NATURAL RESOURCES GRANTS FOR COLORADO

Colorado’s iconic mountain ranges, farms and ranchlands, public lands, rivers, and open spaces are an undeniable part of our shared identity as Coloradans. We live in a state where three in four residents consider themselves conservationists, and 87% understand that Colorado’s open lands and outdoor lifestyle give the state an economic advantage. Gates Family Foundation is committed to the conservation, management, and protection of Colorado’s natural resources.

WE BELIEVE the forces of climate change, population growth, and urbanization create unprecedented conditions that threaten Colorado’s treasured natural resources and economic stability. The impact of these changes are too-often disproportionately felt by the state’s historically marginalized residents.

WE SUPPORT collaborative work with a cross-section of partners and fellow funders to conserve Colorado’s unique landscapes, waterways, and agricultural communities in ways that allow both natural and human systems to thrive.

OUR PRIORITIES FOR NATURAL RESOURCES

We believe that collaboration, innovation, and cross-sector partnerships are the key to balanced management of limited resources. And we are committed to helping amplify the voices of Indigenous and people of color in conservation decision-making, organizational leadership, and access to the outdoors.

Balanced Water
Management

Advance solutions that address the complexities of water scarcity and its impact on the environment
and communities.

We support new tools, processes, and ideas to realize a long-term, sustainable balance between all of Colorado’s water demands.

Learn More

Forest Health and
Watershed Restoration

Create innovative forest management strategies that support healthy forests and watersheds that provide ecological, social and economic benefits.

We focus on the changing climate and its impact on decreased water availability and agricultural yields in Colorado and increased the risk of wildfires.

Learn More

Landscape Conservation and
Land Trust Capacity Building

Support land protection and resilience in high-priority landscapes and support the land trust community in large-scale and collaborative efforts.

We fund projects with demonstrated impact, scale, connectivity, and a high degree of landowner commitment and community support.

Learn More

GATES SUPPORT FOR NATURAL RESOURCES MIGHT LOOK LIKE:

Balanced Water Management

• Advancing Tribal nations’ capacity to engage in priority projects and decision-making related to water issues
• Forging agreements among stakeholders on water demand management priorities, strategies, and policies
• Protecting the interests of water rights holders that voluntarily participate in reduced consumptive use programs
• Programs that optimize water savings and economic impact

Forest Health and Watershed Restoration

• Implementation of successful forest management strategies
• Support for regional initiatives to bring more public dollars to improve forest health and watershed restoration
• Cross-jurisdictional efforts to mitigate catastrophic wildfires

Landscape Conservation and Land Trust Capacity Building

• Regional approaches to large-scale landscape conservation
• Support for projects that integrate economic growth, rural resilience and land stewardship
• Support for coalitions working to advance the land trust field through policy, collaboration, and sector sustainability
• Staff leadership to advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in natural resources and climate change work

SEE OUR NATURAL RESOURCES GRANTMAKING AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS

HOW WE SUPPORT NATURAL RESOURCES

Strategic Grants

Foundation staff work closely with a diverse group of partners to initiate and support projects that advance the strategic priorities and goals listed above. See our strategic grantmaking in natural resources here. If you think your project or organization might be a fit for our Natural Resources program, we encourage you to contact a team member below. READ MORE

Capital Grants

Twice a year, we accept applications for our capital grants program. Natural resources projects that qualify include: land conservation; public recreation facilities, outdoor spaces, and community gardens; and projects that acquire, construct, and improve parks, greenways, and trail systems. See a list of our recent grants here. READ MORE

Impact Investments

We put the Foundation’s endowment dollars to work through mission-aligned investments in natural resources and conservation. Examples include projects that generate a market rate of return for restoration of ranch properties in Colorado and nearby states, and sustainably harvested timberlands across the U.S. READ MORE

NATURAL RESOURCES NEWS AND INSIGHTS

Colorado Mass Timber Coalition Welcomes Inaugural Director

Apr 5, 2024

Our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan: Our Team Shares the Highlights

Mar 9, 2022

Connecting the dots between land, water, and community through innovation and partnership

Dec 1, 2021

See All Insights

NATURAL RESOURCES TEAM

Our natural resources team brings an array of experiences and talents to work with our partners and grantees. From strategic planning and partnership development, to deep knowledge of water and land conservation issues statewide and nationally, our team is here to help our partners thrive.

Amanda Hill

Senior Program Officer – Natural Resources

Whitney Johnson

Senior Program Officer – Natural Resources

NATURAL RESOURCES – 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

Whitney Johnson, Senior Program Officer
Amanda Hill, Program Officer

With impacts to Colorado’s rivers and working and natural lands continuing to mount in the face of climate change, we are acutely aware of both the sense of urgency and the scale that we have to operate. Colorado State University recently released its third edition report on climate change in Colorado, which confirms what we see on our lands and in our rivers; our climate has become much warmer and further warming is expected. These warming trends are impacting Colorado’s snowpack, stream flows, soil moisture, natural and working lands, and the places we live, recreate, and protect.

Supporting Coloradans who are most impacted by climate change and least involved in decision-making drove our Natural Resources team to look for opportunities and build new relationships. Woven throughout each of the following Natural Resources focus areas, our investments centered equity and leadership development, policy support, and capacity:

The Natural Resources team used every tool in the Foundation’s toolbox to support our partners across these three priority areas. To help catalyze new ideas and sustain promising efforts, we leveraged both initiated and capital grant dollars, program-related investment dollars, the power of convening, and a commitment to long-term funding through our Focus Landscapes initiative.

In 2023, the Natural Resources program awarded:

— $30,0000 in a responsive capital grant to Eagle Valley Land Trust for its conservation center

— A $250,000 program-related investment (PRI) commitment to the National Forest Foundation for its wetland mitigation efforts

— A total of $1,335,000 to support land conservation and stewardship in Southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley, as part of our Focus Landscapes initiative

— A total of $700,000 over two years to further Gates leadership in advancing the mass timber industry

— An additional total of $533,000 in strategic grants to 13 organizations, some which are highlighted below

Balanced Water Management

Climate change continues to severely impact Colorado’s water systems, and researchers predict that rivers may shrink by as much as 30 percent by 2050. In 2023, Gates Family Foundation supported the Lincoln Institute’s Water & Tribes Initiative, which was established in 2017 to serve as connective tissue for Tribal Nations to increase their own capacity and collaboration in developing water resource and policy decisions for the Colorado River Basin. The Sangre de Cristo Acequia Association represents 73 acequias in the San Luis Valley; these community-operated water management systems are a longstanding model of water sharing for over 300 families throughout the Valley.

Forest Health and Watershed Restoration

Forest health and watershed health are closely linked, with a majority of Colorado’s water supply coming from forested watersheds. Due to drought, wildfires, overly-dense stands, and disease Colorado’s forests actually emit more carbon than is stored. In 2023, Gates Family Foundation continued our collaborative funding approach with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, and other state, federal, and private partners to support the RESTORE Colorado Program. This initiative advances land restoration efforts on river corridors, riparian areas, wetlands and forestland, and prioritizes cross-jurisdictional projects at scale.

With help from a number of partners and industry leaders, in 2023 Gates Family Foundation also assembled a broad coalition of public and private institutions to form the Colorado Mass Timber Coalition (CMTC). CMTC’s mission is to accelerate the use of mass timber products and technology in the next generation of buildings in Colorado, and to create a future where mass timber products can be made here using timber harvested locally, including timber resulting from efforts to improve forest and watershed health. The Coalition is anchored at the National Forest Foundation.

Landscape Conservation and Land Trust Capacity Building

Landscape-scale conservation persists as a priority for the Foundation. In 2023 we supported a major land conservation project in the San Luis Valley in collaboration with Western Rivers Conservancy and continued our support of Keep It Colorado’s programming and problem-solving projects. We have also sustained our commitment to focused landscapes in Southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley. 2023 marked our ninth year of support to partner organizations Palmer Land Conservancy and the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust, two community-based organizations implementing and developing conservation tools and thoughtful approaches to ensure land protection and water management and provide long-term conservation solutions to these regions. A total of $1,335,000 of funding was distributed in 2023 to support work in Southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley through the focus landscapes program.

We continue to be inspired by our partners and the work they’re doing to conserve our unique landscapes and waterways and support the communities that live and access these places. In 2024, Gates remains committed to tackling challenges and finding opportunities through collaboration, listening, and championing ideas both big and small.

2023 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: NATURAL RESOURCES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Bluff Lake Nature Center	$75,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Denver > Denver
Central Colorado Conservancy	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	Chaffee
City of Craig	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Moffat > Craig
City of Las Animas	$25,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Bent > Las Animas
City of Wheat Ridge	$30,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Jefferson > Wheat Ridge
Colorado Northwestern Community College	$15,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Rio Blanco > Rangely
Conservation Colorado Education Fund	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
Conservation Lands Foundation	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
Custer 2020	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Custer > Silver Cliff
Eagle Valley Land Trust	$30,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Eagle > Edwards
Ecosystem Integrity Fund V	$2,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	Colorado and beyond
Field of Dreams 2	$25,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Yuma > Wray
GES Coalition	$25,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Denver > Denver
Grand Mesa Nordic Council	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Mesa > Grand Junction
Huerfano County	$16,700	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Huerfano > Walsenburg
Keep it Colorado	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy	$10,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Lyme Timber Company LP — Forest Fund VI	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	Colorado and beyond
Middle Park Medical Foundation	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Grand > Kremmling
Montrose Regional Health	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Montrose > Montrose
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Ecosystem Services	* Statewide
National Forest Foundation	$625,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
National Forest Foundation	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
National Forest Foundation	$250,000	Program-Related Investment	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
New Venture Fund	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Sangre de Cristo Acequia Association	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	Costilla > San Luis
The Alliance for Collective Action	$0	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources	* Statewide
Town of Buena Vista	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Chaffee > Buena Vista
Town of Eads	$40,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Kiowa > Eads
Town of Otis	$25,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Washington > Otis
Trinity Community Park	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	El Paso > Monument
Urban Land Conservancy	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
Urban Land Institute Foundation	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Western Landowners Alliance	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Western Rivers Conservancy	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Conejos
Yampa Valley Community Foundation	$3,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources	Moffat

EDUCATION – 2023 IN REVIEW

Ana Soler, Senior Program Officer

Gates Family Foundation is committed to advancing a Colorado where all children have access to educational opportunities that support their long-term success. We firmly believe that investing in solutions that support students who are most in need raises outcomes for all. The Foundation’s education strategies have historically been rooted in an effort to address inequities — and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remains an important part of our current strategy. In 2023, we also continued to shape our work in education through a Foundation-wide commitment to be responsive to the impacts of climate change and the shifting conditions caused by the pandemic.

There is much work to be done to raise outcomes for all students in Colorado. In 2023, students in nearly every grade and subject had lower rates of grade-level proficiency than before the pandemic on the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) standardized tests. Across the state, only 44 percent of students met or exceed expectations in English Language Arts, and only 33 percent did so in mathematics. Large proficiency gaps between student groups persist; a more than 30 percentage-point gap in proficiency exists between students who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch and those who do not.

In 2023, Gates’ education program committed $3,865,600 to 31 organizations via 33 strategic grants and $1,200,000 in responsive capital grants to 25 organizations, guided by three strategies:

Learning Environment Innovation

This strategy includes investing in new learning models, informal out-of-system learning environments (like microschools); and investing in innovative new models or leaders who want to pilot new ideas during summer and out-of-school time. Below are a few of the organizations that the education team had the honor of supporting:

Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado expanded its reach to Grand Junction by launching five Montessori micro schools in a predominantly low-income, Latino community.

La Luz is a community partner-intensive micro school for middle school students in metro Denver. At La Luz, the school year is broken down into multi-week learning units based at community organizations. La Luz partners with community organizations, like the Denver Zoo, to co-create authentic learning experiences where students can develop skills through targeted instruction and feedback, practice and reflection, and real-world application. La Luz tracks academic and competency growth. The micro school supported 22 students in the 2023-2024 school year and plans to support more than 40 families next school year.

School System Innovation

This strategy includes supporting multi-district community and school district partnerships that are focused on climate change education and college and career pathways. The education staff had the honor of supporting:

A three-year grant totaling $1,750,000 from Gates to Lyra Colorado in 2023 will support five rural Colorado communities as they re-envision education and workforce opportunities for students and economies and also will support the ongoing development of three innovation zones in Denver Public Schools.

Conditions for Sustained Innovation

Ensuring a diverse teacher workforce in rural areas, retaining a diverse teacher workforce in urban areas, supporting advocacy that elevates student voice at the grassroots and grasstops levels, and launching and sustaining pooled funds and investments to support innovation and address new challenges in education are all strategies that strengthen conditions for sustained innovation. Below are a few of the organizations that the education staff had the honor of supporting in 2023:

Fort Lewis College (FLC) Foundation in Durango and the Southwest Indigenous Language Development Institute (SILDI). This three-year partnership between FLC’s School of Education and three Ute tribes (Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Northern Ute Tribe) is focused on regenerating the Ute Language, developing a Ute language curriculum, and certifying Ute language teachers. Before launching SILDI, only 32 fluent Ute speakers were living.

RootED plays a strong backbone role in supporting innovation in the Denver metro area. RootEd galvanizes its advocacy grantees in support of innovation zones and protects the autonomy of district schools. RootEd is a solid partner in the Organizing Educations in Colorado (OEC) Funder Collaborative which supports grassroots education advocacy. In 2023 RootED, Denver Families, City Fund, Lyra and others helped each new board member understand the importance of innovation schools and zones as an option within the Denver Public Schools portfolio.

