2022-23 ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT
Down arrow icon

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.

Dr. Brenda J. Allen
Dr. Brenda J. Allen
RootED Board Chair and Professor Emerita
Patrick Donovan
Patrick Donovan
RootED Managing Partner

SINCE 2018…

Over
$25800000
25M
Total dollar amount of grants given

292
Total # of grants awarded
71
Total # of schools served
88
Total # of grantees

Over
133000
133K
Total # of students served

*Sum of year-over-year enrollment in public charter and innovation zone schools.

DURING THE 2023 FISCAL YEAR

46
Total # of grants given
in the 2023 fiscal year
41
Total # of grantees
in the 2023 fiscal year
Almost
$2950000
3M
Total $ amount of grants given in the 2023 fiscal year

IN THE NEWS

Through our partnerships with community-based organizations and public charter and innovation zone schools, RootED provides funding and strategic support for storytelling, communications and marketing.

We share positive stories about what’s happening in classrooms and communities throughout Denver, and we amplify the voices of families, students and educators. In 2022-23, more than 180 television, print, digital and radio stories about RootED’s partners reached more than 29,000,000 people and households.

January 27, 2023

HISTORIC DENVER BUILDING GETS STUDENTS BACK ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION

“I was just around a lot of people who didn’t take school seriously, so I didn’t myself because I never really thought that school mattered. Here you’ve got a lot of people who come from the same cloth as you so you definitely can relate to a lot of things that they say, how they feel, and it just helps you get further.”

JOJO FORD

Student, RiseUp Community School

This year our partners were featured in dozens of news outlets. Read some of our favorite stories below.

In case you missed it

OUR TEAM

Our team members and volunteer board of directors are deeply committed to RootED’s mission: to advance racial equity and ensure all Denver students succeed academically and professionally. The collective talent and expertise, and diverse perspectives of our board of directors and our team — including our student interns — help guide our work.

Meet
The Rooted Denver Team
Pat Donovan
Managing Partner
Ashley
Martinez-Doublin
Director of Operations
Latia Henderson
Partner, Communications & Strategic Initiatives
Victoria
Scott-Haynes
Partner, Community Relations & Administration
Ambar Suero
Partner, Community Partnerships & Advocacy
Erin Kobler
Communications Manager
MEET
THE ROOTED DENVER SUMMER INTERNS
Sydelle Buyungo
Houlaye Sy
Director of Operations
MEET
THE ROOTED DENVER BOARD
Brenda J. Allen, Ph.D.
RootED Board Chair
Professor Emerita
Erin Brown
RootED Board Member
Vice President of Community Investment and Impact, The Colorado Health Foundation
Luis de la Fuente, Ph.D.
RootED Board Member
Ethan Gray
RootED Board Member
Partner with The City Fund
Dwight Jones
RootED Board Member
Thomas Gougeon
RootED Board Member
President, Gates Family Foundation
Angie Paccione, Ph.D.
RootED Board Member
Executive Director, Colorado Department of Higher Education
Sean VanBerschot
RootED Board Member
Associate Executive Director, Denver Health Foundation

OUR IMPACT

Since 2018, RootED has provided 292 grants totaling more than $25,841,932. million to free, public charter and innovation zone schools, community-based organizations, and special initiatives and programs that have impacted more than 133,346 students in the Denver metro area.

In fiscal year 2022-23, we distributed 46 grants totaling $2,951,675; and 51.5% of grants totaling $1,520,675 were given to organizations led by people of color.

Awarded grants have been used to expand access to high quality education and learning, particularly for students of color and students from low-income households. Grant dollars have also funded professional learning opportunities for educators, learning and mentorship programs for students of color, and transportation for students to high-performing schools.

STUDENTS IMPACTED BY ROOTED DENVER

69
# of schools served
in fiscal year 2023
71%
of students served by RootED
receive free or reduced-price school meals*
*Data represents 66 of 69 schools served in 2023
26000
Total # of students served in fiscal year 2023

In fiscal year 2022-23, we distributed 46 grants totaling $2,951,675; and 51.5% of grants totaling $1,520,675 were given to organizations led by people of color.

Awarded grants have been used to expand access to high quality education and learning, particularly for students of color and students from low-income households. Grant dollars have also funded professional learning opportunities for educators, learning and mentorship programs for students of color, and transportation for students to high-performing schools.

