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The Colorado Trust Appoints Morris W. Price, Jr. as Vice President of Grants

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The Colorado Trust, a foundation dedicated to creating fair and equal opportunities for Coloradans to lead healthy lives, announced the hiring of Morris W. Price, Jr. as vice president of grants. Price’s first day at The Colorado Trust was Aug. 16.

Prior to joining The Colorado Trust, Price served as vice president and executive director of City Year Denver, beginning in 2015. City Year Denver is the national AmeriCorps nonprofit that deploys year-long, young-adult service members into Denver Public Schools to support students in under-resourced schools. He helped negotiate a multiyear partnership with Denver Public Schools and a new impact strategy that yielded a 400% increase in achievement of student growth goals.

Price also previously served as district director for U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the 1st Congressional District of Colorado, overseeing day-to-day operations of the congressional office including constituent services, program development and policy implementation. As Rep. DeGette’s senior point of contact and engagement manager, he helped to significantly increase the congresswoman’s engagement with the African American, faith and LGBTQIA+ communities in her district.

Price also served as a national program officer for the Gill Foundation, one of the nation’s leading funders of LGBTQIA+ equality; and was among the founding staff members at the Daniels Fund, as director of university and college relations. He also spent 15 years in higher education, including holding the position of associate dean and director of admissions at the University of Denver. Price currently serves on the boards of Rose Community Foundation, Colorado State University Foundation, Colorado Nonprofit Association, First Baptist Church of Denver (current president), Compass Academy, the Denver Art Museum Marketing Advisory Board, and the Colorado State University LGBT Alumni Alliance (founding and current president).

Recognitions for Price include Professional Man of the Year Award from the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; the 2021 Swanee Hunt Leadership Award from the Women’s Foundation of Colorado; the 2013 Al Matthews Civic Engagement Award from the Urban League of Metro Denver; the 2014 Paul Hunter Outstanding Community Leadership Award from Human Rights Campaign; and many others. Price also had the LGBTQ Alumni award renamed in his honor, and received the Charles A. Lory Award for Public Service, from Colorado State University in 2019. Born and raised in Colorado and a proud graduate of Denver Public Schools, Price graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University. He was the recipient of a 2000 Colorado Trust Fellowship and earned a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Regis University.

“We are excited and proud to have Morris joining our team to oversee our health equity grantmaking initiatives,” said Ned Calonge, MD, MPH, president and chief executive officer of The Colorado Trust. “His remarkable breadth of experience across the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, along with his dedication to creating opportunity for the most marginalized and underserved communities in our state, will be essential to our work and efforts.”

About The Colorado Trust
The Colorado Trust is a foundation dedicated to ensuring all Coloradans have the opportunity to thrive. We partner with people and organizations across Colorado that are working to make positive changes in their communities. We provide funding and other resources so that all people have the power to make decisions that improve their lives and the lives of their neighbors. The Colorado Trust also believes local and statewide policies should have a positive impact on people’s well-being. We provide grants and support to organizations that advocate for policies that ensure all Coloradans live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.coloradotrust.org.

Learn about the health equity issues affecting Coloradans at Collective Colorado, a publication of The Colorado Trust.