Also in 2023, RootEd launched the Denver Education Explorer. The platform hosts two tools for exploring local school data:

— Denver School Insights is a free, public dashboard intended for use by elected officials, education organizations, and people who are interested in district academic outcomes at a citywide or regional level. The dashboard provides accessible, comprehensive, and transparent school information to highlight bright spots in academic growth; identify persistent challenges; understand where additional support for schools is needed, and hold district leaders accountable.

— The Mile High School Guide helps parents and caregivers choose a public school in Denver that best fits the needs of their child. The guide provides detailed information about each school, allowing users to view and compare academic information, student and teacher demographics, social-emotional supports, enrichment opportunities, and more

In addition to grantmaking, Foundation staff work to convening stakeholders and funding partners for collective action. Highlights from 2023 include:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Gates Family Foundation continuously examines how our organization fulfills its mission and how best to integrate DEI in all levels and aspects of our work. Gates’ education staff was part of the team that created an Equity in Action plan outlining steps to address DEI issues across the Foundation.

Education staff also joined a national DEI practitioners’ group that includes the Walton Family Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and others to share best practices, resources, and strategies to cultivate equity and belonging.

As a result of these efforts, the Foundation board and staff welcomed new members with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, included DEI goals in new board member training, increased program officer accessibility, and began the process of revising our grant applications to include a DEI lens.

Convening

In April 2023, in partnership with Caring for Colorado and Caring for Denver, Gates Family Foundation launched the Youth and Policy Impact Group. The group is focused on supporting efforts to capture and elevate youth voices to inform policy at the school, district, city, and state levels so that the entire education system can be more responsive to the needs of young people. The group has drafted a mission, outlined several strategies, and plans to increase funder participation in 2024.

Gates also continues to be a member of the Organizing for Education in Colorado (OEC) Funder Collaborative (formerly “CEO”). Other members in 2023 included Wend Collective, RootEd, and Rose Community Foundation. Together, the group pooled and distributed a total of $235,000 to nine organizations focused on implementing a community plan to advocate for a policy or practice change.

In 2023, an external evaluation of OEC was conducted by RootEd Growth. The methodology included 12 interviews with funders, and grantees, past and current, and two focus groups with young people who have been involved with OEC-funded initiatives. A key finding indicates that OEC reached its primary goal of increasing the voice and power of those least represented or heard in the educational system through its grantmaking efforts and processes. The study found that OEC’s strategic efforts contributed to a paradigm shift in Colorado’s educational system where organizing is now perceived to improve school systems. OEC participants will host a reception in 2024 to share results.

2023 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: EDUCATION

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
50CAN Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Archuleta County Education Center	$35,000	Capital Grant	Education	Archuleta > Pagosa Springs
Arrupe Jesuit High School	$50,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Atlas Preparatory School	$30,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Axis International Academy	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education	Larimer > Fort Collins
Battle Rock Charter School	$40,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Montezuma > Cortez
Be the Change Community School	$31,600	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Adams > Commerce City
Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley	$75,000	Capital Grant	Education	Alamosa > Alamosa
Chaffee County Childcare Initiative	$15,000	Capital Grant	Education	Chaffee County > Poncha Springs
Chalkbeat	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation > Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
Chance Sports	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
CLLARO	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Charter Facility Solutions	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Children’s Campaign	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Succeeds	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Youth Congress	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Compass for Lifelong Discovery	$10,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Garfield > Carbondale
Ednium The Alumni Collective	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
Empower Community High School	$36,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Arapahoe > Aurora
English in Action	$30,000	Capital Grant	Education	Eagle > El Jebel
Fort Lewis College Foundation	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	La Plata > Durango
Highline Academy	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Kwiyagat Community Academy	$30,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Montezuma > Towaoc
La Luz Education	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
Legacy Institute	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Lyra Colorado	$1,750,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	* Statewide
Metropolitan State University of Denver	$75,000	Capital Grant	Education	Denver > Denver
Moonshot edVentures	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Muslim Youth for Positive Impact	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Adams
National Wildlife Federation	$120,000	Capital Grant	Education	* Statewide
New Legacy Charter High School	$100,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Arapahoe > Aurora
Our Turn Inc.	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Pagosa Peak Open School	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Archuleta > Pagosa Springs
Re:Vision	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education	Denver > Denver
Reschool	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	* Statewide
RISE Colorado	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Arapahoe > Aurora
RootED	$90,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	Denver > Denver
RootED	$400,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
Sims-Fayola Foundation, Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	La Plata > Durango
Special Education Leader Fellowship c/o Propeller	$45,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Squared Network (The)	$150,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Tact Kids Inc.	$40,000	Capital Grant	Education	Arapahoe > Englewood
Teach For America	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Pueblo
The Wildflower Foundation	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education	Adams > Commerce City
The Wildflower Foundation	$95,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Mesa > Grand Junction
Think 360 Arts For Learning Inc.	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Town of Buena Vista	$45,000	Capital Grant	Education	Chaffee > Buena Vista
University of Colorado at Denver	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Vision Charter Academy	$20,000	Capital Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Delta > Delta
Walking Mountains Science Center	$15,000	Capital Grant	Education	Eagle > Dotsero
Wild Plum Center for Young Children and Families	$20,000	Capital Grant	Education	Boulder > Longmont
Yampa Valley Community Foundation	$3,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	Moffat
Youthroots	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer, Community Development

In 2023, increased inflation put pressure on low- and moderate-income households in Colorado and across the country. A corresponding rise in interest rates has been challenging for community development partners. The cost of capital has been detrimental to low-to-moderate income households looking for homeownership, for small business owners looking for growth capital, and for developers building affordable housing and community facilities. The 2023 legislative session sparked a statewide conversation about land use decisions. While the 2023 bill did not pass, the debates on land use, zoning, and the state’s appropriate role in determining community growth patterns and density continued into the 2024 session, where lawmakers passed six major bills to address housing affordability.

Implementation of Proposition 123, passed by Colorado voters in 2022 to establish a statewide affordable housing fund to increase housing supply, began in 2023. By the end of 2023, many Colorado communities had opted in to participate in the housing program. Grants for land banking, modular construction, and housing construction loans (debt program) have all launched through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the Colorado Division of Housing, bringing the promise of expanded housing opportunities across the state.

Also in 2023, an unprecedented number of newly arrived residents, primarily from Venezuela, have come to Colorado, fleeing persecution and economic turmoil in search of new opportunity. Denver and other local communities have the opportunity to be the most welcoming version of themselves, seeking creative solutions to meet basic needs, create work access pipelines, and address short-and long-term housing.

At the Foundation, Community Development staff continue to invest in solutions that advance economic mobility and create access to equitable community assets in Colorado. Addressing structural inequities and advancing climate solutions are two Foundation-wide priorities as well, touching all of our strategic focus areas.

In 2023, the Gates Community Development program committed:

— $1,873,000 in strategic grants to 31 organizations and $1,647,750 in responsive capital grants to 19 organizations

— A total of $1.75 million to three new community development-focused Program-Related Investments (PRIs): First Southwest Bank ($1 million), Elevation Community Land Trust’s Developer Startup Investment fund ($550,000), Sober Apartment Living Colorado ($200,000). There were also new Mission Related Investments to Rose Affordable Housing Preservation VI, Lafayette Square Business Development Company, and the Mission Colorado Fund.

The Foundation continued to elevate its focus on affordable and accessible housing in Colorado. The Foundation has supported the Community Land Trust model as an important way to increase opportunities for homeownership in Colorado. In 2024, GFF made a large five-year capacity grant to Elevation Community Land Trust (ECLT) in conjunction with the Capital Grants program and a program related investment commitment to ECLT for predevelopment financing. Gates supported and attended the inaugural Colorado Community Land Trust convening, hosted by the Chaffee Housing Trust, and made a capital grant commitment to the GES Coalition for land acquisition.

Additional housing grant investments included support for policy work and capacity building by Enterprise Community Partners, a ‘get homeownership ready’ course by Boss Generation, expanding access to accessory dwelling units through the West Denver Renaissance Collaborative, and Justice for the People Legal Center to build capacity for mobile home ownership in the Westwood neighborhood of Denver. A grant to Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization (CLLARO), shared with the GFF Education program, will support research on Latino/Latina housing needs, education access, and more across the state.

This year, the Gates Community Development program supported economic mobility with expanded investment in workforce development (both policy and data sharing through the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative, and practice through support of Activate Work’s workforce expansion in the tech sector). GFF supported building a more inclusive economy through community wealth building strategies (Center for Community Wealth Building), and entrepreneurship with a three-year grant to Startup Colorado, to support rural regions of the state.

Gates also helped commission a report on the state of Colorado Commercial Real Estate Ownership, to increase access to ownership for nonprofits, small businesses, and BIPOC- and women-owned businesses in Colorado.

The Foundation advanced equity and climate-focused work with a grant to Denver Urban Gardens to increase green spaces in west Denver, and to the Climate Strong Initiative-a cohort of climate-focused Entrepreneurs of Color. A three-year grant to Denver Streets Partnership will build greener and more affordable transportation options beyond private vehicles.

As we look to 2024 and beyond, the Foundation continues to listen, learn, and look for ways to advance economic mobility, promote community wealth building strategies, increase housing access and affordability, and support the development of community-serving assets. Please reach out with your ideas and insights! You can submit ideas here, or contact me directly here.

2023 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
A Woman’s Place	$35,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Weld > Greeley
A.R. Mitchell Museum	$500	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Las Animas > Trinidad
Acequia Institute	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Costilla > San Luis
Achieve Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Chaffee > Salida
Activate Work Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Apprentice of Peace Youth Organization	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Association of Fundraising Professionals Colorado Chapter	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	* Statewide
Axis Health System	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata > Durango
Be the Gift Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Loveland
BEN Colorado	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
BeyondHome	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Jefferson > Arvada
Bicycle Colorado	$225,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Boss Generation	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Boulder Public Library	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Boulder > Boulder
Boys & Girls Clubs of Chaffee County	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Chaffee > Buena Vista
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver	$120,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Bridge (The)	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Jefferson > Arvada
Center for African American Health	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Center for Community Wealth Building	$120,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver
Center for Community Wealth Building	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Chaffee Housing Authority	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Chaffee > Salida
Chaffee Housing Trust	$10,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Chaffee
Chicano Humanities and Art Council	$10,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
City of Fort Collins	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Larimer > Fort Collins
City of Manitou Springs	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	El Paso > Manitou Springs
City of Trinidad	$2,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Las Animas > Trinidad
CLLARO	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
CO-Invest – Mission Colorado Fund	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Colorado and beyond
Co-Lead International	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Colorado Community College System Foundation	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Colorado Enterprise Fund	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Colorado Inclusive Economy	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Colorado Mountain College Foundation	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Edwards
Commún	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Community Health Partnership	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
CrossPurpose	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Denver Area Youth for Christ	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Denver Arts and Venues	$200,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Denver Civic Ventures	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver
Denver Housing Authority	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Denver Urban Gardens	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Denver Urban Gardens	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
El Centro Su Teatro	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Elevation Athletic Performance Foundation	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Elevation Athletic Performance Foundation	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Elevation Community Land Trust	$1,000,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Elevation Community Land Trust	$500,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Elevation Community Land Trust – Developer Startup Investment	$550,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development	* Statewide
Enterprise Community Partners Inc.	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Fax Partnership (The)	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
First Southwest Bank	$1,000,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Food Justice Northwest Aurora	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Arapahoe > Aurora
Food to Power	$22,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
FrontLine Farming	$60,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
Grand Lake Area Historical Society	$30,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Grand > Grand Lake
Growing Gardens of Boulder County	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Boulder > Boulder
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Colorado Springs	$10,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Justice for the People Legal Center	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Karval Community Alliance	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lincoln > Karval
KidsPak	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Loveland
La Puente Home	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Alamosa > Alamosa
Lafayette Square Business Development Company	$1,500,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Economic Mobility > Equitable Community Assets	Colorado and beyond
Loaves and Fishes Ministries of Fremont County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Canon City
Longmont Museum	$40,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Boulder > Longmont
Loveland Youth Gardeners	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Larimer > Loveland
Lyons Emergency Assistance Fund – LEAF	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Lyons
Magic Circle Players	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Montrose > Montrose
Miners Alley Playhouse	$30,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Jefferson > Golden
Moffat Road Railroad Museum	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Grand > Granby
Momentum Advisory Collective	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Montbello Organizing Committee	$130,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Montbello Organizing Committee	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Museum of Friends	$30,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Huerfano > Walsenburg
Museum of Friends	$500	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Huerfano > Walsenburg
National Wildlife Federation	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
NeighborWorks of Southern Colorado	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Pueblo > Pueblo
North London Mill Preservation, Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Park > Alma
Nourish CO	$45,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Paradox Community Trust	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Ouray
Pikes Peak United Way	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Pine River Shares	$53,750	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	La Plata > Bayfield
Project Worthmore	$40,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Redline Contemporary Art Center	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Response: Help for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Assault	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Basalt
Riverside Educational Center	$40,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Rose Affordable Housing Preservation Fund VI	$3,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Colorado and beyond
Sedgwick County	$75,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Sedgwick > Julesburg
Sister Carmen Community Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Lafayette
Sober Apartment Living CO	$200,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Sober Apartment Living CO	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Jefferson > Wheat Ridge
Southeast Colorado Creative Partnership	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Otero > La Junta
Start Up Colorado	$110,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Steel City Theatre Company	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Pueblo > Pueblo
Struggle of Love Foundation	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The Alliance for Collective Action	$0	Strategic Grant	Community Development	* Statewide
Think 360 Arts For Learning Inc.	$10,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Thriving Families	$35,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Tigray-Ethiopian Community Association of Colorado	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
United Way of Larimer County	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Loveland
Victor Lowell Thomas Museum	$40,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Teller > Victor
Volunteers of America	$55,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
We Help and Love Everyone (WHALE)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Weld > Greeley
Western Colorado Community Foundation	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Mesa > Grand Junction
Wray Public Library	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Yuma > Wray
Yampa Valley Community Foundation	$3,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development	Moffat

INFORMED COMMUNITIES

Melissa Milios Davis, Vice President, Informed Communities

As Colorado emerges from the pandemic years, our communities are being challenged by divisive national rhetoric, digital disinformation campaigns, and social isolation. Within this context, Gates Family Foundation firmly believes that Colorado’s trusted sources of local news have a unique and important role to play in helping local communities reimagine and rebuild Colorado’s public square, both online and in person.

