Status: 🔴 A private Christian university in Lakewood, Colorado, funded by fossil fuel billionaire Phil Anschutz, with documented anti-LGBTQ+ doctrinal positions. CCU houses the Anschutz Student Center and hosts the far-right Western Conservative Summit through its think tank, the Centennial Institute.
Colorado Christian University (CCU) is a private Christian university in Lakewood, Colorado, founded in 1914 as the Denver Bible Institute. It enrolls approximately 10,563 students (Fall 2024) across undergraduate and graduate programs.[1]
CCU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) — a group that includes many institutions with anti-LGBTQ+ policies — and describes itself as “Christ-centered higher education transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth.”[2] The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.[1:1]
The most visible symbol of CCU’s connection to Phil Anschutz is the Anschutz Student Center, a 55,000-square-foot facility that opened on August 24, 2017, at the center of CCU’s campus.[3] Named after the Anschutz family, the building houses food services, offices, a gym, and student activity spaces.[3:1]
Anschutz, the billionaire fossil fuel magnate worth $16.9 billion, has donated to CCU through the Anschutz Family Foundation. The university was identified in a 2025 investigation by Atmos and HEATED as one of at least nine conservative transphobic entities connected to Anschutz.[4]
Anschutz’s funding extends to a network of anti-trans entities including Alliance Defending Freedom ($110,000), Family Research Council ($30,000), Movieguide, the Council for National Policy, Dare 2 Share Ministries, and Sky Ranch.[4:1] CCU is part of this broader pipeline documented by the investigation showing how oil and gas money flows through the entire anti-trans movement infrastructure.[4:2]
CCU maintains institutional positions and policies that are anti-LGBTQ+:
CCU houses The Centennial Institute, a conservative think tank that describes itself as “mobilizing ideas on faith, family, and freedom to strengthen America’s future.”[5] The Institute lists “Traditional Family Values” and “Biblical View of Human Nature” among its core issues.[5:1]
The Centennial Institute hosts the annual Western Conservative Summit, described as “one of the largest gatherings of conservatives outside of Washington, D.C.”[5:2] The Summit aims to educate attendees on key issues and “equip individuals to stand for faith, family, and freedom.”[5:3] The 2026 Summit (July 30–August 1) is themed “A New Birth of Freedom: Reigniting the American Dream” and coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.[5:4] Featured speakers have historically included prominent anti-LGBTQ+ figures from national conservative politics and media.
The Institute also runs the Frontier Freedom Hour podcast and the Young Christian Conservatives Leadership Conference (ages 16–20), which trains the next generation of conservative activists.[5:5]