Mary Seawell

Senior Vice President – Education

mseawell@gatesfamilyfoundation.org | (303) 316-3012

Mary Seawell leads work on education initiatives, particularly in the areas of innovations in governance and delivery of public education services, rural school innovation, public policy and strategies for expanding the pipeline of excellent school leaders and teachers.

Mary has served previously as the Executive Director of the Sturm Family Foundation and the Judith Ann Griese Foundation. She has also served as a Director and member of the Grantmaking Committee for the Charles T. Beaird Foundation, and a board member and Chair of the Grantmaking Committee for the Chinook Fund. From 1993 to 2003 she worked in various capacities at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Denver District Attorney’s Office. Mary also worked for Get Smart Schools developing an MBA program at the University of Denver for autonomous school leaders.

Mary has served on numerous community boards including the Odyssey School, the Denver Language School, The Lab at Belmar, Bluff Lake Nature Center and Rape Assistance and Awareness Program.

Mary was elected to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education in 2009 and served as its President from 2011-2013. She is a graduate of American University (Print Journalism and Philosophy) and has a law degree from the University of Denver College of Law. She also studied Literature at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England.

Posts by Mary Seawell

INFORMED COMMUNITIES

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
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
Bike Hub (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Multi-Modal Access and Infrastructure	Denver > Denver
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	Community Building > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Community Resource Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Assistance to Nonprofits	* Statewide
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
Enterprise Community Partners Inc.	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Development	Denver > Denver
Fax Partnership (The)	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
First Southwest Community Fund	$500,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Economic Development	* Statewide
First Southwest Community Fund	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Convening	* Statewide
Focus Points Family Resource Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
History Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	Denver > Denver
indieDwell	$250,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Pueblo
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
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
Radian	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Radian	$10,000	Capital 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
Telluride Foundation	$200,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Montrose
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

VIBRANT COMMUNITIES – 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW

Laia Mitchell, Senior Program Officer, Community Development

2021 GRANTS AND IMPACT INVESTMENTS AWARDED: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Grantee	Amount Awarded	Type	Strategy	Area Served
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
Bike Hub (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Multi-Modal Access and Infrastructure	Denver > Denver
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	Community Building > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Community Resource Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Assistance to Nonprofits	* Statewide
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
Enterprise Community Partners Inc.	$80,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Economic Development	Denver > Denver
Fax Partnership (The)	$60,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
First Southwest Community Fund	$500,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Economic Development	* Statewide
First Southwest Community Fund	$5,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Convening	* Statewide
Focus Points Family Resource Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Denver > Denver
History Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	Denver > Denver
indieDwell	$250,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Pueblo
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
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
Radian	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
Radian	$10,000	Capital 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
Telluride Foundation	$200,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Montrose
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

