News

June 29, 2020

Legendary cable television entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Daniels would have turned 100 this year

Daniels Fund marks its 20th anniversary

July 1, 2020 would have been the 100th birthday of legendary cable television entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bill Daniels. 2020 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Daniels Fund, which Bill established to make life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, four states to which he had a personal connection.

“Bill led an extraordinary life and touched so many people,” said Hank Brown, Interim President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “This day is a great opportunity to reflect not only on his amazing life, but also how he continues to inspire people to help others.”

Bill Daniels was born in Greeley, Colorado in 1920 during the Great Depression. He was raised in Hobbs, New Mexico and went to New Mexico Military Institute. Bill entered the U.S. Navy in 1941 and became a decorated fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War. After returning from the Navy, he saw television for the first time. When he learned that television wasn’t available in many small towns, he began building his first cable television system in Casper, Wyoming, which launched in 1954. Bill would go on to become a major force in the cable television industry, known as an ethical and visionary entrepreneur. He owned the American Basketball Association Utah Stars — Utah’s first professional sports team — launched one of the first regional sports programming networks, and became part-owner of the Los Angeles Lakers.

As successful as Bill Daniels was in business, he just as well known for his ethics, generosity, and compassion to those in need. Throughout his life, he made large philanthropic gifts, such as large donations to the University of Denver to incorporate ethics into its business school curriculum, and launching Young Americans Bank, Bill’s bank for kids, to help them learn financial literacy. On a more personal level, Bill was often moved to leave anonymous envelopes of cash in mailboxes for people he read about in the newspaper that were down on their luck.

He spent the last few years of his life planning the Daniels Fund, and when he passed away on March 7, 2000, his $1.1 billion estate transferred to the foundation, which began making grants and scholarships that year. Bill identified funding areas that were important to him based on his personal experiences including Aging, Amateur Sports, Disabilities, Drug & Alcohol Addiction, Early Childhood Education, Ethics, Homeless & Disadvantaged, K-12 Education, and Youth Development, and scholarships for deserving students.

From its inception in 2000 through the end of 2019, the Daniels Fund distributed $877.2 million in grants and scholarships. That includes support of 2,814 nonprofit organizations with $654.8 million in grants. During that time, the Daniels Fund has also paid $204.6 million in scholarships for 4,149 Daniels Scholars, and an additional $17.8 million in scholarship grants for non-traditional students through the Boundless Opportunity Scholarship Program.

“Bill once said if you spent your life helping others and were remembered as an honest person, you would leave this world with a clear conscience and a smile on your face,” said Brown. “I would like to think that Bill would be smiling today to see the meaningful legacy he left in his community.”

The Daniels Fund has created a special web page celebrating Bill Daniels’ 100th birthday and the impact of the Daniels Fund in its first 20 years, available here. The page contains an interactive timeline of Bill’s life and stories from people impacted by Bill and his legacy. A full biography of Bill Daniels is available here.

About the Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

DANIELS FUND

Honoring Bill Daniels’ direction to make life better for the people
and communities of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

• COVID-19 Response

Daniels Fund Provides $4 Million for COVID-19 Response

In life and in business, relationships were central to everything Bill Daniels did. Bill understood that we are all connected and believed we each should play a role making our community a better place. He once encouraged people to get involved by saying, “If you pick up the paper and read that the city’s got a problem and needs something, don’t wait to be asked. Let them know that you are part of the community and you’re there to help them.” And he did exactly that — when he heard about people in need, he was often first in line to help. After reading of someone falling on hard times, he was frequently inspired to anonymously leave envelopes of cash donations in mailboxes, in what became known among his associates as “drive-by giving.”

“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was clear that our communities would be facing challenges unlike any we’ve ever seen,” said Hank Brown, Interim President & CEO of the Daniels Fund. “We consider it an honor to be able to continue Bill’s legacy of giving and do our part in helping people in our four-state region of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming meet these challenges.”

Reflecting Bill Daniels’ personal style, the Daniels Fund Grants Program has spent years cultivating strong relationships with grantees based on collaborative partnerships. This foundation of existing relationships played a key role in allowing us to identify needs and act quickly. “Our Grants Program Officers spent the initial weeks of the pandemic proactively reaching out to each of our key grantee partners to understand how the situation was affecting them and the people they serve, and what role the Daniels Fund could play as a resource,” said Kristin Todd, Executive Vice President, Grants Program & Operations of the Daniels Fund. “For some, new funding was needed, for others, flexibility in existing grant terms to allow them to redirect funds as budget priorities shifted.”