0%
Of students served by RootED identify as a person of color*
*Data represents 68 of 69 schools served in 2023

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN OUR FUNDING

0%
Percentage of grants given to organizations led by women
$1500000
Total dollar amount of grants given to organizations led by women

0%
Percentage of the grants given to organizations led by people of color
$1500000
Total dollar amount of grants given to organizations led by people of color

RECLAIMING

THE NARRATIVE


OUR PARTNERS

Denver Public Schools Culture, Equity and Leadership Team; and A Queer Endeavor, a center for gender and sexuality in education based in the University of Colorado Boulder’s School of Education

OUR FUNDING SUPPORTED

Student recruitment, discussion circles and student panels, and the production of the film

OUR IMPACT

We’re committed to supporting opportunities for students to share their lived experiences and knowledge to improve education.

In 2021, an estimated 30% of Denver Public Schools students identified as LGBTQ+, with about 6% who identified within the transgender spectrum. Despite DPS having some of the state’s most progressive policies and support for LGBTQ+ students, LGBTQ+ students in 2021 reported feeling that they belonged less than their heterosexual and cisgender peers.

Reclaiming the Narrative” will be the foundation of a professional learning curriculum that will provide educators with a deeper understanding of the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth. It will also help educators better understand intersectional identities, and provide them with learnings that help them develop more meaningful connections with LGBTQ+ students.


“RootED’s funding and partnership gave us the opportunity to share what’s important to us and tell our own stories, rather than let stories be told about us. It gave us the opportunity to be with each other in community and to dig deep; to go beyond ‘checkboxes’ for inclusion; to ask adults to look inside themselves, at their own biases and their own communities, rather than to seek a one-size-fits-all solution that generally excludes the nuances of LGBTQ+ identities.”

LEVI ARITHSON
Program manager for LGBTQ+ Equity Initiatives for Denver Public Schools

RootED

Guiding Principle

STRENGTH
IN LIVED
EXPERIENCE
For the full story & experience open this page on your laptop or desktop computer

ROCKY

MOUNTAIN PREP


OUR PARTNERS

Rocky Mountain Prep and STRIVE Prep

OUR FUNDING SUPPORTED

Integration planning, due diligence, communications and leadership support

OUR IMPACT: Continuous Innovation is one of RootED’s guiding principles.

RootED supported the unification of the Rocky Mountain Prep and STRIVE Prep charter school networks.

For years, Rocky Mountain Prep has heard from families who want greater consistency in their children’s education, particularly when they transition from elementary to middle school, or middle to high school. The unification of the two charter networks provides a pathway for students from early childhood education to graduation in a high-quality nonprofit, public charter school setting. With declining enrollment across Denver, the unification of the networks has created a more efficient organization that allows for greater support and resources to be directed to schools, teachers and classrooms. Tricia Noyola, the chief executive officer of the new, unified network, has a track record of leading excellent K-12 schools. Under Tricia’s leadership, the new Rocky Mountain Prep network provides an opportunity to deliver on the promise that was made to the parents and students.


“RootED’s funding and partnership supported Rocky Mountain Prep and STRIVE Prep in joining forces to form the first school pathway serving children from 12 weeks old through 12th grade in the Denver metro area. These funds allowed us to engage national experts to facilitate the strategic planning, communications, and system rollover that paved the way for our integration. The RootED team are critical partners who stand side-by-side with us in advocating for policies that benefit our nearly 5,000 students. Our collaboration with RootED has strengthened our network to overcome challenges and empower our community for the future.”

TRICIA NOYOLA
Chief executive officer of Rocky Mountain Prep

RootED

Guiding Principle

CONTINUOUS
INNOVATION
For the full story & experience open this page on your laptop or desktop computer

ACHIEVING

EXCELLENCE ACADEMY


OUR PARTNERS

Achieving Excellence Academy and Denver Public Schools Culture, Equity and Leadership Team

OUR FUNDING SUPPORTED

Programming, meals, supplies

OUR IMPACT

The Achieving Excellence Academy’s summer cultural immersion program serves students and educators who have been historically underserved in public education. The program provides students with opportunities to celebrate and discover their cultures, explore their identities, build coalitions with one another, and grow their leadership abilities.

The innovative program was based on recommendations from the Denver Public Schools African American Equity Task Force, which was created to address opportunity gaps for Black students and educators in the district. Black, Indigenous youth and students of color comprise approximately 75% of students in Denver Public Schools. Still, they face persistent gaps in services and opportunities. Additionally, only 26% of DPS teachers identify as a person of color. After participating in the Achieving Excellence Academy, students and teachers reported shifting their perspectives on the definition of excellence. They also said the program’s strengths were “unschooling” (changing educators’ perspectives on what school “should” be), peer relationships, and safe and caring spaces. Teachers reported feeling uplifted, affirmed and reinvigorated.


