If you give kids the opportunity to make a difference now, they’ll continue to make a difference for the rest of their lives.

Giving young people a way to get involved is the mission of the Young Philanthropists Foundation (YPF). One way they do this is through the Penny Harvest—a program that has collected nearly $39,000 for local nonprofits so far this school year. How is collecting pennies connected to The Denver Foundation? Let us count the ways.

YPF is a grantee of Social Venture Partners Denver, a fund of The Denver Foundation that connects experts in business to nonprofits that can use their expertise. The Irene Rothgerber Fund, part of the Foundation’s Community Endowment, supported YPF through the Community Grants Program. And YPF received a Denver Foundation Technical Assistance Grant to help with board training and development.

“Support from Social Venture Partners and The Denver Foundation has been so important to our success in our first years,” says Alexis Boian of YPF. “Together, we’re helping kids understand the power of philanthropy.”

The connections don’t stop with funding. Estate planning attorney Bill Schmidt, an emeritus member of the Foundation’s Professional ­Advisors Council, serves on YPF’s Board of Directors.

Bill says, “The spectrum of support that The Denver Foundation provides to promising young organizations like YPF is one reason I often recommend The Denver Foundation to clients interested in making a difference in the community.”