“Per your approval we converted your $50,000 grant to general operating support for all of our Colorado operations. This was an incredibly helpful, as we were able to stay open and retain 100% of our workforce – who are all back to work.”
—Bill Morris, Blue Star Recyclers

Time is of the essence when it comes to nonprofits serving people with immediate needs or struggling to keep their doors open. The Daniels Fund’s Board of Directors and management revised the quarterly grant approval process in favor of a nimbler approach which allowed them to get time-sensitive grants approved quickly and get checks out the door weekly.

The Board immediately redirected funds for COVID-19 emergency response grants, and within a few weeks had granted nearly $2 million to 26 nonprofit partners. These included collective efforts such as $100,000 grants to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund and New Mexico’s All Together NM Fund, as well as large grants to organizations providing basic needs such as Food Bank of the Rockies, Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, Volunteers of America, and more. We also supported many other needed programs including several Meals on Wheels chapters to provide meals and wellness checks for isolated seniors and others in need.

In May 2020, the Board allocated additional funds for COVID-19 relief and by the end of the year, the Daniels Fund had provided $4 million in COVID response grants. We continue to stay connected with our partners to understand their challenges and community needs as they develop.

Some of the most common themes of need we have found across our four-state region are:

• Basic human needs, such as food and housing
• Employment and job training
• Childcare options to get parents back to work
• K-12 learning setbacks and technology/internet availability
• Isolation among populations such as seniors, youth, and those in addiction treatment or recovery

Financial support is essential, but it’s just part of the equation. We recognize that nonprofits need to adapt to the changed environment by ramping up their capabilities in technology, fundraising, and other areas. The Daniels Fund has worked to connect our grantees to a variety of resources, webinars, and even individualized, pro-bono consulting from American Philanthropic to help them build their capacity.

“I have worked with many consultants over my long career and my talk with [American Philanthropic] was one of the most valuable I have had. Thank you…Daniels Fund very much for this opportunity. It was very meaningful to College Track as we continue our work,”
— Erin Henninger, College Track

Nonprofits are stepping up to help in innovative ways. Through a conversation with Mile High Youth Corps, we learned of the organization’s unique idea to engage young people who are eager to make a difference. A Daniels Fund emergency grant supported the new program to address a current shortage of volunteers (many of whom are older and need to social distance) and youth unemployment. The program hires young adults, ages 17-24, for COVID-19 response efforts benefitting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, seniors, and other vulnerable populations through food distribution, wellness checks, and other needed activities.

Much of the COVID-19 relief funds are focused on the most pressing immediate needs, but when the dust settles, our communities will be faced with the monumental task of recovering from a devastated economy, shrinking state budgets, business closures, and staggering unemployment. Beyond short-term relief, the Daniels Fund has an eye on how it can play a role in strategic recovery efforts. As we emerge from sheltering and social distancing, we are looking to support innovative programs to help people rebuild their lives. We expect our traditional work in the areas of helping people retrain and connect with new employment opportunities to be an important part of getting people back on their feet during the recovery phase.

We are proud of our nonprofit partners and thank them for the work they are doing on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Unprecedented challenges lie before us, but if we work together as a community, each doing our part, we can begin to rebuild and revitalize.

Click for more details on the Daniels Fund’s Full COVID-19 Response

Media Contact: Bruce Wilmsen
Direct: 720.941.4429
[email protected]

DANIELS FUND

Honoring Bill Daniels’ direction to make life better for the people
and communities of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

• Statement on
  George Floyd’s Death

June 2, 2020

The death of George Floyd, and other senseless loss of life, have left our country shaken. We, at the Daniels Fund, share in the deep sadness our communities are experiencing which is why we want to speak candidly about this issue.

Treating all people with kindness, compassion, and respect were important values to Bill Daniels. Those values are a key part of who we are at the Daniels Fund and our work to honor his legacy. We firmly believe that people with differences of all kinds deserve to be heard and understood.

There is no place in our society for racism, division, and hate. We believe we all need to strive to create a world in which everyone is treated with fairness and respect, and feels safe in their communities. Clearly, there is still much work to be done. This is a challenging time, but also a call for change. We look forward to opportunities to engage with the communities we serve, so there is lasting, positive change that moves us all forward in ways that would make Bill Daniels proud.

We wish for healing and justice for the family of Mr. Floyd, as well as healing for our entire country. We encourage people to make their voices heard on this issue, but the ongoing looting and violence is a disservice to all Americans, including the Floyd family. Now is the time for all of us to resolve to work together to ensure these tragic events are never repeated.