COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — There is a major shift happening with the El Pomar Foundation. It is the group honoring the legacy of Spencer and Julie Penrose, who wanted the fortune they amassed in Colorado to perpetually benefit the state.
Now, plans are underway to improve how the foundation serves the community with the creation of an El Pomar campus.
"The Penroses cared deeply about the community, whether it were arts and culture, education, health and human services, whether it's giving to the church or giving to a hospital," said Kyle Hybl, president and CEO of El Pomar Foundation.
The nonprofit Early Connections Learning Centers has considered the Penroses and El Pomar Foundation partners for nearly a century.
Its original location for kids in Downtown Colorado Springs now has multiple satellite locations across the city. That is great for kids, but not the best for administrative needs.
"Early education is an expensive operation. We aren't flush with cash," said Liz Denson, president and CEO of Early Connections Learning Centers.
Beyond grants, El Pomar also supports community engagement with free meeting space for nonprofits and civic events at Penrose House, the former estate of the Penrose family.
"Being able to bring all 100 of our staff together for a large meeting, breakout rooms, all day sessions, and not having to expend those dollars in order to make that a meaningful day for our staff is critical for an organization like Early Connections," said Denson.
Penrose House is a beautiful and historic property, but it has capacity limits. Support is on the way with a renovation and expansion of adjacent property once owned by the Penroses, then run as a care center, and now acquired and returned to the foundation.
"This build out is going to give us the opportunity to actually improve how we gather those people and host them," said Hybl. "It's going to amplify our ability to serve the community by holding year-round events, larger events, larger convenings, larger retreats."
After some 70 years in offices connected to The Broadmoor Hotel, El Pomar sold the building to The Broadmoor. Administration and archives will move to the new space. The build also brings space for as many as 450 people to gather.
"A mission to enhance, encourage, and promote the current and future well-being of the people of Colorado," said Hybl.
"I think we're really fortunate in this region to have access to such a special space," said Denson.
During the decision-making process for this very expensive project, El Pomar leadership made the stipulation that they do not want this to impact their year-to-year grant giving. In a typical year, that is between $20 million and $30 million given out across Colorado.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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