new leadership, and I look forward to seeing how it evolves.”
To celebrate Lauren’s legacy and support The Foundation’s future, tickets, tables, and sponsorships are available for WFCO’s Annual Luncheon on Sept. 27, 2024 at the Colorado Convention Center. This year’s guest speakers are two Colorado-born women with international audiences – artist Jordan Casteel and author Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Jordan Casteel, whose paintings were exhibited at The Denver Art Museum in a 2019 solo presentation titled “Returning the Gaze,” is thrilled to join her mom, Lauren, on stage for her final luncheon. She also was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow in 2021. Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s short story collection, “Sabrina & Corina,” made waves in the literary community when it was published in 2019 and she became a National Book Award finalist.
The Women’s Foundation of Colorado is partnering with Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, LLC (NPAG), a women-owned search firm with a diverse team of over 30 professionals, to identify The Foundation’s next president and CEO. NPAG specializes in working with organizations that are driving systems change to advance equity, justice, and opportunity. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
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The Women’s Foundation of Colorado is the only statewide, community-funded foundation protecting the progress and advancing gender, racial, and economic equity for all Colorado women. We expressly commit to those facing the steepest barriers on the basis of their background and identity. The Foundation leverages community investments with multiple approaches to dismantle systemic barriers, close equity gaps, and advance meaningful change for all 2.85 million Colorado women and girls.
For more information:
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