By Peter Kaldes, President and CEO, Next50
For the first time since COVID, Next50’s mission was challenged at a structural level. This time, the disruption did not come from an unforeseen global crisis, but from deliberate federal actions that weakened an already fragile social safety net for older adults. Faced with this moment, Next50 made a clear choice: to lead rather than retreat.
While many institutions hesitated, Next50 embraced a more expansive and consequential view of its role. In doing so, we reshaped how a private foundation can deploy its influence—across capital, policy, and philanthropy—to meet the urgency of the moment and drive lasting systems change.
Early in the year, Next50 partnered with JPMorganChase to align the full strength of our nearly $300 million endowment with our mission. As of year-end, nearly 70 percent of our capital is aligned with Next50’s Aging Investment Framework. This means our investments now actively support companies whose practices reflect the dignity, inclusion, and economic participation of older adults—such as a major U.S. airline where nearly 40 percent of its 70,000 employees are over age 50. It also means we exclude companies whose actions contradict our values, including firms identified for unlawful mismanagement of employee retirement plans. By establishing clear, values-based standards for aging-focused investing, Next50 is helping catalyze a broader market shift—one that empowers investors to support age-inclusive companies and hold others accountable.
At the same time, we recognized that federal cuts created immediate and destabilizing consequences for nonprofits and the older adults they serve. Rather than prescribing solutions, we listened. We asked our partners what they needed most and responded with flexible, general operating support to organizations under direct threat. As a result, Next50 closed the year having deployed a record-breaking nearly $10 million in grants and impact investments. We believe that nimble, mission-driven capital is not optional in moments of crisis.
We concluded the year by launching Leverage, an independent, nonpartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making aging more affordable in Colorado. Seeded with a $3 million investment from Next50, Leverage is designed to close the widening gap between demographic reality and public policy. Through research, coalition-building, and advocacy, Leverage advances policies that strengthen economic well-being, expand opportunity, and ensure that all Coloradans can work, live, and thrive as they age. Its creation reflects Next50’s belief that philanthropy must not only respond to need but also shape the conditions that produce it.
Every organization made choices in 2025. Next50 chose to align its capital with its values, to meet emergency needs head-on, and to invest boldly in long-term policy change. These choices have permanently expanded how we understand our responsibility and our potential.
As we enter 2026 and prepare to celebrate Next50’s 10-year anniversary, we do so with renewed clarity and confidence. We are proud of what we accomplished, energized by what lies ahead, and committed—together with our partners—to continuing the work of creating a world that truly values aging.
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