In 2023, our Informed Communities program continued to make grants, convene partners, and pool funds with local and national foundations to help ensure that all Coloradans have access to reliable local news and information they need to participate in a healthy democracy and make well-informed decisions about a wide range of issues that are important to the future of our state.

To support informed communities, Gates focuses attention and resources on three strategies:

In 2023, Gates’ Informed Communities program awarded a total of $403,000 to five grantees:

— $250,000 to the National Trust for Local News toward their purchase of a new community printing press to serve 23 Colorado Trust for Local News publications; in 2024 NTLN plans to offer mission-aligned printing services to dozens of other small publishers on the Front Range, who have faced double-digit cost increases in recent years;

— $62,000 to Hearken to support the 2023 Colorado Engaged Elections Fellowship, where 13 newsrooms had the opportunity to collaborate, learn from industry experts including including Hearken co-founder Jennifer Brandel, and share best practices for engaged journalism — raising the bar for election reporting and civic participation and setting the stage for 2024’s statewide Voter Voices initiative. Each Engaged Elections Fellowship newsroom also received a $1,000 stipend to support their engagement strategy;

— $35,000 to Colorado Public Radio to help support a major upgrade of the Denverite website and share learning with other newsrooms;

— $31,000 to Aurora Media Group to support the sustainability of Sentinel Colorado, which provides daily local news coverage for Aurora’s diverse, growing, and vibrant communities; and

— $25,000 to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to support a Colorado-based media law attorney who represents Colorado newsrooms and journalists on important matters related to freedom of information and public accountability.

In addition, in 2023 Gates’ Education program awarded a two-year, $100,000 grant to Chalkbeat Colorado, to support its efforts to engage more Spanish-speakers in public education conversations and coverage. Our Capital Grants program also awarded a $20,000 grant to the Denver Press Club, to support upgrades to its historic building.

Finally, also in 2023 a total of $410,956 previously committed by Gates to the Colorado Media Project was combined with a total of $854,045 from other Colorado and national donors to provide:

— $302,640 total to 25 grantees through the second round of CMP’s Advancing Equity in Local News Fund, which aims to increase diversity and inclusion within Colorado newsrooms, strengthen connections between Colorado newsrooms and the communities they serve, and support newsroom leaders of color;

— $140,000 to 28 newsrooms in the 2023 #newsCOneeds initiative, providing them with $5,000 in matching funds plus technical support to plan and execute year-end giving campaigns to increase revenue from local individuals;

— A total of $300,000 to the Colorado News Collaborative and Colorado Press Association to support industry-led working groups, newsroom analysis and coaching, and pilot projects to address big issues facing the field — including digital conversion, the future of printing, and development of an ethnic media advertising network;

— The 2023 Colorado Media Project Summit, which brought together more than 130 leaders from Colorado journalism, nonprofits, government, philanthropy and business to develop a five-year vision for the future of local news in our state; and

— A new external evaluation of CMP’s grantmaking and impact.

As we look to the future, the Foundation is actively seeking ways to advance equity in local news, promote diverse ownership and voices in local news, increase collaboration and efficiencies in the local news ecosystem, and support the development of new revenue streams for local newsrooms. Please reach out to me with your ideas and insights!

2023 GRANTS AWARDED: INFORMED COMMUNITIES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Aurora Media Group	$31,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Inclusive Leadership, Voices & Models	Arapahoe > Aurora
Chalkbeat	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation > Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
Colorado Public Radio/KCFR	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
Denver Press Club	$20,000	Capital Grant	Informed Communities	Denver > Denver
Hearken Inc.	$62,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Inclusive Leadership, Voices & Models	* Statewide
National Trust for Local News	$250,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	* Statewide
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	* Statewide

NATURAL RESOURCES – 2022 YEAR IN REVIEW

Whitney Johnson, Senior Program Officer
Amanda Hill, Program Officer

In 2022, the Natural Resources team enthusiastically implemented our first year of the Foundation’s 2022-2027 strategic plan. Lessons learned during its development have since serve to guide our team on the most impactful and intentional use of time and resources in the coming years — in both grantmaking and in strategic conversations and convenings. We know that tactical partnership is valued by our communities, so we are seeking ways to anticipate needs and be proactive in catalyzing these conversations and efforts.

New federal funding will provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to move the needle for communities and partners working in many of the Foundation’s priority areas. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes billions of dollars for western water infrastructure projects and for climate resilience strategies such as restoring wetland and riparian areas. In addition, the Inflation Reduction Act promises even more for investing in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy.

All of these opportunities are closely aligned with goals of the Natural Resources program:

Colorado communities and economies require dependable and clean water supplies, healthy forests and watersheds, and lands that support agricultural production, wildlife habitat, and a way for people in every corner of the state to access the benefits of being outdoors. We have had the opportunity to sustain commitments on some of these fronts and to foster new growth in others.

In 2022, the Natural Resources program awarded:

$2,526,500 in strategic grants to 18 organizations

$130,0000 in responsive capital grants to three organizations

The Foundation also made a $200,000 MRI commitment to the Future of Water Fund

Balanced Water Management: The aridification of the West and water shortages across the region highlight the urgency of new and collaborative cross-sector solutions.

Staff participated in meetings hosted by the Water Foundation’s Water Table throughout the year. This learning opportunity provides insights both wide and deep into the serious challenges we face across the West in supporting natural habitats, agricultural resources and communities, recreational use, and municipalities and industry with the water quality and quantities required for each use. That learning supported or encouraged our commitments to funding nature-based solutions with Quantified Ventures as a solution in climate change adaptation and building resilience in landscapes and communities and partnering with the Colorado Water Trust to pioneer the tools and research needed to address river flows to benefit the environment and communities. Investments in the San Luis Valley continue to grow in light of water export threats, climate change, and groundwater depletion. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, American Rivers, the Salazar Center, and Colorado Open Lands are all working to advance solutions in this part of the state.

Forest Health and Watershed Restoration: Forest health and watershed health are closely linked, with a majority of Colorado’s water supply coming from forested watersheds.

In 2022 we continued our collaborative funding approach with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, and other state, federal, and private partners to support the RESTORE Colorado Program. This initiative advances land restoration efforts on river corridors, riparian areas and wetlands and forestland projects and prioritizes cross-jurisdictional projects at scale. Peaks to People is working to proactively treat fire risk in key watersheds in Northern Colorado, proving forest stewardship is an indispensable approach in achieving water security.

Landscape Conservation and Land Trust Capacity Building: We have sustained our commitment to our focused landscapes in Southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley. Partner organizations Palmer Land Conservancy and the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust are collaborating with partners on innovative conservation tools and thoughtful approaches to ensure that the work done is resilient, community-based, and provides long-term solutions. A total of $1,185,000 of funding was distributed in 2022 in support of work in southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley.

Multi-year commitments to land trust organizations Keep It Colorado and Montezuma Land Conservancy will sustain and grow the land trust community’s ability to advance policy in accordance with land conservation needs and opportunities while highlighting the history of land conservation and the challenges of creating a future that is equitable and invites all communities to engage with land and conservation in Colorado.

Our strategic plan calls for thoughtful advancement on climate and diversity, equity, and inclusion work across all our programs. These two pillars, which are inextricably intertwined, guide us both internally and externally to encourage critical thinking, to identify new voices and perspectives, and to be accessible to all communities working toward natural resources solutions in our state. We take seriously the opportunity to better elevate underrepresented voices and advance community-driven solutions to these challenges.

2022 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: NATURAL RESOURCES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
American Rivers, Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	Alamosa
Audubon Rockies	$125,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	Larimer > Fort Collins
Avesta Colorado Fund	$1,250,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	* Statewide
Blackhorn Ventures Fund II	$2,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	* National/International
Colorado Headwaters Land Trust	$40,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources	Grand > Granby
Colorado Open Lands	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Conejos
Colorado State University	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	Alamosa
Colorado Water Trust	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Colorado West Land Trust	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Concrete Couch	$15,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Conservation Finance Network	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Delta County	$50,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Delta > Hotchkiss
Denver Botanic Gardens	$35,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Arapahoe > Littleton
Denver Civic Ventures	$50,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Denver > Denver
Eagle County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Eagle > Gypsum
Future of Water Fund I	$200,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	* National
Keep it Colorado	$375,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Montezuma Land Conservancy	$300,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Montezuma
Montezuma Land Conservancy	$50,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources	Montezuma
Montrose Recreation District	$20,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Montrose > Montrose
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation	$225,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
National Wild Turkey Federation	$200,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Park People	$40,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Denver > Denver
Peaks to People Water Fund	$225,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	Larimer
Quantified Ventures	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Forest Health & Watershed Restoration	* Statewide
Quantified Ventures	$101,500	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Salida Area Parks, Open Space and Trails (SPOT)	$50,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Chaffee County > Salida
Sonoran Institute	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Strasburg Metro Parks and Recreation District	$25,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Arapahoe > Strasburg
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Town of Haxtun	$50,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Phillips > Haxtun
Town of Silver Plume	$43,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources	Clear Creek > Silver Plume
Trust For Public Land	$150,000	Capital Grant	Parks & Recreation	Weld
Water Foundation	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide
Western Resource Advocates	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Balanced Water Management	* Statewide

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY – 2022 IN REVIEW

Mary Seawell, Senior Vice President
Ana Soler, Senior Program Officer

The K-12 education program continues to be driven by the vision that all children in Colorado have access to educational opportunities that support their long-term success. The Foundation’s education strategies have historically been rooted in an effort to address inequities. The 2022 strategies retained that focus and added 1) being responsive to the shifting conditions caused by the pandemic and 2) the impact of climate change.

In 2022, the education team at Gates focused on the launch of the strategic plan that refined some strategies and expanded others. Based on learning from the last five years of grantmaking and community conversations, the Foundation believes supporting innovation within learning environments, supporting the conditions that support innovation, and supporting school system change is the best lever to meaningfully impact educational inequity in Colorado.

In 2022, Gates’ education program paid out $2,739,000 in strategic grants and $485,000 in responsive capital grants.

The Foundation supports the staff to function in roles beyond grantmaking and this includes convening stakeholders and funding partners for collective action. In 2022, the education team was involved in the following activities:

In response to the need for more equity in the philanthropic field for funding that meets community needs and amplifies youth voices in philanthropy, Ana provided ongoing strategic support to YouthRoots for the GIV Fellowship, a philanthropic and nonprofit fellowship program.

The education team facilitated a process to open lines of communication and cooperation and that resulted in more equitable access to education for families in the Roaring Fork area. To share lessons learned, in 2022 the Foundation released a case study, We are One Community, and 50 people attended a webinar to discuss the process and the outcomes with local leaders.

In the realm of climate change, Gates’ close partner and grantee Lyra Colorado continued to help partners in rural communities across the state to develop and expand initiatives that address climate change. Climatarium helps school districts, higher education institutions, and nonprofit partners identify existing and new resources for developing local and regional academic, career, and student leadership pathways for students.

