History

B:CIVIC is born from the storied efforts of Denver’s 2% Club.  The 2% Club was an informal coalition of CEOs who agreed to support and promote charitable giving through their company, and to encourage other companies and executives to get involved in the community.  The 2% Club in Denver was modeled after the 5% Club in Minneapolis, later known as the Keystone Club, whose mission was to promote philanthropic giving in the community.

The 2% Club was started in 1990 at the Piton Foundation by three well known community business leaders: Bill Coors, Sam Gary and Jim Bye. These three outstanding gentlemen recognized the importance of business involvement and wanted to encourage others to experience the personal and business rewards of giving back to the community.  Later the 2% Club moved to be housed at the Adolph Coors Family Foundation and run by Foundation staff Sally Rippey and Jeanne Bistranin.

In 2009, before the economic recession, a group of Metro Denver business and foundation thought leaders met to plan the next generation of the 2% Club as a new organization that would be called B:CIVIC (Businesses Committed to Investing and Volunteering in the Community.)  In light of the recession, plans were put on hold until 2013.

In 2013, after a market research survey to asses the viability of an organization dedicated solely to business community involvement, it was decided to move ahead and found B:CIVIC as a Colorado nonprofit corporation and apply for 501(c)3 designation from the IRS.

The Denver Foundation provided seed funding and became B:CIVIC’s fiscal sponsor until the (c)3 designation is final. Fourteen organizations with a deep commitment to business involvement in the community came together to become the Founding Board of Directors and shepherd the development of B:CIVIC to meet the current needs of companies of all sizes.

For information on B:CIVIC’s Founding Board, click here.