National Philanthropy Day® Spotlight: LaDawn Sullivan

LaDawn Sullivan, 2021 Outstanding Professional Grantmaker, AFP Colorado Chapter

LaDawn Sullivan has racial justice and community leadership in her DNA. The eldest granddaughter of long-time Denver civil rights leader Ruth C. Denny, LaDawn has centered the love of giving back, racial justice and her community in her professional work and personal life. For her work, LaDawn is being honored as the 2021 Outstanding Professional Grantmaker by the AFP Colorado Chapter. 

LaDawn has organized and supported social justice and racial equity through her various roles at The Denver Foundation for 25 years. Her work as a grantmaker, first as a Strengthening Neighborhoods program officer and later as the director of leadership and equity, exemplified her keen ability to build trusted relationships and support organizations positively impacting their communities. Most recently, she founded and directs the Black Resilience in Colorado Fund, granting over $1 million in funding to Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits.

LaDawn is the architect of Colorado’s “hub of giving circles of color,” a part of a growing national network of donors of color. She organically connects the efforts of grassroots leaders to the history and culture of Black, Indigenous, and people of color philanthropy through collective giving. She also leads an informal network of new philanthropic funds led by and serving communities of color, championing these efforts as a national panelist and peer mentor. 

LaDawn pursues her community activism by working on campaigns that promote literacy, efforts that encourage the preservation of African American history, culture and social justice in Colorado. 

The AFP Colorado Chapter celebrated National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 12. Learn more about the celebration here, and learn more about LaDawn by clicking here.