COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM - 2026 RECIPIENT OVERVIEWS

Affinity Ranch: Affinity Ranch's Brave Hearts Youth Wellness Program provides equine-assisted experiences that help youth ages 5–18 build emotional regulation, coping skills, confidence, and resilience through hands-on interaction with therapy horses.

Art Students League of Denver: The Westwood Visual Art Education program provides BIPOC youth in Southwest Denver with free visual arts programming, mentorship, and culturally responsive instruction that fosters creative expression and a strong sense of belonging.

Berthoud High School: Berthoud High School (Thompson R2-J School District) is launching its sanctioned girls high school flag football program.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County: Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County provides free and low-cost out-of-school programming that includes academic support, career exploration, leadership development, health and wellness education, arts enrichment, and sports programming designed to promote school engagement and long-term success.

Buena Vista School District: Buena Vista School District is replacing outdated football goal posts with regulation, safety-compliant uprights to improve player safety and expand access to regulation athletic facilities for student-athletes participating in football programs.

Careers in Construction Colorado: Careers in Construction Colorado equips high school students with hands-on training, industry-recognized pre-apprenticeship certifications, and job placement connections that prepare them for careers in the construction trades.

Chef Ann Foundation: The Salad Bars to Schools program expands student access to fresh food by providing schools with fully equipped salad bars, staff training, and implementation support that promote healthy eating habits and improve school meal quality.

Cloud City Conservation Center: Cloud City Conservation Center's Nature-Based Learning program engages Lake County students in hands-on environmental education through farm-based learning, classroom enrichment, and paid internships that strengthen academic achievement and environmental stewardship.

Colorado Consortium for Earth and Space Science Education: The Engineering Pathfinders program engages underserved Pikes Peak region students in hands-on engineering and STEM exploration through immersive camps and after-school programming that build technical skills and STEM careers interest.

Colorado Futuretek: Colorado Futuretek's SummerTEK program equips high school students with technology, cybersecurity, and entrepreneurship skills through a six-week virtual learning program that includes industry-recognized certifications and exposure to high-demand career pathways.

Colorado State University Foundation: The Youth Wellness Group program equips youth with practical mental health tools through therapist-led workshops that build emotional regulation, coping skills, resilience, and social-emotional wellbeing.

Comp-U-Dopt, Inc.: Comp-U-Dopt's Pathways workshops equip opportunity youth in Denver with digital literacy, career exploration, and professional readiness skills, preparing them for high-demand industries and credential attainment.

Denver Children’s Home: Denver Children's Home provides trauma-informed residential, educational, and community-based mental health services that help youth experiencing behavioral health challenges and child welfare involvement build resilience and improve overall wellbeing.

Denver Food Rescue: Denver Food Rescue's Youth Courier Employment Program provides under-resourced Denver youth with paid work-based learning opportunities that build professional skills while expanding access to fresh, locally grown produce for families experiencing food insecurity.

Denver Public Schools – Extended Learning & Community Schools (ELCS): ELCSports is expanding access to flag football at Title I elementary schools in Denver while developing a paid student referee pipeline for high school students that builds leadership skills and addresses the youth sports officiating shortage.

Downtown Aurora Visual Arts: DAVA's Job Training in the Arts & Technology program engages youth in year-round visual arts, digital media, and creative technology projects that build workforce skills through paid learning experiences and professional creative development.

DSST Public Schools Foundation: DSST Public Schools' Bioscience STEM Pathway equips Denver and Aurora high school students with hands-on biomedical science coursework, industry exposure, internships, and healthcare credentials that prepare them for postsecondary education and high-demand careers in the healthcare field.

Educating Children of Color: Educating Children of Color's Leadership Academy equips high school students with mentorship, postsecondary exposure, leadership development opportunities, and service-learning experiences that promote academic success and career readiness.

Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center: Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center's Rainbow Youth Rising program provides rural LGBTQ+ youth with free, identity-affirming after-school programming, peer connection, and leadership opportunities that strengthen belonging, wellbeing, and positive youth development.

George Washington High School Athletics: George Washington High School (Denver Public Schools) is expanding access to its girls flag football and boys tackle football programs by providing updated equipment and training resources to increase participation and support safety and skill development.