2022 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: EDUCATION

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Bluff Lake Nature Center	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Colorado Charter Facility Solutions	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Children’s Campaign	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Education Organizing Funder Collaborative (CEO)	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Rocky Mountain School	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Garfield > Carbondale
Colorado Succeeds	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Colorado Youth Congress	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Community West Healthcare	$40,000	Capital Grant	Education	Mesa > Grand Junction
Education Reform Now	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Embark Education	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	Denver
Embark Education	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	Denver
Empower Schools, Inc.	$175,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Flame Lily Montessori	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education	Arapahoe > Aurora
Great Education Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Historic Hayden Granary Inc.	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	Routt
Innovation in Learning Fund	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	* Statewide
Keystone Center	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Montezuma > Towaoc
Kwiyagat Community Academy	$150,000	Capital Grant	Education	Montezuma > Towaoc
Lyra Colorado	$620,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	* Statewide
Maslow Academy of Applied Learning, Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Education	Montrose > Montrose
Mesa County Public Health	$70,000	Capital Grant	Education	Mesa > Clifton
Mile High United Way	$20,000	Capital Grant	Education	Denver > Denver
Montrose County School District RE-1J	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Montrose > Montrose
Montrose County School District RE-1J	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	Montrose > Montrose
Montrose County School District RE-1J	$40,000	Capital Grant	Education	Montrose > Montrose
Moonshot edVentures	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Public Education & Business Coalition – Teacher Residency Program	$250,000	Program-Related Investment	Education	* Statewide > Denver
Reach Capital IV	$2,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Education	* National
Reach Opportunity II	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Education	* National
Reschool	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	* Statewide
RISE Colorado	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Arapahoe > Aurora
RootED	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
RootED	$300,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
Sims-Fayola Foundation, Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Denver > Denver
Southwest Open School	$50,000	Capital Grant	Education	Montezuma > Cortez
Stead School (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Education	Adams > Commerce City
Thorne Nature Experience	$50,000	Capital Grant	Education	Boulder > Lafayette
University Preparatory School	$35,000	Capital Grant	Education	Adams > Commerce City
University Preparatory School	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Learning Environment Innovation	Denver > Denver
Yampa Valley Community Foundation	$500	Capital Grant	Education	Routt > Hayden

INFORMED COMMUNITIES

Melissa Milios Davis, Vice President, Informed Communities

Gates Family Foundation has a long history of viewing local news and information as vital civic infrastructure, connected to all of our issue areas. Since 1967, we’ve provided program and project support for public media. Since 2010 we’ve supported new nonprofit news startups, new beats, watchdog journalism and documentary projects. And in 2019, we made a catalytic, three-year commitment to launch the Colorado Media Project as a special initiative — thanks to funding carved out from Gates’ education, natural resources, community development and capital grantmaking programs.

But not until 2022 did Gates create a designated pot of funds to support a fourth strategic focus area: Informed Communities. Extensive landscape research, surveys, and partner conversations have guided our new five-year strategic plan, including the Foundation’s newest grantmaking program. Through this work, we aim to help ensure that all Coloradans can access, trust, and engage with reliable local news and information they need to participate in a healthy democracy and make well-informed decisions about issues important to the future of our state.

To support informed communities, we focus our attention and resources on three strategies:

In 2022, Gates’ Informed Communities program committed a total of $1,342,956 to nine grantees, including:

A total of $1,110,956 committed to the Colorado Media Project over the next three years, of which $410,956 was released in 2022 and combined with funds from five other Colorado and national foundations to support:

— The second round of CMP’s Advancing Equity in Local News grant program, which provided 27 new grants totaling $352,640 to support efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in Colorado newsrooms; build trust between Colorado newsrooms and the diverse communities they serve; and/or support more diverse and inclusive civic news leadership, entrepreneurship, ownership and narratives,

— The fifth year of CMP’s #newsCOneeds initiative that provided 32 Colorado newsrooms with $5,000 in matching funds plus technical support to plan and execute their year-end giving campaigns — which collectively raised more than $832,700 in total from local individuals,

— Seeding and launch of CMP’s Community News and Innovation Fund, which supports ecosystem builders including the Colorado Press Association, the Colorado News Collaborative, and the Public News Company as they help local newsrooms explore and pilot innovative solutions to business, digital and revenue challenges that they are facing right now, in communities across the state, and

— External evaluation of CMP’s grantmaking and impact.

A two-year, $112,000 commitment to the National Trust for Local News, to add operational capacity to the Colorado News Conservancy and Colorado Community Media, in support of a $750,000 impact investment from Gates awarded in 2021

A $50,000 grant to The Colorado Sun, to help drive reader revenue through marketing and membership, in support of an eight-year, $1.5 million impact investment from Gates awarded in 2020

Five other grants to advance various initiatives including a pilot project with the League of Women Voters in Larimer County, a summer photojournalism camp for rural teens on the Western Slope, and a two-year commitment to the Denver Democracy Summit.

2022 GRANTS AWARDED: INFORMED COMMUNITIES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Colorado Media Project	$110,956	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	* Statewide
Colorado Media Project	$900,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	* Statewide
Colorado State University	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
KGNU Community Radio	$60,000	Capital Grant	Informed Communities	Boulder > Boulder
League of Women Voters of Larimer County	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Inclusive Leadership, Voices & Models	Larimer
National Trust for Local News	$112,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	* Statewide
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	* Statewide
Rocky Mountain Public Media	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Civic News Ecosystem-Building	Denver > Denver
The Colorado Sun	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
University of Denver	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Inclusive Leadership, Voices & Models	Denver > Denver
Western Slope Photojournalism	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Informed Communities > Inclusive Leadership, Voices & Models	Delta > Paonia

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – 2022 YEAR IN REVIEW

Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer, Community Development

For Colorado communities, 2022 was a time of both economic uncertainty and unprecedented federal investment, creating big challenges and opportunities for Colorado communities. Rising inflation and supply chain pains were felt in our homes and in staff rooms. Rising interest rates have added complexity for our nonprofit and community partners looking to find a permanent location or build affordable housing and community assets. At the same time, a huge influx of federal funds is bringing incredible opportunities for state and local governments. The passage of Proposition 123 in 2022 established a statewide affordable housing fund, which promises to increase access to housing supply at a time when our state desperately needs new affordable homes.

At the Foundation, Community Development staff worked to apply the new strategic plan, investing in solutions that advance Economic Mobility and create access to Equitable Community Assets in Colorado. Across the Foundation, staff worked to address structural inequity and invest in climate solutions.

In 2022, the Gates Community Development program committed $1,980,000 in strategic grants to 24 organizations and $743,000 in responsive capital grants to 15 organizations. There were two new community development related Program Related Investments in 2022 totaling $1.55 million: Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative Fund ($1 million), and Elevation Community Land Trust for the Chestnut Lofts project ($550,000). There were also two Mission Related Investment commitments: to the Greater Colorado Venture Fund II and the Avesta Colorado Fund.

With a new strategic focus on affordable and accessible housing in Colorado, the Foundation made five grants and one PRI and dedicated additional staff time to participating in the sector. Housing grantees in 2022 included 9to5 Colorado to support housing justice efforts for mobile home communities, planning efforts to increase workforce housing in La Junta Colorado, pre-development support for an emerging community land trust — Home Trust of Ouray County — and support for developments led by Urban Land Conservancy and the ArtSpace Space to Create initiative.

This year, the Gates Community Development program supported economic mobility with expanded investment in workforce development, with grant investments in policy through the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative, and investment in practice through ActivateWork. Gates made two notable investments in community wealth building strategies by supporting the Center for Community Wealth Building for collaborative work on access and ownership of commercial property and the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center for its work in rural communities. The Foundation also continued its support of entrepreneurship strategies with 2022 grants to the Latino Leadership Institute’s Latino Entrepreneur Access Program, AYA Foundation and the Black Business Initiative, and First Southwest Community Fund for its work supporting rural entrepreneurs in the San Luis Valley and beyond.

Staff at Gates have observed the need for earlier support to nonprofits and community-serving development efforts as a strategy to increase equitable community assets. In today’s fast-paced and challenging real estate and construction markets, support for planning and design of community-serving assets can make a significant difference in what projects actually get built. In conjunction with the Capital grants program, Gates provided pre-development support to community-driven and BIPOC-led development efforts in 2022, including a GES Coalition-driven site in Globeville, Commún in Loretto Heights, Elevate Athletics in northeast Denver, and Cultivando in Adams County. As we move forward in 2023, we continue to ask the question: Who owns the city? How do we shift ownership of real estate to community-led and community-service projects?

The Foundation also advanced climate-focused work in Community Development with a three-year commitment to support advocacy and policy efforts to shift the transportation sector in Colorado; a Black-led greening initiative in the historic Five Points neighborhood, and two rural agricultural grants.

As we look to 2023 and beyond, the Foundation continues to listen, learn, and look for ways to advance economic mobility, promote community wealth building strategies, increase housing access and affordability, and support the development of community-serving assets. Please reach out with your ideas and insights! You can submit ideas here, or contact me directly here.

2022 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
9to5 National Association of Working Women/Colorado Chapter	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Activate Work Inc.	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Adaman Club	$15,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Art Students League of Denver	$15,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Artspace Projects, Inc.	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Grand > Salida Carbondale Grand Lake
Artspace Projects, Inc.	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Larimer > Loveland
AYA Foundation	$90,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Bicycle Colorado	$225,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Loveland
Boys and Girls Clubs of Weld County	$40,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Weld > Greeley
BuCu West	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Denver > Denver
Butterfly Pavilion	$150,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Broomfield > Broomfield
CASA of Larimer County Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Fort Collins
Catholic Charities of Central Colorado	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Center for African American Health	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Center for Community Wealth Building	$160,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Center for the Arts Evergreen, Inc.	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Jefferson > Evergreen
Central City Opera House Association	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Gilpin > Central City
City of La Junta	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Otero > La Junta
Civic Center Conservancy	$80,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Clifton Christian Church Food Bank	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Clifton
Collide Capital	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development	* National
Colorado Black Arts Movement	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Colorado Housing Accelerator Initiative (CHAI) Fund	$1,000,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development	* Statewide > Denver
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Colorado Photographic Arts Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Commún	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Community of Caring Foundation	$40,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Teller > Cripple Creek
Community Partnership Family Resource Center	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Teller > Woodland Park
Community Resource Center	$60,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Connect Church	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Gypsum
CrossPurpose	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Jefferson > Arvada
Crow Luther Cultural Events Center/Town of Eads	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Kiowa > Eads
Cultivando	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Adams > Commerce City
Cultivando	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Adams > Commerce City
Dancing Spirit Inc.	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	La Plata > Ignacio
Denver Foundation	$60,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Developmental FX	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Elevation Athletic Performance Foundation	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Elevation Athletic Performance Foundation	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Elevation Community Land Trust – Chestnut Lofts	$550,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Fax Partnership (The)	$150,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
First Southwest Community Fund	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Florence Architectural and Cultural Traditions F.A.C.T.	$35,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Fremont > Florence
Fox West Theatre Alliance	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Las Animas > Trinidad
Friends of the Genoa Tower	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Lincoln > Genoa
Garage Workspace	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	Lincoln > Hugo
GES Coalition	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Grassroots Foundation, Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Yuma > Joes
Greater Colorado Venture Fund II	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development	* Statewide
Haven House of Montrose Inc.	$35,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Montrose > Olathe
Hayden Heritage Center	$500	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Routt > Hayden
Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Historic Routt County	$1,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Routt
Home Trust of Ouray County	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Ouray
Judi’s House	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Karis Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Kim Robards Dance, Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Latino Cultural Arts Center	$40,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Latino Leadership Institute	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Lincoln Hills Cares	$15,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Mancos Common Press	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Montezuma > Mancos
Mesa County Libraries Foundation	$45,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Mesa > Clifton
Mile High Connects	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Miners Alley Playhouse	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Jefferson > Golden
Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Montezuma > Cortez
Mountain Roots Food Project	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Gunnison > Gunnison
Museum of Contemporary Art	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
National Museum of World War II Aviation, Inc.	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
National Wildlife Federation	$70,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Needful Provision, Inc. (NPI)	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Montezuma > Cortez
No Barriers USA	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Red Feather Lakes
Piknik Theatre	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Routt > Steamboat Springs
Region 10 League for Economic Assistance and Planning	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Montrose > Olathe
Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Grand > Grand Lake
Roundup River Ranch	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Avon
RTL Foundation	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	Denver > Denver
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Mobility	Alamosa > Alamosa
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition	$53,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Alamosa > Alamosa
Second Chance Center	$70,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Conejos > Antonito
Stratton Area Foundation, Inc. 2	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Kit Carson > Stratton
Summit County Family & Intercultural Resource Center	$30,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Summit > Breckenridge
The Family Center/La Familia	$10,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Fort Collins
United Way of Weld County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Weld > Greeley
Urban Land Conservancy	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Urban Land Conservancy	$250,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Urban Land Conservancy	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Urban Peak	$50,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Urbanity Advisors, LLC	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Montezuma > Towaoc
VFW Post 1 Foundation	$20,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Via Mobility	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Village Exchange Center	$35,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Warren Village	$65,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
We Fortify	$25,000	Capital Grant	Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Weaver Social Finance, LLC	$1,000,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	* Statewide
Wonderbound	$40,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver

VIBRANT COMMUNITIES – 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer, Community Development

The year 2021 was both a time of reflection, with a robust strategic planning process, and a year of action, as Gates staff worked to respond to the evolving impacts of the COVID pandemic, income inequality, and a growing affordable housing crisis in Colorado. Increasing drought, wildfires, and a transitioning energy economy are also bringing uncertainty to Colorado communities.

Over the course of the year, the Foundation developed a new five-year strategic plan. Staff conducted research and outreach to inform our strategic direction, and ultimately established two focus areas for advancing equitable community development:

The Foundation is also integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices into its operations and decision making to ensure that community development funding advances a more equitable and inclusive Colorado.

