Mighty Arrow Family Foundation is a left-of-center environmentalist ¹ and critical race theory-influenced ² grantmaking foundation located in Fort Collins, Colorado. ^{3 4} Originally established by New Belgium Brewing Company co-founder Kim Jordan as the New Belgium Family Foundation in 2012, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation focuses its grantmaking activities on environmentalist and critical race theory-influenced “social justice” causes. ^{5 6 7}

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation has signed left-of-center Confluence Philanthropy’s “Belonging Pledge,” ⁸ which commits the foundation to “integrating racial justice” into investment decision-making, evaluation of portfolio holdings, and establishes targets to divest from “systemic racism or white supremacy.” ⁹

The foundation has expressed the view that “racism and inequity plague the nation,” ¹⁰ has contended that “climate and democracy are not separate issues,” ¹¹ and called a changing climate an “existential threat to the planet.” ¹²

In 2019, the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation received a $9.25 million contribution from Jordan and $1 million contributions from her sons, Nick Lebesch and Zack Danielson. ^{13 14} The foundation plans to exhaust all of its funds and sunset by 2040. ¹⁵

History and Leadership

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation was originally founded as the New Belgium Family Foundation in 2012 by New Belgium Brewing co-founder Kim Jordan. ^{16 17 18} As the family has become less associated with the New Belgium Brewing Company, the foundation changed its name to the Mighty Arrow Foundation in 2020. ^{19 20}

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation plans to exhaust all of its funds and sunset the foundation by 2040. ²¹

Jordana Barrack is the executive director of the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. She is a steering committee member of Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA) and is a part of environmentalist group American Rivers’ Southwest River Council. ²²

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation co-founder Kim Jordan is the chair of the Colorado State University  board of governors. ²³ She has been on the board of directors of the left-of-center environmentalist group 1% for the Planet, the environmentalist Advanced Energy Economy, and others. ^{24 25} She has made political contributions to the campaigns of Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), the Colorado Democratic Party, and others. ²⁶

Activities and Funding

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation is a left-of-center environmentalist ²⁷ and critical race theory-influenced grantmaking organization. ^{28 29}

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation’s investment committee has signed left-of-center Confluence Philanthropy’s “Belonging Pledge,” ³⁰ which states that “racial equity also belongs in the investment process” and commits the foundation to “integrating racial justice” into its investment decision-making, evaluating portfolio holdings, and establishes targets to divest from “systemic racism or white supremacy.” ³¹

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation has expressed the view that “racism and inequity plague the nation” ³² and affirms the critical race theory-influenced concept of “systemic injustice.” ³³ The foundation has also contended that “climate and democracy are not separate issues,” ³⁴ called a changing climate an “existential threat to the planet,” and claimed that American democracy is under threat from “injustice.” ³⁵

Grantmaking

Since its founding in December 2012, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation has contributed $11,071,705 to grant programs and $10.7 million towards what it calls impact-oriented investment vehicles. ³⁶ Ninety-three percent of the grants in Mighty Arrow Family Foundation’s portfolio are three-year commitments. ³⁷ Its grantmaking activities are focused on the critical race theory-inspired concepts of social justice and equity, climate change, food systems, and environmentalist approaches to land and water use. ^{38 39}

In 2022, the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation “went big on social justice and voter access organizations” with three-year grants to make an impact in the 2022 election cycle and prepare for the 2024 election cycle. ⁴⁰

Spring 2022 grantees included Conservation Colorado’s Protegete program, Power California (formerly known as Mobilize the Immigrant Vote), pro-abortion New Era Colorado, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, You Can Vote, Spread the Vote, Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), Urban Ocean Lab, Community Builders, Sonoran institute, the California Climate and Agricultural Network (CalCAN), and others. ^{41 42}

In 2021, the Foundation targeted its grantmaking for organizations focused on “defending our democracy,” the critical race theory-influenced concept of social justice, climate issues, environmentalist approaches to land and water use, and food systems. ⁴³ Fall 2021 grant recipients included the left-of-center Mississippi Center for Justice, Prison Policy Initiative, Southern Center for Human Rights, Climate Neutral, the Freshwater Trust, Ecdysis Foundation, Jubilee Justice, and others. ⁴⁴

Since its founding, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation has made donations on four tracks: critical race theory-influenced social justice and equity, climate change, food systems, and land and water. ^{45 46 47}

Social Justice and Equity grantees have included: 4.0 Schools, As You Sow, the left-wing Movement Voter Project, Cottonwood Institute, Democracy Collaborative, Impact America Fund, New Era, RSF Social Investment Fund, SJF Ventures V, Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, the Marshall Project, the Mosaic Project, Uncharted, Voces Unidas de las Montanas,  Worth Rises, and others. ⁴⁸

Climate-related grantees have included Advanced Energy Economy, American Forests, ⁴⁹ Carbon Lighthouse, ⁵⁰ Ceres, Climate Neutral, Community Builders, Greenbelt Alliance, the environmentalist Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), She’s In Power, the Conservation Fund, and others. ⁵¹

Food Systems grantees have included the left-of-center the Nature Conservancy (TNC), ⁵² and land- and water-related grantees have included American Rivers, Center for Large Landscape Conservation (also known as Climate Conservation), Earthjustice, Outdoor Alliance, Trees Water and People, Western Resource Advocates, and others. ^{53 54}

Funding

Mighty Arrow Family Foundation is funded by New Belgium Brewing Company co-founder Kim Jordan and her sons, Zak Danielson and Nick Lebesch. ⁵⁵

In 2019, the foundation received a $9.25 million contribution from Jordan, a $1 million contribution from Lebesch, and a $1 million contribution from Danielson. ^{56 57}

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41. Barrack, Jordana. “Protecting Our Democracy and Supporting Climate Action Startups: Announcing Spring 2022 Grant Recipients.” Mighty Arrow Foundation. April 21, 202. Accessed June 29, 2022. https://www.mightyarrow.org/news/protecting-our-democracy-and-supporting-climate-action-startups-announcing-spring-2022-grant-recipients.
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43. “From Voting Rights to Clean Water: Announcing Our Fall 2021 Grant Recipients.” Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. November 15, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2022. https://www.mightyarrow.org/news/ax293pfpibkuunnxnw9cn4mpd8r2be.
44. “From Voting Rights to Clean Water: Announcing Our Fall 2021 Grant Recipients.” Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. November 15, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2022. https://www.mightyarrow.org/news/ax293pfpibkuunnxnw9cn4mpd8r2be.
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