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
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
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
New Venture Fund	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Water	* Statewide
Next 100 Colorado	$105,000	Strategic Grant	Natural Resources > Stewardship at Scale	* Statewide
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
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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	* Statewide
Kwiyagat Community Academy	$250,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Montezuma > Towaoc
Learning Council (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Education	Delta > Paonia
Lyra Colorado	$315,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	* Statewide
Mercy Housing Mountain Plains	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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
Artspace Projects, Inc.	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Ouray > Ridgway
Bethel Community Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Montrose > Montrose
Boys and Girls Clubs of Chaffee County	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Chaffee County > Salida
Bright Future Foundation for Eagle County	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Gypsum
CASA of the Seventh Judicial District, Inc.	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Delta > Delta
Center for People with Disabilities	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Boulder
Chalkbeat	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities > Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Clear Creek County	$40,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Clear Creek > Idaho Springs
Community Builders	$160,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Community Planning	* Statewide
Community Food Bank	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Jefferson > Lakewood
Denver Public Library	$150,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Denver Santa Claus Shop, Inc.	$15,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Mesa > Grand Junction
Fox Theatre Walsenburg	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Huerfano > Walsenburg
Friends of the La Veta Library, Inc.	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Huerfano > La Veta
Fund for a Healthier Colorado (The)	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Goodwill of Colorado	$45,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Inner City Health Center	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Judi’s House	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Karis Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Mesa > Grand Junction
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > 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
Montbello Organizing Committee	$150,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Denver > Denver
Museum of Friends	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Huerfano > Walsenburg
New Voice Strategies	$2,500	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	* Statewide
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
Project Worthmore	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
RiNo Gives Back	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Denver > Denver
River Bridge Regional Center	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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
Rocky Mountain Public Media	$100,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	* Statewide
Rose Community Foundation – Colorado Media Project	$667,772	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	* Statewide
Roundup River Ranch	$250,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Eagle > Avon
Routt County United Way	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Routt > Steamboat Springs
Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Morgan > Fort Morgan
Sedgwick County	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Placemaking	Sedgwick > Julesburg
Solar Energy International	$15,000	Strategic Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	* Statewide
South Central Council of Governments	$15,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Huerfano > Walsenburg
South Park Historical Foundation	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Park > Fairplay
Springboard Child Care	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Arapahoe > Aurora
St. George’s Episcopal Church	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Lake > Leadville
Stepping Stones of the Roaring Fork Valley, Inc.	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Garfield > Carbondale
The Colorado Sun	$1,500,000	Program-Related Investment	Community Building > Informed Communities	* Statewide
Town of Bristol Improvements Board	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Prowers > Bristol
University of Colorado Anschutz	$30,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities > COVID-19 Response	* Statewide
Village Exchange Center	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Food Systems & Agriculture	Arapahoe > Aurora
YWCA of Boulder County	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	Routt > Steamboat Springs
Chalkbeat	$75,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities > Education > Advocacy	* Statewide
Clayton Early Learning	$125,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	Jefferson > Lakewood
Hart Center for Public Service	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Education	Denver > Denver
HOPE Center	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Education	Denver > Denver
Keystone Policy Center	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
Lighthouse Writers Workshop Inc.	$60,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Education	Denver > Denver
National Council on Teacher Quality	$25,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Human Capital	* Statewide
National Wildlife Federation	$120,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	Gunnison > Gunnison
Valley Settlement	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Rural Community-Based Programs	Garfield > Carbondale
YMCA of Northern Colorado	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	$25,000	Strategic Grant	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 – 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	Community Building > 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	$125,000	Strategic Grant	COVID-19 Response > Education	* Statewide
Lyra Colorado	$25,000	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	Community Building > Informed Communities > COVID-19 Response	* 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	Community Building > Parks & Recreation	Rio Grande > Monte Vista
Gunnison County	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Parks & Recreation	Gunnison > Gunnison
High Line Canal Conservancy	$700,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	* Statewide
Clayton Early Learning	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	Dolores > Dove Creek
Empower Community High School	$35,000	Capital Grant	Education > Autonomous Public Schools	Arapahoe > Aurora
Empower Community High School	$50,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Arapahoe > Aurora
Forum280	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Education	Rio Grande > Del Norte
RISE Colorado	$100,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Advocacy	Arapahoe > Aurora
RootED	$20,750	Strategic Grant	Education > Innovation & Incubation
RootED	$500,000	Strategic Grant	Education > Systems Reform	Denver > Denver
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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Bent > Las Animas
Beulah Heritage Preservation League	$15,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Larimer > Wellington
Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver	$120,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Boulder > Ward
Center for African American Health	$50,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Clinica Tepeyac	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Colorado Forum Fund	$65,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
Colorado Public Radio	$175,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	Denver
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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Concrete Couch	$20,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Denver Center for the Performing Arts	$60,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
Denver Press Club	$35,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	Denver > Denver
Denver South Park and Pacific Historical Society	$10,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
High Country News	$150,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities > Community Development > Natural Resources	Delta > Paonia
Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Grand > Granby
National Trust for Historic Preservation	$22,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > 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
Rocky Mountain Public Media	$325,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	* Statewide
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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Salud Family Health Centers	$30,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Las Animas > Trinidad
San Juan County Historical Society	$40,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	El Paso > Colorado Springs
Swallow Hill Music Association	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Arts & Culture	Denver > Denver
The Other Side Academy	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > Well-Being of Children, Youth & Families	Denver > Denver
Together We Count	$40,000	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Civic Projects & Leadership	* Statewide
University of Colorado Healthcare Innovation Fund	$1,000,000	Mission-Related Investment	Community Building > Civic Projects & Leadership	Colorado and beyond
University of Denver – Colorado Media Project	$232,228	Strategic Grant	Community Building > Informed Communities	* Statewide
Veterans Community Project	$25,000	Capital Grant	Community Building > 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.	$75,000	Capital Grant	Community Development > Access to Economic Opportunity	Denver > Denver
West Community Economic Development Corp.	$25,000	Strategic 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	Community Building > 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

Mary Seawell

Senior Vice President – Education

Posts by Mary Seawell

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