In 2021, the Gates Community Development program committed $530,000 in strategic grants to 13 organizations and $370,000 in responsive capital grants to eight organizations. There were five community development impact investments in 2021 totaling $2.15 million: IndieDwell ($250,000), Montbello Organizing Committee FreshLo Hub ($200,000), Telluride Foundation-Rural Homes for Sale for Locals ($200,000), First Southwest Community Fund ($500,000), Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth ($1,000,000)

Geographically, the Foundation looks for opportunities to invest in both rural and urban communities, including connection between rural and urban areas, such as support for the Rocky Mountain High Plains Food Chain Collaborative, which works with agricultural producers to promote regenerative practices, social justice, and climate change mitigation. Additional agriculture and food systems grants included statewide policy and procurement work by Nourish Colorado and a planning grant for a future grocery store and food hub under development by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

In Metro Denver, Gates supported economic opportunity in the East Colfax neighborhood and in the surrounding communities of east Denver and west Aurora through support of Mile High Connects, the ACT 303 Coalition (which included Enterprise Community Partners, Mi Casa Resource Center, The Fax Partnership, and others). An investment in the former Johnson & Wales Campus by Urban Land Conservancy also included support to BuCu West and the Kitchen Network as it expands its commissary kitchen services to east Denver. A commitment to Montbello Organizing Committee is helping support the community-driven FreshLo Hub development providing access to healthy food and affordable housing in the Montbello neighborhood of northeast Denver.

In southwest Denver, the Foundation supported community-serving projects through capital and programmatic grants. Grantees included El Laboratorio and the River Sisters Partnership (working to advance parks in the region that lift up the importance of Colorado’s rivers and its Latino, Hispanic, and Chicano heritage, as well as the work of Lifespan Local to create a community-serving campus in Westwood.

Housing is becoming a greater focus for the Foundation as the strain to find affordable housing worsens across the state. Relevant grants in 2021 included Enterprise Community Partner’s statewide policy and implementation work, and Radian’s work to advance accessory dwelling units as a strategy to increase housing in Denver. In addition, an investment in the Rural Homes for Sale for Locals effort will support housing development underway for the communities of Nucla, Norwood, Ridgway, and Ouray in southwest Colorado.

As we look to the future, the Foundation is actively seeking ways to advance economic mobility, promote community wealth building strategies, increase housing access and affordability, and support the development of other community-serving assets. Please reach out with your ideas and insights!

2021 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
40 West Arts Inc.	$30,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Jefferson > Lakewood
Art Center of Western Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Mesa > Grand Junction
Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Arapahoe > Aurora
Avesta Capital LLC	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Avesta Capital LLC	$100,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Avesta Fund I	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity > Natural Resources
Belvidere Foundation	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Gilpin > Central City
Bent County Historical Society	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Bent > Las Animas
Boss Generation	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
BuCu West	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
BuCu West	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Buff Venture Fund	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development	* Statewide
Building a Better Colorado	$75,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Alamosa > Alamosa
Community Resource Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Creede Repertory Theatre	$15,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Mineral > Creede
Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth	$1,000,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Community Planning	Denver > Denver
Denver Public Market	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
El Laboratorio	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Denver > Denver
Englewood Depot, Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Arapahoe > Englewood
Enterprise Community Partners Inc.	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Equitable Community Assets	Denver > Denver
Family Tree, Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Fax Partnership (The)	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
First Southwest Community Fund	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development	* Statewide
First Southwest Community Fund	$500,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Economic Mobility	* Statewide
Focus Points Family Resource Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
Food Bank of the Rockies	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Friends of Raymer, Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Weld > Raymer
Full Circle of Lake County	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lake > Leadville
Gunnison Arts Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Gunnison > Gunnison
History Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	Denver > Denver
Holyoke Community Childcare Initiative	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Phillips > Holyoke
indieDwell	$250,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Pueblo
Jesus on Colfax Ministries	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Denver Aurora
Kids First Health Care	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Adams > Commerce City
Kids in Need of Dentistry	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Adams > Commerce City
Kindred Kids Child Advocacy Center, Inc.	$35,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Canon City
Laradon	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Latino Leadership Institute	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Lifespan Local	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Loaves and Fishes Ministries of Fremont County	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Canon City
Manna The Durango Soup Kitchen	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata > Durango
Montbello Organizing Committee	$200,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Nourish CO	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	* Statewide
PlatteForum	$10,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Posada	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Pueblo > Pueblo
Pueblo City-County Library District	$20,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Pueblo > Pueblo
Radian	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Radian	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Educational and Charitable Foundation	$90,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	* Statewide
Savio House	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Jefferson > Lakewood
Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation	$50,000	Capital Grant	Arts & Culture	Lake > Leadville
Telluride Foundation	$200,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Montrose
The Bike Hub	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Multi-Modal Mobility	Denver > Denver
Town of Hayden	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Routt > Hayden
Urban Land Conservancy	$150,000	Capital Grant	Community Development	Denver > Denver
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Montezuma > Towaoc
Women’s Bean Project	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver

NATURAL RESOURCES – 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

Whitney Johnson, Senior Program Officer

During the past year, the Natural Resources team had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time and energy reflecting on what was learned over the last five years implementing the Foundation’s 2016-21 strategic plan and looking forward to the next five years. In order to develop and shape a new strategic plan that reflects the realities of the moment and encompasses a wider array of views, staff conducted research, sought input from grantees, community leaders, and thought partners, and reflected on the lessons learned in pursuing the objectives and strategies identified in the previous plan.

Part of what we heard is that our ability to act as a strategic partner — coupling financial support with intellectual engagement and roll-up-the-sleeves determination — has resulted in catalytic efforts and built trust among an increasingly diverse set of allies. Progress against the ambitious objectives commonly held for Colorado’s natural resources requires a hunger for seeding and supporting innovation, an abiding passion for cooperative solutions, and a redoubled commitment to thoughtful leadership on behalf of future generations. Our team understands that in order to find solutions or make progress on complex issues, this work must be inclusive, innovative, and opportunistic.

In 2021 and beyond, relevance and results at scale demand the type of entrepreneurial and investment-based approaches that are a hallmark of Gates’ initiated programs, and climate change in particular presents an opportunity to lead. Our communities and economies depend upon a reliable snowpack and water supplies, healthy forests and watersheds, and the conservation of lands that protect and sustain wildlife, habitat, food production, and rural communities. After a year of planning, the Natural Resources program is committed to advancing ideas and solutions focused on: Balanced Water Management, Forest Health and Watershed Restoration, and Landscape Conservation. In addition, we are increasing our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sector.

The Natural Resources annual report letter in 2020 noted that year as the worst year for Colorado wildfires on record. At the time that letter was written, the Marshall Fire had yet to sweep through suburban neighborhoods in Boulder County. This fire quickly became the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history, destroying more than 1,000 homes and displacing more than 30,000 people. As increasing populations lead to an expanded wildland-urban interface and climate change continues to exacerbate the challenges associated with unhealthy forests, the Natural Resources’ Forest Health program is investing in large-scale collaborative efforts like the Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative as well as tools and technology like Salo Sciences to address the ”new normal” of destructive wildfires in the West.

As river flows decrease and demand increases, Gates continues to deepen its commitment to solutions that advance conservation efforts, and management policies and practices that promote Balanced Water Management. A grant to the Sonoran Institute is helping advance key Colorado Water Plan implementation priorities while supporting community-based planning and prioritization.

In the face of a rapidly changing climate and both contracting and exploding communities in rural Colorado, the need for scaled Landscape Conservation is increasingly urgent. Acknowledging the significant gap that remains in the financial resources needed to achieve landscape-scale conservation solutions, Gates invested in the Trust for Public Land and its work in advancing conservation finance measures to address this gap and generate resources dedicated to addressing significant, long-term conservation goals.

Underlying the work of Gates Family Foundation and the Natural Resources program is a recognition that those most impacted by climate change are communities least represented in many of the organizations the Natural Resources program has supported. The strategic planning process provided an opportunity for intentional outreach, listening, and dialog regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. That work has just begun. A grant to the Next 100 Colorado is a strategic step in supporting policies, leadership development, and community-based efforts that center equity in the conservation work of Colorado.

We welcome ongoing dialog and collaboration as the Gates Family Foundation continues to work alongside its partners to foster an inclusive and resilient Colorado.

2021 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: NATURAL RESOURCES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
American Rivers, Inc.	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	Alamosa > Alamosa
Aspen Valley Land Trust	$25,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Garfield > Carbondale
Avesta Fund I	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity > Natural Resources
Branson Reorganized School District RE-82	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Las Animas > Branson
Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Colorado Future Farmers of America Foundation	$50,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Larimer
Continental Divide Trail Coalition	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	Jackson
Denver Museum of Nature and Science	$105,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Denver > Denver
Ember Infrastructure Management	$4,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	* Statewide
Encourage Capital – One State Investment Partners Fund	$500,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Higher Ground BMX	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Conejos > La Jara
Hinsdale County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Hinsdale > Lake City
New Venture Fund	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Next 100 Colorado	$105,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Ouray Ice Park	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Ouray > Ouray
Palmer Land Conservancy	$500,000	Program-Related Investment	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Pueblo
Salo Sciences	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
San Luis Valley Great Outdoors	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Costilla > San Luis
Sand County Foundation, Inc.	$13,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Sonoran Institute	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
The Nature Conservancy	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	La Plata
Trust For Public Land	$250,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	* Statewide
Water Education Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY – 2021 IN REVIEW

Mary Seawell, Senior Vice President
Ana Soler, Senior Program Officer

In 2021, Gates Family Foundation embarked on a foundation-wide strategic planning process. The education team at Gates took an aligned but distinct approach that involved lots of listening to stakeholders, including school leaders, teachers, and students. We learned significant lessons during the pandemic, notably that education was undergoing a once-in-a-generation shift — and as funders, we need to think differently about how we do grantmaking. While our new strategic direction did not fully go into effect until 2022, our 2021 grants and initiated work began to reflect our evolving direction:

Gates Family Foundation’s K-12 education program continues to be driven by the vision that all children in Colorado have access to educational opportunities that support their long-term success. To advance this, in 2021 we focused our resources to seed innovation and support effective and diverse autonomous public school models; pursue system-level reforms that create the conditions necessary to sustain effective schools; support community-based programs in rural areas; develop more robust human capital pipelines across the state; and sustain media, advocacy, research, and engagement efforts that strengthen the education ecosystem.

In 2021, Gates’ education program paid out $2,227,000 in strategic grants to 29 organizations and $420,000 in responsive capital grants.

In response to national and local conversations and challenges around racial equity, the Gates education and communication staff initiated and organized a youth and teacher webinar with a focus on racial justice and mental health. Organizing partners included Chalkbeat, Colorado Youth Congress, Young Americans Aspiring for Social and Political Action (YAASPA), and the Colorado Education Initiative. The event was youth-led and Chalkbeat facilitated. Close to 100 people attended the webinar.

Gates’ close partner and grantee Lyra Colorado continued to advance Climatarium to rural communities throughout the state. Specifically, Gates gave a grant to River Science to expand its college and career credentialed hydrology pathway beyond Cañon City High School to all three school districts in the Fremont County Collaborative. Lyra and Gates staff also helped to launch a new regional collaborative with four Yampa Valley school districts to explore interest in collaborating to develop a climate change education pathway for students. And Lyra’s Environmental Science & Climate Institute (ESCI) engages students interested in environmental sciences and climate change through a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach. After successfully launching ESCI in 2020, Lyra found a strong partner in Fort Lewis College, which hosted the 2021 ESCI Summer Institute with 24 students from the five-district region.

2021 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: EDUCATION

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Academy 360	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
Bellwether Education Partners Inc.	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	* Statewide
Chalkbeat	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	* Statewide
Climb Higher Colorado	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	* Statewide
Colorado Education Organizing Funder Collaborative (CEO)	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Denver > Denver
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	* Statewide
Colorado Mountain College Foundation	$120,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Conditions for Sustained Innovation	Garfield > Glenwood Springs
Colorado State University	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Garfield > Rifle
Colorado Succeeds	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Colorado Youth Congress	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Convivir Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Cripple Creek-Victor School District RE-1	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Teller > Cripple Creek Victor
DSST Public Schools	$150,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Denver > Denver
Early Connections Learning Centers	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Edgewater Collective	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Jefferson > Edgewater
Education Reform Now	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Fremont RE-2 School District	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	Fremont
Generation Schools	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	* Statewide
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government	$343,500	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	* Statewide
Kwiyagat Community Academy	$250,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Montezuma > Towaoc
Learning Council (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Delta > Paonia
Lyra Colorado	$315,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	* Statewide
Mercy Housing Mountain Plains	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
Moonshot edVentures	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	Denver > Denver
National Council on Teacher Quality	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
River Science	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Fremont > Canon City
Stead School (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Adams > Commerce City
Teach For America	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	Pueblo
University of Denver	$120,000	Strategic Grant	Education > School System Innovation	* Statewide
Valley Settlement	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Garfield
Wild Bear Nature Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Boulder > Nederland
Youthroots	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide

VIBRANT COMMUNITIES – 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer, Community Development
Whitney Johnson, Program Officer, Community Development
Lisa Rucker, Senior Program Officer, Capital Grants
Melissa Milios Davis, Vice President, Informed Communities

The year of 2020 was a devastating time for Colorado communities. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and the economy created uncertainty and loss across the state. Unemployment rates rose sharply, food insecurity and housing instability increased, and many small businesses shuttered or struggled to find ways to operate in a changed world. Local governments and nonprofits worked to meet the basic needs of their communities with less revenue and while working to protect staff in a time of uncertainty.

COVID-19 also exacerbated and revealed existing community disparities and structural inequity. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have been harder hit by both the virus and the economic impacts from it. Concurrently, repeated incidents of police brutality against BIPOC have led to a broader discourse about systemic racial injustice in America, including access to capital, housing, jobs, education, transit, parks, public space, and many other components of community development. In 2020, Gates’ Community Development program shifted staff time and resources toward COVID response with a focus on equity, including identification and support of organizations addressing food insecurity, housing insecurity, and support to small businesses left out of federal response programs.

