Grant
Two Peaks Fitness
$25,000 | Awarded: 2016
To support renovation of the Two Peaks Fitness center
Grant
$25,000 | Awarded: 2016
To support renovation of the Two Peaks Fitness center
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[ Start with reflection on big-picture state of community development in 2019, and tie to Gates’ strategic focus areas. Below is some fodder from your 2019 report to the Gates board. Feel free to edit or cut. A good target for length is about 500 words. NOTE that the list below includes all 2019 strategic grants, capital grants, and impact investments coded to Vibrant Communities focus area holistically — so we may add a few lines from Sue, Lisa, and/or Melissa into the letter. Thank you!]
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 community development impact investments in 2019 included: a $500,000 PRI to Accion/DreamSpring, $500,000 MRI to Greater Colorado Venture Fund, $3 million MRI to Rose Affordable Housing Fund V.
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 Aurora: https://www.elevationclt.org/
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: Launched the Colorado Media Project, a community-led effort to strengthen public-service journalism across Colorado through collaboration, innovation, and community engagement.
[ The end is a good place to tout anything important that we’ve got on tap so far in 2020. ]
Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer – Community Development
Whitney Johnson, Program Officer – Natural Resources and Community Development
| Grantee | Amount Awarded | Type | Strategy | Area Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance for Sustainable Colorado | $30,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| Bicycle Colorado | $225,000 |
Community Development > Multi-Modal Access and Infrastructure |
||
| Center for Community Wealth Building | $100,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| CityCraft Foundation | $30,000 |
Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture |
||
| Colorado Forum Fund | $65,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| Colorado Nonprofit Association | $20,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| Colorado Public Radio | $175,000 |
Community Building > Informed Communities |
||
| Colorado Springs Food Rescue | $50,000 |
Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture |
||
| Denver Press Club | $35,000 |
Community Development > Informed Communities |
||
| DreamSpring | $500,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| DreamSpring | $100,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| First Baptist Church of Denver | $15,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| Greater Colorado Venture Fund | $500,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| GRID Alternatives Colorado | $10,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| Groundwork Denver Inc. | $40,000 |
Community Development > Community Planning |
||
| Guidestone Colorado | $20,000 |
Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture |
||
| Heartbeat Denver, Inc. | $40,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| High Country News | $150,000 |
Community Development > Informed Communities |
||
| KUTE, Inc. | $15,000 |
Community Development > Community Planning |
||
| Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project | $45,000 |
Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture |
||
| PGIM Impact Value Partners | $3,000,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| Pulliam Community Building Foundation | $20,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Educational and Charitable Foundation | $97,500 |
Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture |
||
| Rocky Mountain Microfinance Institute | $150,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| Rocky Mountain Public Media | $325,000 |
Community Building > Informed Communities |
||
| Rose Affordable Housing Preservation Fund V | $3,000,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition | $40,000 |
Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture |
||
| Together We Count | $40,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| University of Colorado Healthcare Innovation Fund | $1,000,000 |
Community Development > Civic Projects & Leadership |
||
| West Colfax Business Improvement District | $60,000 |
Community Development > Community Planning |
||
| West Community Economic Development Corp. | $75,000 |
Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity |
||
| West Community Economic Development Corp. | $25,000 |
Community Development > Entrepreneurship |
[ Start with reflection on big-picture state of education in 2019, and tie to Gates’ strategic focus areas. Below is some fodder from your 2019 report to the Gates board. Feel free to edit or cut. A good target for length is about 500 words. Note that the list below includes all 2019 strategic grants, capital grants, and impact investments coded to Educational Equity as a holistic focus area — so we may add a few lines from Sue and/or Lisa into the letter. Thank you!]
In 2019, Gates Family Foundation’s education program awarded $2,745,750 in strategic grants to 23 organizations and $214,765 in responsive capital grants to seven organizations.
Through our Rural District Capacity-Building program, we joined with Wend Ventures to support local groups in Alamosa, Cañon City, and Durango with facilitation, data analysis, and strategy development to advance big ideas for their schools, students, and communities at large. Our case study, Bridges to Collective Vision, shares what the groups accomplished — and what we all learned in the process, with technical support from Civic Canopy — to share insights for nonprofit partners and philanthropic peers statewide and nationally for working alongside rural communities to strengthen public education and student success.