Greenhouse Scholars: Greenhouse Scholars' Whole Person College Program equips high-performing, under-resourced college students with leadership development, internships, and financial support that promote college persistence and long-term economic mobility.

Harrison District 2: Sierra High School (Harrison 2 School District) is launching its sanctioned girls high school flag football program.

Housed, Working and Healthy: Housed, Working & Healthy's Young Adult Pathways to Stability program equips young adults experiencing housing instability with culinary workforce training, career navigation, and wraparound supports that promote long-term self-sufficiency.

La Puente Home: La Puente's PALS programs provide trauma-informed mentoring and social-emotional learning opportunities that help youth overcome the effects of adverse childhood experiences.

Latinx Therapist Project CO: The Latino Youth Mental Health Workforce Pathway Program prepares Latino youth in Denver for behavioral health careers through work-based learning, mentorship, and career navigation that supports entry into high-demand mental health professions.

LFMG Music Academy: LFMG Music Academy's IN THE LAB program engages rural youth in music production, digital media, design, and entrepreneurship experiences that build workforce skills while fostering cultural identity and confidence.

Life-Line Colorado: Life-Line Colorado's Urban Impact Program provides at-risk youth with peer recovery coaching, mental health services, substance misuse prevention, and wraparound supports that promote reduce justice-system involvement and strengthen positive youth development.

Mancos High School Varsity Cheer: Mancos High School (Mancos RE-6 School District) is expanding equitable access to its cheerleading program by removing financial barriers to participation, including costs associated with uniforms, safety equipment, and program fees.

Mountain Backpacks: The Mountain Backpack Program provides underserved students in Jefferson and Clear Creek counties with weekly backpacks of easy-to-prepare meals and healthy snacks to reduce food insecurity and support school engagement.

Ogallala Commons: Ogallala Commons equips rural eastern Colorado students with immersive career exploration, entrepreneurship training, and paid internships that build postsecondary readiness and pathways to local workforce opportunities.

Palmer Ridge High School: Palmer Ridge High School (Lewis-Palmer 38 School District) is launching its sanctioned girls high school flag football program.

Prodigy Ventures: Prodigy Ventures provides young adults ages 18–24 with paid apprenticeships, industry-recognized certifications, and leadership development through its coffeehouse workforce training model, supporting economic mobility.

Reaching HOPE: Reaching HOPE's Youth Trauma Recovery & Resilience program provides bilingual, trauma-informed mental health services for youth affected by abuse, violence, and other adverse experiences.

RedLine Contemporary Art Center: RedLine Contemporary Art Center's Youth Art Mentoring and EPIC Arts programs provide Denver youth with social-emotional learning, mentorship, and public exhibition opportunities that strengthen belonging and academic engagement.

Robbie’s Hope Foundation: Robbie's Hope Foundation's Teen Ambassador Program equips high school students with mental health education, coping strategies, and peer leadership training to strengthen emotional wellbeing and connection within their school communities.

Smart Bellies: Smart Bellies' Kids Weekend Food Program delivers weekly bags of nutritious food directly to the homes of underserved students in Summit, Lake, and Park counties, ensuring reliable access to meals when school is not in session.

Southern Colorado Community Action Agency: The Project Venture program provides rural middle and high school students with culturally responsive after-school programming that combines outdoor recreation, mentorship, and leadership opportunities to strengthen wellbeing, engagement, and positive youth development.

Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative: The Build Your Future: Southwest Colorado Trades Pathway connects rural high school students to hands-on training, industry credentials, and work-based learning experiences that prepare them for careers in the construction and building trades while strengthening regional workforce pathways.

Student Defense Alliance: The "Know Your Rights, Own Your Rights" initiative equips youth with advocacy tools and legal navigation support that promote reduce disciplinary exclusions, and help students remain connected to positive academic and extracurricular opportunities.

The Greenway Foundation: The Greenway Foundation's Greenway River Rangers program equips underserved Denver high school students with hands-on environmental education training and paid summer employment that supports STEM career pathways and a professional environmental educator certification.

The GrowHaus: The GrowHaus' Seed2Seed program engages teens in food justice education and leadership development that promote healthy habits, community connection, and exposure to career pathways.

Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism: YAASPA's Y Incubator program provides youth ages 16–24 with paid internships, workforce training, and leadership development opportunities that expand pathways to long-term economic self-sufficiency.