In addition to COVID response grants, the Gates Community Development program committed $495,000 in strategic grants to eight organizations in 2020, and $1,335,000 in responsive capital grants to 12 organizations. In 2020, the Foundation approved two (non-COVID) community development impact investments, including a deposit in Native American Bank (fixed income, $240,000), and the Metro Denver Impact Facility (debt, $1.25M).

Access to Economic Opportunity was the most robust strategy area in 2020, and the Foundation continues to advance community wealth building strategies, such as the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center to advance co-op conversions around Colorado; Mi Casa Resource Center and the ACT303 effort to support small businesses and community planning in East Colfax; and the NPX effort to catalyze economic mobility through large investments in select nonprofits.

Within the Informed Communities program area, Gates staff continued to support the Colorado Media Project as a multi-funder, community-led initiative to strengthen and transform Colorado’s local journalism ecosystem. CMP priorities in 2020 included working with partners to launch the Colorado News Collaborative, which in June hired veteran journalist Laura Frank as its first executive director; developing and awarding a pool of funds to ensure diverse and multi-lingual communities have access vital COVID news and information; and convening journalists and community members for frank conversations on journalism’s role in systemic racism. CMP also supported 25 Colorado newsrooms with $5,000 challenge grants for the year-end #newsCOneeds campaign, which resulted in more than $580,000 raised for the cohort in the month of December. Apart from CMP, program officers from all of Gates’ focus areas continued to provide direct grants to newsrooms covering important issues, including Chalkbeat Colorado, Colorado Public Radio, High Country News, and Rocky Mountain PBS. Gates also made an impact investment in The Colorado Sun, bolstering its ability to scale as a member-supported statewide newsroom.

Additional grantee highlights include:

MILE HIGH CONNECTS: In 2020, Gates re-committed support to the Mile High Connects collaborative table. MHC was quick to respond to COVID and launched a mini-grants program and additional supports. MHC has been participating as a selected site in the national Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge, bringing national funding and capital pipelines for equitable development to the metro area. MHC member and previous GFF grantee Enterprise Community Partners worked on eviction prevention and COVID-related housing policy and received support in 2020 through Gates’ COVID Response Fund.

SAN LUIS VALLEY LOCAL FOODS COALITION: The SLVLFC is a long-time Gates grantee and partner, and a 2020 grant to the organization helped the organization continue the Valley Roots Food Hub and serve as a key player in regional and statewide food system efforts. Through the Gates’ COVID Response Fund, the Foundation also supported the Colorado Farm and Food Systems Respond and Rebuild Fund, which launched in April 2020 with philanthropic support, and was awarded an additional $1 million from the Colorado Department of Agriculture to expand the work.

COMMUNITY BUILDERS: In 2020, Gates also recommitted support to long-time partner Community Builders to guide planning processes that advance economic opportunity and smart growth in Colorado towns and communities.

2020 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: VIBRANT COMMUNITIES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Alamosa School District	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Alamosa
Archuleta School District #50 Jt.	$3,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Archuleta > Pagosa Springs
Artspace Projects, Inc.	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Ouray > Ridgway
Bethel Community Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lincoln > Arriba
Big Green (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Arapahoe > Aurora
Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club	$35,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Montrose > Montrose
Boys and Girls Clubs of Chaffee County	$35,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Chaffee County > Salida
Bright Future Foundation for Eagle County	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Gypsum
Canon City School District	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Canon City
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
CASA of the Seventh Judicial District, Inc.	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Delta > Delta
Center for African American Health	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Center for People with Disabilities	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Boulder
Chinook Fund – Another World is Possible Fund	$20,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Clear Creek County	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Clear Creek > Idaho Springs
Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Colorado Hospital Association – Colorado Hospitals for a Healthy Environment	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Community Builders	$160,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	* Statewide
Community Food Bank	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Compañeros	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata > Durango
Cotopaxi School District RE-3	$2,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Cotopaxi
Denver Food Rescue	$15,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Denver Foundation – Black Resilience in Colorado Fund	$70,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Jefferson > Lakewood
Denver Public Library	$150,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Denver Santa Claus Shop, Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Denver Urban Gardens	$15,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
El Alba LLC	$55,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Arapahoe > Aurora
El Laboratorio	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Denver > Denver
EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Mesa > Grand Junction
Food Bank of the Rockies	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Fox Theatre Walsenburg	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Huerfano > Walsenburg
Fremont RE-2 School District	$2,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont
Friends of the La Veta Library, Inc.	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Huerfano > La Veta
Fund for a Healthier Colorado (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Goodwill of Colorado	$45,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Impact Charitable	$20,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Inner City Health Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Judi’s House	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Karis Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Keystone Policy Center	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Montezuma
La Puente Home	$22,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Alamosa > Alamosa
Lake County School District R-1	$3,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lake > Leadville
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families > COVID-19 Response	* Statewide
Mi Casa Resource Center	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver Aurora
Mile High Connects	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Mile High United Way	$275,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Montbello Organizing Committee	$150,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Denver > Denver
Museum of Friends	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Huerfano > Walsenburg
NewFarms	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Pueblo > Boone
NPX Charitable Inc.	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Philanthropy Colorado	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Pine River Shares	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata > Ignacio Bayfield
Project Worthmore	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Re:Vision	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
RiNo Gives Back	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Denver > Denver
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Costilla
RISE Colorado	$8,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
RISE Colorado	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
River Bridge Regional Center	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Garfield > Glenwood Springs
Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Roundup River Ranch	$250,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Avon
Routt County United Way	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Routt > Steamboat Springs
Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Boulder
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Alamosa > Alamosa
SARA House	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Morgan > Fort Morgan
Sedgwick County	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Sedgwick > Julesburg
Silverton School District	$1,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	San Juan > Silverton
Solar Energy International	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
South Central Council of Governments	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Huerfano > Walsenburg
South Park Historical Foundation	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Park > Fairplay
Springboard Child Care	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
St. George’s Episcopal Church	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lake > Leadville
Stepping Stones of the Roaring Fork Valley, Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Garfield > Carbondale
Sun Valley Community Center	$2,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The Delores Project	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The GrowHaus	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The Powerhouse	$7,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata
Town of Bristol Improvements Board	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Prowers > Bristol
Urban Peak	$15,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver
Village Exchange Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Arapahoe > Aurora
YWCA of Boulder County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Boulder

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY – 2020 IN REVIEW

Mary Seawell, Senior Vice President
Abby Schaller, Senior Program Officer
Ana Soler, Senior Program Officer

The mission of Gates Family Foundation’s K-12 education program is to ensure that all children in Colorado have access to education opportunities that support their long-term success. To advance this mission, we focus our resources to seed innovation and support effective and diverse autonomous public school models; pursue system-level reforms that create the conditions necessary to sustain effective schools; support community-based programs in rural areas; develop more robust human capital pipelines across the state; and sustain media, advocacy, research, and engagement efforts that strengthen the education ecosystem.

In 2020, Gates’ education program awarded $1,185,000 in strategic grants to 15 organizations and $525,000 in responsive capital grants to 12 organizations. This past year was characterized by unprecedented disruptions to student learning. The education program adapted grantmaking and approaches to respond quickly and flexibly to the changing realities of K-12 education in Colorado.

COVID Response

In the weeks after the March COVID-19 shutdowns, Gates staff gathered information from district partners on food distribution activities and needs. The Foundation rapidly deployed $22,500 in food security grants to key district partners.

Gates, Lyra Colorado, and a coalition of partners (RESCHOOL Colorado, Empower Schools, Donnell-Kay Foundation, Colorado Succeeds, RootED Denver, and Daniels Fund) launched the Education Innovation Fund – a K-12 initiative to support nimble and creative responses to meet students needs in the wake of COVID-19. The fund awarded 34 promising projects $320,000 in grants. Gates and partners captured lessons learned from the effort through video, virtual convenings, and surveys.

Gates worked with the Governor’s Office and Gary Community Ventures to launch the Response, Innovation, and Student Equity (RISE) Planning and Design Support (PDS) fund. This initiative supported 15 prospective applicants to the Governor’s RISE fund with resources and design support to develop impactful applications and strong implementation plans. The RISE PDS Fund prioritized support to rural applicants serving diverse student populations. Eight of the 15 PDS-funded projects were ultimately selected to receive significant grants from the RISE fund.

Gates staff also provided support to the Governor’s Office and the RISE Selection Committee with analysis, tools, and facilitation throughout the RISE review process. In total, the RISE fund awarded $41 million to 22 innovative efforts across the state.

Southwest Environment and Climate Institute

Lyra Colorado and Gates continue to partner on education projects statewide. Gates is a supporter of Lyra both through financial and staff time support. Gates and Lyra partnered with six southwest Colorado school districts and Fort Lewis College to launch the Colorado Environment and Climate Institute (ECI), a program that supports students with unique and shared climate change-focused curriculum, project-based learning, and career exploration. In August of 2020, students from all participating districts convened in Durango for a three-day kick-off Summer Institute. Gatherings were held outdoors, and the event strictly adhered to all public health guidelines. Students, teachers, and administrators who participated in the Institute left feeling energized about ECI and the year ahead.

Efforts to elevate student voice

There were several Gates-led efforts to include students in decision making.

Gates staff co-hosted a webinar with Chalkbeat Colorado and the Colorado Education Initiative to elevate student voices during the pandemic. Ten students from across the state shared their experiences of COVID-19 related impacts on school and home life, opinions and recommendations on remote learning, and their engagement with current events, including the racial justice movement. More than 170 parents, teachers, and community leaders logged in to hear from the panel.

In partnership with YouthRoots, Gates created a remote Philanthropy Fellowship for youth 18-24 who are interested in learning more about the work of foundations and nonprofits. Eleven foundations signed up to host two fellows each for the fall of 2021. The Growing Insight and Voice (GIV) Fellowship will provide opportunities for youth to discover and explore potential careers in the philanthropic and nonprofit fields; improve the ability of the philanthropic sector to meet community needs by including youth voice, expertise, and wisdom in foundation strategies; and develop a pipeline for youth from communities underrepresented in philanthropy to enter the field.

Gates worked in partnership with Lyra to recruit, train, and support youth advisors to inform all stages of planning, curriculum, and development for the Colorado Environmental Science and Climate Institute and to support grant review for the Governor’s RISE Fund.

Investments

Since 2018, Gates staff have investigated a number of edtech funds. Investments in 2020 include Reach Capital and Owl Ventures.

Reach Capital invests in people and solutions that broaden access to quality education. Edtech products in Reach’s portfolio are grounded in strong pedagogy, research-driven, and support students with limited educational opportunities due to their socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and geography.

Owl Ventures is at the forefront of the education technology wave and is recognized as the leader in the sector. As barriers that once impeded technological innovation in K-12 classrooms are rapidly removed, the opportunity grows to support transformative edtech companies that reshape learning and increase access for all students.

Collaboratives

In addition to grantmaking, the Gates education team also worked closely with strategic partners on some existing and some exciting new initiatives in 2020:

Colorado Education Organizing Funder Collaborative (CEO) – Gates staff has participated in this collaborative for six years, committing funding and staff time to support CEO’s mission to reduce the achievement and opportunity gaps for low-income public school students of color in the Denver metro area. CEO harnesses support for community organizing that educates, builds leadership among, and engages low-income parents and young people to advocate for effective education reform solutions. Over the years, CEO has increased collaborative efforts among grantees, has developed and implemented grantee self-assessment surveys of organizational strength and core organizing competencies, has provided responsive technical assistance to grantees based on survey results and shared learning, and has enhanced grantee operational and organizing capacity. Over the past six years Gates’ commitment of $375,000 to support the collaborative effort was joined by $1,744,000 in commitments from other foundations.

In 2020, Gates and Lyra Colorado staff initiated a meeting with multiple partners, including school districts in Fremont County (Cañon City Schools RE-1, Fremont School District RE-2, and Cotopaxi School District RE-3) and Pueblo Community College. These participants went on to form a multi-district collaborative, The Fremont Multidistrict Initiative, to reinvent how a region can cooperatively utilize resources and sustainably provide an outstanding educational experience for rural students by expanding opportunities and offering access to robust college and career pathways, regardless of the district they attend. To accomplish this work, the initiative established a steering committee composed of the superintendents from each district, as well as the dean of the Fremont campus of Pueblo Community College. Two of Gates’ grantees, Empower Schools and Trendlines, supported the initiative.

Through all of this work, the education team at Gates strives to be thoughtful partners and to listen to all participants in the education community, in order to make progress in advancing educational equity and access to opportunity for all students in Colorado. We are grateful to all of the organizations and communities with whom we have been honored to partner with over the course of this most extraordinary year.

2020 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: EDUCATIONAL EQUITY

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
5280 High School	$40,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Denver > Denver
A+ Colorado	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Academy of Advanced Learning	$30,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	El Paso > Colorado Springs
BookTrails Inc.	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Routt > Steamboat Springs
Chalkbeat	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy > Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
Clayton Early Learning	$125,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
Colorado Charter Facility Solutions	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	* Statewide
Colorado Education Organizing Funder Collaborative (CEO)	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Denver > Denver
Colorado League of Charter Schools	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	* Statewide
Colorado Succeeds	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Innovation & Incubation	* Statewide
Colorado Youth Congress	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Education Reform Now	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Empower Community High School	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Arapahoe > Aurora
Firefly Autism	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Jefferson > Lakewood
Hart Center for Public Service	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
HOPE Center	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
Keystone Policy Center	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
Lighthouse Writers Workshop Inc.	$60,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
National Council on Teacher Quality	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
National Wildlife Federation	$120,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	* Statewide
Owl Ventures	$3,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Education
Oxford Teachers Academy	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
Reach Capital III	$3,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Education
RootED	$400,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	Denver > Denver
Seasons Schoolhouse Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Gunnison > Gunnison
Valley Settlement	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Garfield > Carbondale
YMCA of Northern Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Boulder > Lafayette

COVID-19 RESPONSE

Throughout 2020, Gates Family Foundation staff and board members worked alongside the state’s nonprofit, foundation, government, and education leaders to leverage all of the Foundation’s resources in response to the evolving COVID crisis.

