About the Zonta Club of Denver Foundation
The Zonta Club of Denver Foundation is an offshoot of and an integral partner with the Zonta Club of Denver in its mission, function and benefits to the Denver Metro community and beyond.
Overview: The Zonta Club of Denver Foundation (the Foundation) is a 501c3, and supports the Zonta Club of Denver, a 501c4, in funding mission-related programs of the Club and Zonta International that improve women’s lives, their children’s lives and the communities in which they live and work. The Foundation is managed by a Board of Trustees to grow the donations of members and other contributors, and support funding for projects, grants and scholarships.
Mission: The mission of the Zonta Club of Denver Foundation is aligned with the Zonta International Foundation mission, and strives to
-contribute to a better world for women and girls,
-make gender equality a reality,
-and expand women’s and girls’ access to education, economic opportunities, and safe living conditions.
Tax ID: The Foundation EIN is 84-6033076, and in its 2007 Articles of Incorporation, it is defined as being:
“…organized exclusively for charitable purposes … as a Type I supporting organization…. [As such], the [Foundation] is to financially support charitable giving programs of the Zonta Club of Denver, a subordinate club of Zonta International…. [The Foundation’s] specific purpose is to provide grants to publicly supported, non-private foundation Section 501(c)(3) charities as may be selected by the Zonta Club of Denver.”
Projects: Over the years, income from the Foundation contributed to major projects such as the Zonta Chapel at University Hospital and Herstory Wall at the Colorado Convention Center. Additionally, substantial donations are made annually to the Zonta Foundation for Women to support international service grants and scholarships.
Grants: In recent years, local grants have gone to organizations such as The Gathering Place, Women’s Bean Project, Girl Scouts, Focus Points Family Resource Center, Denver Girls/Kids, Mental Health of Denver, Denver Young Artists’ Orchestra, Open Door Ministries, Big Heart Art, Work Opportunities for Women, Beautiful Feet Wellness, the Domestic Violence Initiative, Women Veterans of Colorado, Global Health, Friends of the Haven, Hope House and so many more.
Scholarships: Zonta scholarship efforts include the Amelia Earhart Fellowship for Women in Aerospace, The Zonta Women in Business Leadership Scholarship, and the Young Women in Leadership Award.
Foundation History: After the Club’s beginning in 1927 (see Club History), a “Foundation Fund” was established in 1930-31 and its monetary value was increased over the years by bequests from members and others. In the late 1950s, the Foundation Fund was specifically dedicated to service.
In 1962, the Foundation Fund was incorporated as Zonta Chapel, Inc., a not-for-profit Colorado corporation for the purpose of raising money to establish and furnish a non-sectarian chapel at University Hospital, the teaching hospital of the University of Colorado Medical School. One of the Zonta organizers was Ms Leota Pekrul, then personnel director of the hospital. The Zonta Chapel was established and maintained by the Club until 2007, when the hospital moved to a new location.
In 1978, following receipt of a bequest from member Edna Jean Hershey, the purpose of Zonta Chapel, Inc., was broadened to include support of any service project approved by the Club or Zonta International, and the fund’s name was changed to Zonta Denver Service, Inc. In 2007, it was re-named Zonta Club of Denver Foundation.
A subsequent bequest from member Dorothy McRae, former Colorado Deputy State Treasurer, enabled a $100,000 grant from Zonta Denver Service, Inc., to finance the Herstory wall on the Welton Street side of the Colorado Convention Center (part of what Denver calls Colorado Panorama: a People’s History). Completed in 1991. Herstory, a computer-generated tile mural by artist Barbara Jo Revelle, represents the faces and activities of women important to Colorado’s past, including who Zonta members Edna Jean Hershey and Dorothy McRae.
Additional bequests and donations have been received by the Foundation, and the earnings on investments, together with earnings from fashion shows, an annual film screening, and other fundraising efforts by the Club, have allowed the Foundation to make annual grants totaling up to $40,000 to local agencies that help at-risk women and girls build their skills, abilities, and self-sufficiency. These grants have exceeded $2.2 million, as of February 2026.
The Foundation’s physical address is 3350 S. Clermont St., Denver, Colorado, 80222.