History |Community First Foundation

Like many organizations that span decades, Community First Foundation has evolved since our founding in 1975. Yet there has always been a common thread through our journey, and that is a passion for the health and well-being of Denver area communities.

Although we began with an original corpus of $300,000, the support of individual donors and nonprofit organizations has helped us grow our assets to more than $53.4 million in 2010. This generosity enables us to continue providing the innovative initiatives and programs we are known for.

Our history begins in 1975 as Lutheran Medical Center Foundation, when we were created to serve as the fund-raising arm for Lutheran Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital supporting Denver’s West side.

In the mid 90’s, Lutheran Medical Center and the Foundation participated in a two-year study to give the community a voice in determining what constitutes health, and to shape community programs and services. The study revealed that health reached well beyond hospital care. In fact, it outlined a new definition for health according to the following dimensions: aesthetic, economic, educational, emotional, environmental, occupational, physical, social and spiritual.

Sponsorship of Exempla Healthcare
In 1997, Lutheran Medical Center became part of Exempla Healthcare, a nonprofit healthcare system established to manage Lutheran Medical Center and Saint Joseph Hospital. To ensure the community’s investment in these hospitals and provide oversight of the financial health of Exempla Healthcare, LMC Community Foundation and the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System became sponsors of Exempla Healthcare.

New Role as a Community Foundation

With the establishment of Exempla Healthcare, we became a community foundation and changed our name to LMC Community Foundation in 1998 to reflect our broader community focus.

Guiding Philosophy: The Nine Dimensions of Health & Well-Being
LMC Community Foundation adopted the findings from the 1990’s health study that broadened the definition of health. We call this guiding philosophy the Nine Dimensions of Health & Well-Being.

A New Era as Community First Foundation
In October 2007, after ten years as LMC Community Foundation, we changed our name to Community First Foundation. This new identity reflected our mission as a community foundation to improve quality of life in the Denver area, helping us raise awareness of our impact beyond Denver’s West side.

Expanded Governance of Exempla Healthcare
In late 2009, Community First Foundation embraced an opportunity to affirm its commitment to community health and expanded its involvement with Exempla Healthcare. Exempla’s bylaws were amended to reflect a new governance structure consisting of ten members ― five appointed by Community First Foundation and five appointed by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System. Within this structure, the Foundation and the Sisters continue to share sponsorship responsibilities of Exempla Healthcare. Today Exempla Healthcare includes three Front Range hospitals -- Lutheran Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Saint Joseph Hospital -- and a network of Denver area clinics.