In the stories below, you can read about Gates’ responsive grantmaking, impact investments, and funding partnerships developed in 2020 to support Colorado communities’ response to the COVID pandemic:

Gates Commits $250,000 to Statewide COVID-19 Response Fund (March 26)

Gates Announces Additional $610,000 in COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants (April 17)

Gates Commits and Leverages $14.8 Million to Support Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 (May 13)

Ten Trusted Community News Sources Awarded COVID-19 Informed Communities Grants (May 25)

34 Innovative Projects Receive Total of $335,000 from COVID-19 Education Fund (Sept. 1)

Gates Announces Third Round of 2020 COVID Response Grants (Sept. 18)

15 Teams Selected to Receive Planning and Design Support to Apply for RISE Education Fund (Oct. 29)

25 Colorado Newsrooms Selected for Matching Grants to Raise a Quarter-Million for Local Journalism (Nov. 6)

More than $300K Total Awarded to 34 Rural Theaters via Public-Private COVID Support Initiative (Jan. 6, 2021)

Gates Salutes 32 RISE Fund Grantees Sharing Over $40 Million to Innovate and Transform Public Education (Jan. 25, 2021)

2020 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: COVID-19 RESPONSE

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Alamosa School District	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Alamosa
Archuleta School District #50 Jt.	$3,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Archuleta > Pagosa Springs
Canon City School District	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Canon City
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Center for African American Health	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Center for Community Wealth Building	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Chinook Fund – Another World is Possible Fund	$20,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Colorado Enterprise Fund – FirstBank PPP Credit Facility	$6,250,000	Program-Related Investment	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Hospital Association – Colorado Hospitals for a Healthy Environment	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority – Energize Colorado Gap Fund	$100,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority – Energize Colorado Gap Fund	$1,000,000	Program-Related Investment	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Lending Source – Character Based Small Business Lending Fund	$250,000	Program-Related Investment	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Lending Source – Character Based Small Business Lending Fund	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Lending Source – FirstBank PPP Credit Facility	$4,666,500	Program-Related Investment	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Arts & Culture	* Statewide
Colorado Succeeds	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Compañeros	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata > Durango
Cotopaxi School District RE-3	$2,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont > Cotopaxi
Denver Food Rescue	$15,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Denver Foundation – Arts and Culture Relief Fund	$100,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Arts & Culture	* Statewide
Denver Foundation – Black Resilience in Colorado Fund	$70,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
DreamSpring	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Enterprise Community Partners Inc.	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Family Resource Center Association Inc.	$45,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
First Southwest Community Fund	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	Alamosa
First Southwest Community Fund	$500,000	Program-Related Investment	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	Alamosa
Food Bank of the Rockies	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Fremont RE-2 School District	$2,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Fremont
Impact Charitable	$20,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Keep it Colorado	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Keystone Policy Center	$40,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Montezuma
La Puente Home	$22,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Alamosa > Alamosa
Lake County School District R-1	$3,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lake > Leadville
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families > COVID-19 Response	* Statewide
LiveWell Colorado – Colorado Farmer and Food System Fund	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Food Systems & Agriculture	* Statewide
Lyra Colorado	$27,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Education	* Statewide
Lyra Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Education	* Statewide
Lyra Colorado	$125,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Education	* Statewide
Main Street Phoenix Project	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Mile High United Way	$275,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
NPX Charitable Inc.	$75,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Philanthropy Colorado	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Pine River Shares	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata > Ignacio Bayfield
Re:Vision	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Costilla
RISE Colorado	$10,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
RISE Colorado	$8,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Silverton School District	$1,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	San Juan > Silverton
Sistahbiz	$25,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Sun Valley Community Center	$2,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The Colorado Education Initiative	$50,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Education	* Statewide
The Delores Project	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The GrowHaus	$5,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
The Powerhouse	$7,500	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	La Plata
Trailhead Institute – Colorado Farmer and Food System Fund	$70,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Food Systems & Agriculture	* Statewide
University of Colorado Anschutz	$30,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps	* Statewide
Urban Peak	$15,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver

NATURAL RESOURCES – 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

Russ Schnitzer, Senior Program Officer
Whitney Johnson, Program Officer

Daring to look back, the unprecedented challenges of 2020 have profoundly impacted life locally and globally. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous year in Colorado brought into sharper focus some of the themes about which Gates’ Natural Resources program staff have been exploring and learning.

A forest health crisis that began building nearly 20 years ago intersected with a rapidly intensifying climate crisis and, in 2020, materialized into the worst year for Colorado wildfires on record. In a single season, more than 665,000 acres burned at a cost of more than $266 million for suppression alone. A total of 1,152 homes were destroyed; two lives were lost. The conditions that led to these catastrophic fires persist, and landscape-scale solutions to forest management are urgently needed to create greater resilience for people and nature.

The state’s water supply and demand gap – the difference between how much water is provided by snowpack and how much water is needed for consumptive uses – is worsening. Today, that gap poses perhaps an even greater threat to Colorado’s economy and ways of life than ever before. The winter snowpack of 2020-2021 did little to provide relief to Colorado’s watersheds, as evidenced by almost non-existent spring runoff. With no relief in sight, Colorado must provide leadership for the hard work necessary to invest in resilience and adapt to this “new normal.”

A slowly-building crisis of relevance is also evident in Colorado’s conservation field. Values of diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t reflected often enough in the management of natural resources, the protection of landscapes, or in the voices advocating for the same at every level. Efforts to make conservation more inclusive and diverse will take time; this is a Gates Family Foundation priority now and into the future.

Other program priorities of Gates’ Natural Resources remain critically important:

Agricultural land is still being converted by residential and industrial development at an alarming rate, as an aging cohort of farmers and ranchers face increasingly challenging social and economic pressures.

Critical wildlife populations and habitats are at even greater risk from an expanded set of perils that includes a changing climate, loss of agricultural stewardship, and management mandates by popular vote.

Recreational use patterns and intensity have spiked throughout Colorado, as pandemic-weary residents seek refuge and release in the outdoors – creating more challenges for budget-starved public land managers.

We are responding to these challenges. The issues described above have directly informed our efforts to develop the Foundation’s next five-year strategic plan, the process for which began in 2020 and will continue through the end of 2021. We look forward to sharing this new strategy with partners and grantees, including the many new relationships that will be required to make progress. We know that we must double down on listening, bringing diverse stakeholders together, and finding common ground.

Supporting the conservation of Colorado’s natural resources is a unique privilege, and it is a role that our staff and board carry out with honor and humility. Our work is only as strong as our grantees and funding partners. Thank you for the opportunity.

2020 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: NATURAL RESOURCES

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Colorado Forum Fund	$13,500	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	Denver > Denver
Colorado State Conservation Board	$125,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Colorado State University	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Crested Butte Land Trust	$100,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Gunnison > Crested Butte
Friends of Ski-Hi Park	$80,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Rio Grande > Monte Vista
Gunnison County	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Gunnison > Gunnison
High Line Canal Conservancy	$700,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Denver > Denver
Montezuma Land Conservancy	$158,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Montezuma
Mountain Studies Institute	$27,500	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Ecosystem Services	Montezuma
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation	$225,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Quivira Coalition	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	* Statewide
Town of Hot Sulphur Springs	$25,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Grand > Hot Sulphur Springs
Town of San Luis	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Costilla > San Luis
Trout Unlimited/Colorado Council	$250,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Western Slope Conservation Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation	Delta > Paonia
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers	$25,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	Boulder > Longmont

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY – 2019 IN REVIEW

Mary Seawell, Senior Vice President

The mission of Gates Family Foundation’s K-12 education program is to ensure that all children in Colorado have access to education opportunities that support their long-term success.

To advance this mission, we focus our resources to seed innovation and support effective and diverse autonomous public school models; pursue system-level reforms that create the conditions necessary to sustain effective schools; support community-based programs in rural areas; develop more robust human capital pipelines across the state; and sustain media, advocacy, research, and engagement efforts that strengthen the education ecosystem.

In 2019, the education program awarded $2,745,750 in strategic grants to 23 organizations and $214,765 in responsive capital grants to seven organizations. These commitments are detailed in the list below, and we’d like to spotlight just a few of the organizations that are changing lives:

RISE Colorado is training principals and school leaders and increasing their knowledge and capacity regarding best practices relating to family engagement, educational equity, systemic racism, and how power and privilege impacts education and school systems.

Keystone Policy Center is working with Ute Mountain Ute tribal leaders to design a new tribal school to be located on the reservation. Financial and technical support from Gates has helped the tribe-led team explore the concept and feasibility of such a school, and then define the pathway to execution and operation.

Climb Higher Colorado is providing a fellowship for education leaders to gain skills, develop a network, and construct and implement strategies necessary to address systemic educational challenges facing students and families.

Colorado Future Farmers is providing professional development and mentoring to agriculture teachers across Colorado in an effort to increase embedded support and retention.

National Black Child Development Institute launched The Denver Journal of Education and Community, a community-based academic journal and multi-media platform that aims to build awareness of community perspectives of Pre-K to 12 education in the Denver metro region.

In addition to grantmaking, the Gates education team also worked closely with strategic partners on some exciting new initiatives in 2019:

We joined with local and national partners to launch Lyra Colorado, an independent nonprofit dedicated to supporting educator and community empowerment by creating more responsive education systems and structures. Lyra works with the three Denver Public Schools Innovation Zones to ensure their long-term sustainability and advance their mission to create systems that support and elevate educators. Lyra also supported the creation of a regional partnership in southwest Colorado to help five school districts partner and two higher education institutions to create more opportunities for students. Gates long-time partner Empower Schools is leading that work with financial support from Lyra.

We wrapped up a multi-year process with the Roaring Fork School District and regional charter schools that resulted in a District-Charter Collaboration Compact of shared, formal agreements that benefit students and families. The Gates team continues to provide implementation support to the district and schools to ensure they are meeting their shared goals of achieving equity and equal access to public education in the Roaring Fork Valley.

We worked with three rural communities – Cañon City, Durango, and Alamosa – to advance local initiatives in K-12 education. The effort was a partnership with Wend Collective to harness the creative capacity of rural communities to solve problems within their own education systems. With The Civic Canopy as an implementation partner, Gates and Wend supported local groups in each geography with targeted facilitation, analysis, and strategy development to advance big ideas for their schools, students, and communities. Gates published a case study on the effort to share learning on the initiative.

Through all of this work, the education team at Gates strives to leverage all of the Foundation’s resources – dollars, people, relationships, credibility, access, convening capability, and physical space – to make progress in advancing educational equity and access to opportunity for all children in Colorado. We are grateful for the opportunity to work and learn alongside our partners, and we celebrate their successes.

2019 Grants and Impact Investments Awarded: Educational Equity

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Alpine Achievers Initiative	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Saguache
America Succeeds	$670,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Innovation & Incubation	Denver > Denver
Aurora Community School	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Arapahoe > Aurora
Canon City School District	$35,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Fremont > Canon City
Canon City School District	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Fremont > Canon City
CiviCO	$80,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	* Statewide
Clayton Early Learning	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
Colorado Charter Facility Solutions	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	* Statewide
Colorado Children’s Campaign	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Colorado Children’s Campaign	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Colorado Education Organizing Funder Collaborative (CEO)	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Denver > Denver
Colorado Succeeds	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Douglas > Highlands Ranch
Colorado Youth Congress	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Compass for Lifelong Discovery	$9,765	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Garfield > Carbondale
Dove’s Nest	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Dolores > Dove Creek
Empower Community High School	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Arapahoe > Aurora
Empower Community High School	$35,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Arapahoe > Aurora
Forum280	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Denver > Denver
Generation Schools	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Jefferson County School District	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	Jefferson
Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Arapahoe > Greenwood Village
Keystone Center	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Montezuma > Towaoc
KIPP Colorado Schools	$25,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Denver > Denver
Lyra Colorado	$151,231	Strategic Grant	Education > Innovation & Incubation	* Statewide
Montessori del Mundo	$30,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Arapahoe > Aurora
Moonshot edVentures	$120,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
Pagosa Peak Open School	$50,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Archuleta > Pagosa Springs
Rio Grande Child Development and Family Services	$35,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Rio Grande > Del Norte
RISE Colorado	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Arapahoe > Aurora
RootED	$500,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	Denver > Denver
RootED	$20,750	Strategic Grant	Education > Innovation & Incubation
Teach For America	$175,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	El Paso > Pueblo Colorado Springs
Teach For America	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Denver > Denver
Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Larimer > Fort Collins
The Colorado Education Initiative	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
The Wildflower Foundation	$85,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	* Statewide
Trendlines	$85,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	* Statewide
University of Colorado Foundation	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	Denver > Denver
Valley Settlement	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Education	Garfield > Carbondale
We Are FARMily Center	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Pueblo
Youth Initiative of Adams County	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Adams

VIBRANT COMMUNITIES – 2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer
Whitney Johnson, Program Officer

Colorado’s rapidly changing rural and urban communities are both an opportunity and a challenge in ensuring stronger, more resilient communities for all. In 2019, Gates Family Foundation advanced vibrant communities through our Community Development, Informed Communities, Capital Grants and Impact Investing programs by supporting projects that built upon each other to create leverage and integrate cross-sector solutions.