Gates also joined with national funders to launch Lyra Colorado — an independent nonprofit dedicated to expanding the public innovation zone model that advances educator and family empowerment and accountability. [more on Lyra and C3EN]
[ The end is a good place to tout anything important that we’ve got on tap so far in 2020. ]
Mary Seawell, Senior Vice President – Education
Ana Soler, Senior Program Officer – Education
Abby Schaller, Senior Program Officer – Education
| Grantee | Amount Awarded | Type | Strategy | Area Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Achievers Initiative | $25,000 |
Education > Rural Community-Based Programs |
||
| America Succeeds | $670,000 |
Education > Innovation and Incubation |
||
| Aurora Community School | $25,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Canon City School District | $35,000 |
Education > Rural Community-Based Programs |
||
| Canon City School District | $100,000 |
Education > Rural Community-Based Programs |
||
| CiviCO | $80,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| Clayton Early Learning | $25,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| Colorado Charter Facility Solutions | $100,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Colorado Children’s Campaign | $25,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Colorado Children’s Campaign | $100,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Colorado Education Initiative (The) | $20,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Colorado Education Organizing Funder Collaborative (CEO) | $60,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Colorado Succeeds | $5,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Colorado Youth Congress | $50,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Compass for Lifelong Discovery | $9,765 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Dove’s Nest | $20,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| Empower Community High School | $35,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Empower Community High School | $50,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Forum280 | $20,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| Generation Schools | $60,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Jefferson County School District | $30,000 |
Education > Systems Reform |
||
| Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain | $50,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| Keystone Center | $100,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| KIPP Colorado Schools | $25,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Lyra | $151,231 |
Education > Innovation and Incubation |
||
| Montessori del Mundo | $30,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Moonshot edVentures | $120,000 |
Education > Human Capital |
||
| Pagosa Peak Open School | $50,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Rio Grande Child Development and Family Services | $35,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| RISE Colorado | $100,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| RootED | $20,750 |
Education > Innovation and Incubation |
||
| RootED | $500,000 |
Education > Systems Reform |
||
| Teach For America | $40,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
||
| Teach For America | $175,000 |
Education > Human Capital |
||
| Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center | $25,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| The Wildflower Foundation | $85,000 |
Education > Autonomous Public Schools |
||
| Trendlines | $85,000 |
Education > Rural Community-Based Programs |
||
| University of Colorado Foundation | $20,000 |
Education > Systems Reform |
||
| Valley Settlement | $20,000 |
Community Building > Education |
||
| We Are FARMily Center | $25,000 |
Education > Rural Community-Based Programs |
||
| Youth Initiative of Adams County | $20,000 |
Education > Advocacy |
[ Start with reflection on big-picture state of natural resources in 2019, and tie to Gates’ strategic focus areas. Below is some fodder from your 2019 report to the Gates board. Feel free to edit or cut. A good target for length is about 500 words. NOTE that the list below includes all 2019 strategic grants, capital grants, and impact investments coded to Natural Resources as a holistic focus area — so we may add a few lines from Sue and Lisa into the letter. Thank you!
In 2019, the natural resources program awarded a total of $1,256,900 in strategic grants to 15 organizations and $255,000 in responsive grants
to five organizations. New natural resources impact investments in 2019 included a $1 million MRI to the Lyme Conservation Opportunities Fund, a $3 million MRI to the Blackhorn Industrial Impact Fund, and a $240,000 PRI to the Clean Energy Credit Union.
WATER
Launched ReStORE, a new strategic partnership with Great Outdoors Colorado, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and others to fund large-scale habitat restoration and stewardship projects across several habitat priorities: https://bit.ly/ReStORE
Partnered with the Water Funder Initiative to include the Rio Grande River in its “Resilient Rivers” fundraising campaign: https://www.waterfunder.org/watercampaign
Co-sponsored two-day convening for 50+ journalists covering Western water issues: https://gatesfamilyfoundation.org/12551-2/
LAND
Launched Keep It Colorado as a new statewide membership organization for the land trust sector: https://www.keepitco.org/
Supported the protection of Fisher’s Peak, resulting in Colorado’s newest state park near Trinidad: https://bit.ly/Fishers-Peak
[ The end is a good place to tout anything important that we’ve got on tap so far in 2020. ]
Russ Schnitzer, Senior Program Officer – Natural Resources
Whitney Johnson, Program Officer – Natural Resources and Community Development
| Grantee | Amount Awarded | Type | Strategy | Area Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams State University | $40,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Audubon Rockies | $100,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Aurora Rotary Foundation, Inc. | $15,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Blackhorn Ventures – Industrial Impact Fund | $3,000,000 |
Natural Resources |
||
| Central Colorado Conservancy | $50,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| City of La Junta | $25,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Coalitions & Collaboratives, Inc. | $75,000 |
Natural Resources > Ecosystem Services |
||
| Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust | $75,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building |
||
| Colorado Cattlemen’s Association | $120,000 |
Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale |
||
| Colorado Headwaters Land Trust | $40,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| Colorado National Monument Association | $20,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Colorado Open Lands | $35,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| Colorado State University | $75,000 |
Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale |
||
| Colorado Water Trust | $140,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Conservation Fund | $75,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Crested Butte Land Trust | $70,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| Crested Butte Land Trust | $120,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building |
||
| Environmental Defense Fund | $100,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Hinsdale County School District | $20,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Keep it Colorado | $375,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building |
||
| Keystone Center | $75,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Lake County Public Health Agency | $40,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Land Trust Alliance | $50,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building |
||
| Lyme Timber Company LP – Opportunities Fund | $1,000,000 |
Natural Resources |
||
| Montezuma Land Conservancy | $113,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building |
||
| Montrose Recreation District | $25,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Mountain Area Land Trust | $16,900 |
Natural Resources > Land Trust Capacity Building |
||
| National Fish and Wildlife Foundation | $250,000 |
Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale |
||
| National Wild Turkey Federation | $200,000 |
Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale |
||
| New Venture Fund | $150,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| North London Mill Preservation, Inc. | $25,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Palmer Land Trust | $3,000,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust | $2,000,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation | $50,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| San Luis Valley Great Outdoors Coalition | $10,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Sedgwick County Organized Recreation | $40,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| The Nature Conservancy | $300,000 |
Natural Resources > Land Conservation |
||
| Town of Oak Creek | $60,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Trust For Public Land | $85,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |
||
| Windward Fund – Water Funders Initiative | $275,000 |
Natural Resources > Water |
||
| Wright Stuff Community Foundation | $10,000 |
Natural Resources > Parks and Recreation |