Welcome from RootED Denver
This is RootED’s fifth year providing funding and strategic support to community-based organizations and public charter and innovation zone schools in Denver.
For a half-decade, RootED has facilitated connections and collaboration among advocacy organizations, schools and communities in the metro area.
We do this so students—particularly students of color, students from low-income households, students who receive special education services, and English language learners—can thrive in their schools and communities.
As RootED grows, we continue to revisit our mission, vision and guiding principles, and align our work with our values. We also identify ways to engage more deeply with partners to meaningfully support their work in education.
This year, we’ve been fortunate to establish and grow many connections with groups of collaborative and innovative leaders who are committed to working for Denver’s kids.
For example, EDUCATE Denver is an exciting new coalition of diverse community leaders in business, philanthropy, education, faith organizations, public policy, and community development. Pat Donovan, RootED’s managing partner, serves on the executive committee of the organization.
In its inaugural year, EDUCATE Denver played a pivotal role in making education a focus in the Denver mayor’s race. Alongside media partners CBS Colorado and Chalkbeat Colorado, EDUCATE Denver hosted a forum with candidates to discuss school safety, academic achievement, and a comprehensive shared vision for education in Denver Public Schools.
Later, Sen. James Coleman and Rosemary Rodriguez, the co-chairs of EDUCATE Denver, were also asked to serve on Mayor Mike Johnston’s transition committee on education. (It’s worth noting, too, that representatives from more than a dozen of RootED’s grantees and partners were selected to serve on the new mayor’s transition committees.)
We’ve also continued our work with the Colorado Education Organizing Funders Collaborative.
RootED joined the collaborative in 2018—which includes the Rose Community Foundation, Gates Family Foundation and the Wend Collective — to provide funding and direct technical assistance to education advocacy organizations.
These community-based organizations educate and build leadership capacity in low-income communities. They help families, students and communities advocate for, scale, and sustain effective education reform solutions.
In 2022-23, the collaborative provided $229,000 to eight grassroots organizations that are providing youth leadership development programs and empowering families.
Each of our guiding principles is demonstrated in our partnerships and our work with EDUCATE Denver and the Colorado Education Organizing Funders Collaborative.
Through our work as a funder and strategic partner, we’re extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished and what we continue to do. In our annual impact report, learn more about our partners, how our funding and strategic support aligns with our guiding principles, and the work we’re doing to support great schools in Denver.
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