In a thriving and inclusive ecosystem, entrepreneurship and community wealth-building empowers individuals, improves standards of living, and creates jobs, prosperity, and innovation in the economy. While the Denver Metro Area continued to experience unprecedented growth in 2019, small business ownership is in danger of drifting further from the hands of local entrepreneurs, especially with the economic upheaval in 2020. Very little capital flows to entrepreneurs who are women, people of color, or living in rural Colorado. Gates is working strategically to help weave together an entrepreneurial ecosystem that bridges market gaps through its partnerships with organizations that reach extremely marginalized entrepreneurs who are poised for growth.

Transportation plays a huge role in the lives of individuals, our communities, and the way communities grow. With increasing population growth and limited funding, Colorado’s aging transportation system is outdated and insufficient, and fossil fuel vehicle emissions continue to be a significant contributor to climate change. In 2019 we prioritized supporting organizations focused on engaging communities in re-envisioning transportation and mobility options, creatively solving problems, and holding government leaders accountable for setting and achieving ambitious goals.

Gates also has served an important role in catalyzing a growing network of food hubs here in Colorado. The aggregation and distribution of local food products are an essential component of scaling up local food systems, and food hubs have the potential to be financially viable businesses that demonstrate a significant commitment to place while building a strong local economy.

In 2019, the Community Development program committed $932,500 in strategic grants to 13 organizations and $465,000 in responsive capital grants to 12 organizations. New impact investments supporting vibrant communities in 2019 included a $500,000 MRI to Greater Colorado Venture Fund to support entrepreneurs in rural Colorado, a $500,000 PRI to DreamSpring to support its Small Business Impact Fund, and a $3 million MRI to Rose Affordable Housing Fund V to provide safe, energy efficient and affordable housing as a stable base for families and seniors and to connect residents with a range of health, educational, and social services.

A few additional highlights include:

ELEVATION COMMUNITY LAND TRUST: Joined with six foundations and Urban Land Conservancy to launch a new public-private partnership to acquire or develop 700 permanently affordable homes and serve 2,000 residents in five years in Front Range communities from Ft. Collins to the Denver metro area.

EAST COLFAX / SUN VALLEY REDEVELOPMENT: Helped catalyze the Federal and Colfax cloverleaf redevelopment project, which received major investment from Colorado Department of Transportation and the City and County of Denver in 2019.

COLORADO MEDIA PROJECT: Committed $1.125 million over three years to launch the Colorado Media Project with the University of Denver and national and local funders. The goal of the initiative is to strengthen public-service journalism across Colorado through collaboration, business innovation, and community engagement.

2019 Grants and Impact Investments Awarded: Vibrant Communities

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Adoption Exchange (The)	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	* Statewide
Alliance for Sustainable Colorado	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Bent County Historical Society	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Bent > Las Animas
Beulah Heritage Preservation League	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Pueblo > Beulah
Bicycle Colorado	$225,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Multi-Modal Mobility	Denver > Denver
Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Wellington
Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver	$120,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Ward
Center for African American Health	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Center for Community Wealth Building	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
City of Pueblo	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Pueblo > Pueblo
CityCraft Foundation	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance	$50,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Clinica Tepeyac	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Colorado Forum Fund	$65,000	Strategic Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Colorado Impact Fund – Bridge Fund I	$1,500,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
Colorado Nonprofit Association	$20,000	Strategic Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Colorado Springs Food Rescue	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Community Ministry of Southwest Denver	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Concrete Couch	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Denver Center for the Performing Arts	$60,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Denver South Park and Pacific Historical Society	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Park > Como
DreamSpring	$500,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
DreamSpring	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
First Baptist Church of Denver	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Delta > Cedaredge
Greater Colorado Venture Fund	$500,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
GRID Alternatives Colorado	$10,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Pueblo > Pueblo
Groundwork Denver Inc.	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	Denver > Denver
Guidestone Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Chaffee > Salida
Heartbeat Denver, Inc.	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
High Country News	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps > Natural Resources	Delta > Paonia
Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley	$75,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
KUTE, Inc.	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	La Plata
Montezuma County Historical Society	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Montezuma > Cortez
Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project	$45,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Montezuma > Cortez
Mountain Family Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Grand > Granby
National Trust for Historic Preservation	$22,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	* Statewide
PGIM Impact Value Partners	$3,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Colorado and beyond
Pulliam Community Building Foundation	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Larimer > Loveland
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Educational and Charitable Foundation	$97,500	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Pueblo
Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Rose Affordable Housing Preservation Fund V	$3,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Colorado and beyond
Rose Andom Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Salud Family Health Centers	$30,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Las Animas > Trinidad
San Juan County Historical Society	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	San Juan > Silverton
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition	$40,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Alamosa > Alamosa
Springs Rescue Mission	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Swallow Hill Music Association	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
The Other Side Academy	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Together We Count	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
University of Colorado Healthcare Innovation Fund	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Capital Project Support > Civic Projects & Leadership	Colorado and beyond
Veterans Community Project	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Longmont
West Colfax Business Improvement District	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	Denver > Denver
West Community Economic Development Corp.	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
West Community Economic Development Corp.	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver

NATURAL RESOURCES – 2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

Russ Schnitzer
Senior Program Officer

2019 marked a year of continued evolution within the Gates Family Foundation’s Natural Resources program. Most notably, we welcomed Whitney Johnson as a new program officer. Whitney’s role is shared between Community Development and Natural Resources, which will help these programs further define complementary priorities, such as rural economic development and sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The program awarded a total of more than $1.3 million in strategic grants to 15 organizations and $255,000 in responsive grants from our capital program went to five organizations in 2019. In addition, we made several significant new natural resources impact investments, including $3 million in an industrial impact fund focused on resource efficiencies in energy, transportation, and the built environment and $1 million in a fund focused on mitigation banking and carbon sequestration.

Our Focus Landscapes initiative, a key element of our Natural Resources program, underwent a comprehensive review, revision, and re-launch in 2019. This initiative was launched in 2011 to help Colorado achieve landscape-scale conservation through the protection of private lands in specific geographies. A great deal of progress was made in North Park, southeast Colorado, and the San Luis Valley, resulting in more than 200,000 acres of farm and ranch lands conserved, along with their associated ecological values. The strategic review process was done in close partnership with the land trust organizations representing those geographies, providing lessons-learned and an exploration of emerging opportunities. The revised Focus Landscapes initiative will first focus on two geographies: southeast Colorado and the San Luis Valley. Our five-year commitment to these landscapes is also more ambitious in scope, working with the partner organizations, Palmer Land Trust and Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust, to implement a more comprehensive conservation strategy with outcomes that emphasize organizational sustainability, collaboration, community, and innovation that extends well beyond traditional private land conservation easements.

2019 also highlighted the significance of other Natural Resources program priorities, to address challenges exacerbated by a changing climate and continued population growth – trends very likely to persist well into the future. Such variables also continue to shape how the Foundation invests in strategic priorities. Increasingly, Natural Resources investments are being made collaboratively with other foundations and public funding partners. The scale of these challenges is staggering, but the opportunities for private philanthropy to work together toward common objectives are increasingly evident.

Continuing to leverage the entrepreneurial and collaborative approach that has come to define the Natural Resources program, significant achievements made in 2019 include:

The development and successful launch of the RESTORE Colorado Fund in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The fund’s first round of awards totaled approximately $2.7 million to eleven different large-scale habitat restoration and enhancement projects across the state.

The launch of the Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative (RMRI), led by Gates grantee the National Wild Turkey Federation and in close partnership with the United States Forest Service. The RMRI is focused on large-scale implementation of forest health and watershed restoration beginning in southwest Colorado, helping to break down jurisdictional barriers to forest health treatments and creating a 10-year collaborative watershed restoration strategy.

Continued work to advance key water sustainability objectives, including the identification of new durable sources of funding for the full implementation of Colorado’s Water Plan.

The conservation of Trinidad’s iconic Fisher’s Peak, formerly known as Crazy French Ranch, which in June 2020 become Colorado’s newest and second-largest state park with more than 19,000 acres of wilderness to explore, which is also expected to drive economic growth in southern Colorado.

Finally, the Foundation’s commitment to Colorado’s land trusts remains steadfast. 2019 was the first full year for Keep It Colorado, the hub organization co-launched by Gates and Great Outdoors Colorado to serve the state’s diverse land trust community. In the past year, Keep It Colorado has hired additional staff, implemented policy, communications, and fundraising strategies, and engaged land trust leaders statewide with learning and organizational development opportunities. While much work remains to ensure the long-term sustainability of Colorado’s land trust community, Keep It Colorado continues to serve as a shining example of conservation leadership and collaboration, even in trying times.

Supporting the conservation and stewardship of Colorado’s natural resources is an exercise in continual learning and adaptation. It is also a humbling privilege to contribute to the Foundation’s long-standing conservation legacy. Our work is only as strong as our grantees and funding partners, and that strength is growing. As we look ahead, I am confident that the relationships we continue to build at every level will result in great progress and keep us on the leading edge of conservation in Colorado.

2019 Grants and Impact Investments Awarded: Natural Resources

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
Adams State University	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	Alamosa
Audubon Rockies	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Aurora Rotary Foundation, Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Arapahoe > Aurora
Blackhorn Ventures – Industrial Impact Fund	$3,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	Colorado and beyond
Central Colorado Conservancy	$50,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Chaffee
City of La Junta	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Otero > La Junta
Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc.	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Ecosystem Services	* Statewide
Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Routt > Steamboat Springs
Colorado Cattlemen’s Association	$120,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Colorado Headwaters Land Trust	$40,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Grand > Granby
Colorado National Monument Association	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Mesa
Colorado Open Lands	$35,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Delta
Colorado State University	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
Colorado Water Trust	$140,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Conservation Fund	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water
Crested Butte Land Trust	$120,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Gunnison > Crested Butte
Crested Butte Land Trust	$70,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Gunnison > Crested Butte
Environmental Defense Fund	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
High Country News	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Informed Communities > Addressing Civic News Gaps > Natural Resources	Delta > Paonia
Hinsdale County School District	$20,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Hinsdale > Lake City
Keep it Colorado	$375,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Keystone Center	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Lake County Public Health Agency	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Lake > Leadville
Land Trust Alliance	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	* Statewide
Lyme Timber Company LP – Opportunities Fund	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Natural Resources	Colorado and beyond
Montezuma Land Conservancy	$113,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Montezuma > Cortez
Montrose Recreation District	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Montrose > Montrose
Mountain Area Land Trust	$16,900	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building	Park
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation	$250,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
National Wild Turkey Federation	$200,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
New Venture Fund	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
North London Mill Preservation, Inc.	$25,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Park > Alma
Palmer Land Conservancy	$3,000,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Otero
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust	$2,000,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Alamosa > Alamosa
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation	$50,000	Capital Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Rio Blanco > Meeker
San Luis Valley Great Outdoors Coalition	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Saguache > Crestone
Sedgwick County Organized Recreation	$40,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Sedgwick > Julesburg
The Nature Conservancy	$300,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Landscape Conservation	Las Animas > Trinidad
Town of Oak Creek	$60,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	Routt > Oak Creek
Trust For Public Land	$85,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Windward Fund – Water Funders Initiative	$275,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Wright Stuff Community Foundation	$10,000	Capital Grant	Capital Project Support > Parks & Recreation > Natural Resources	San Miguel > Norwood

NATURAL RESOURCES GRANTS FOR COLORADO

OUR PRIORITIES FOR NATURAL RESOURCES

Balanced Water Management

Advance solutions that address the complexities of water scarcity and its impact on the environment and communities.

We support new tools, processes, and ideas to realize a long-term, sustainable balance between all of Colorado’s water demands.

Forest Health and Watershed Restoration

Create innovative forest management strategies that support healthy forests and watersheds that provide ecological, social and economic benefits.

We focus on the changing climate and its impact on decreased water availability and agricultural yields in Colorado and increased the risk of wildfires.

Landscape Conservation and Land Trust Capacity Building

Support land protection and resilience in high-priority landscapes and support the land trust community in large-scale and collaborative efforts.

We fund projects with demonstrated impact, scale, connectivity, and a high degree of landowner commitment and community support.

GATES SUPPORT FOR NATURAL RESOURCES MIGHT LOOK LIKE:

SEE OUR NATURAL RESOURCES GRANTMAKING AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS

HOW WE SUPPORT NATURAL RESOURCES

Strategic Grants

Capital Grants

Impact Investments

NATURAL RESOURCES NEWS AND INSIGHTS

Colorado Mass Timber Coalition Welcomes Inaugural Director

Our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan: Our Team Shares the Highlights

Connecting the dots between land, water, and community through innovation and partnership

NATURAL RESOURCES TEAM

Balanced Water
Management

Advance solutions that address the complexities of water scarcity and its impact on the environment
and communities.

Forest Health and
Watershed Restoration

Landscape Conservation and
Land Trust Capacity Building