“RootED’s funding has allowed us to pay for our supplies, and some of our cultural excursions for our kiddos. It has also helped provide swag, experiences, and food—but not just any food. We wanted to treat our students to real restaurant experiences in these neighborhoods to give each affinity group a taste of true culture among their peers and families. The funding also goes toward our parent and family orientation night where we set the foundation of including families in the learning process during the summer, which I believe is a true reason we have been so successful.”

ASHLEA SKILES
Program manager of equity initiatives, Denver Public Schools, and director of the Achieving Excellence Academy

RootED

Guiding Principle

PRIORITIZING
RACIAL
EQUITY
For the full story & experience open this page on your laptop or desktop computer
Credit: Tom Hellauer, The Denver Gazette

BRIGHT

RIDES


OUR PARTNERS

Transform Education Now, HopSkipDrive and the Colorado Department of Education

OUR FUNDING SUPPORTED

The development and implementation of Bright Rides, including the cost of outreach, marketing and transportation

OUR IMPACT

In the Adams 14 school district, 2022 data shows that just 5% of students in third through eighth grades are proficient in grade-level math, and only 12% are proficient in grade-level reading and writing.

Bright Rides is an innovative new program that provides eligible Adams 14 students—who live within the boundaries of the district’s most underperforming schools—with free transportation to a high-quality Denver school that best fits their needs. Transportation is provided for free through HopSkipDrive. For families who have limited transportation options, Bright Rides provides a needed and valuable resource that helps them put their children’s needs first.


“The partnership with RootED and Bright Rides is transformative for families. For far too long, families in Adams 14 have been unable to find better options for their students because of the lack of access to reliable transportation. Bright Rides provides real opportunity to engage in self determination for a student and family by providing access to schools beyond their own neighborhoods, and that could not be possible without the RootED team and their support.”

NICHOLAS MARTINEZ
Co-founder and executive director of Transform Education Now

RootED

Guiding Principle

CONTINUOUS
INNOVATION
For the full story & experience open this page on your laptop or desktop computer

THE DENVER

EDUCATION VISION PROJECT


OUR PARTNERS

A vision design team of students, families, and alumni, facilitated by the Open System Institute and RootED. Denver Education Vision Project participants were selected by focusing on those who typically are not heard from in education conversations to create a diverse team in terms of demographics, experience, geography and languages spoken.

OUR FUNDING SUPPORTED

Design team recruitment, facilitation, and community gatherings

OUR IMPACT: Community Partnership is one of our guiding principles

The education system in Denver faces an important moment, and there is work to be done to provide an equitable education for every young person in Denver. Our intention is that co-creating an ideal vision for Denver’s public school system will lead to more equitable outcomes for all students.

The families and students of the design team held an event to share their findings with the community and to gather feedback and further insights in May 2023. At this event, we broadened the group to include additional family and student voices, education leaders, school leaders, educators, and community members. Based on the data collected from participants, we found that 36.4% were new to education conversations, 54.4% were DPS families or students, 9.1% received special education services, and 4.5% received English language services. To date, 90.1% of the survey responses have indicated that the vision resonated or strongly resonated with them.


“Having a platform to share and actively work to create an education environment built for the people within it is what made the Denver Education Vision Project a life-changing experience. Never have I felt so supported and empowered to use my voice and gain a greater appreciation for those at the root of sustainable and joyful learning.”

SYDELLE BUYUNGO
Student on the design team

RootED

Guiding Principle

COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIP

“I felt a sense of fulfillment knowing I was part of something truly innovative, something that mattered. It allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for those who worked behind the scenes to make Denver schools a good place of learning. The project also made me realize that there are people who are doing the work necessary that enables us students to truly thrive, and that is needed and important.”

HOULAYE SY
Student on the design team
For the full story & experience open this page on your laptop or desktop computer
Credit: CBS Colorado

EDNIUM:

THE ALUMNI COLLECTIVE


OUR PARTNERS

Ednium: The Alumni Collective

OUR FUNDING SUPPORTED

Implementation of financial literacy curriculum and cultural and ethnic studies courses within Denver Public Schools

OUR IMPACT

Ednium’s Leadership Launchpad program helps participants identify challenges in public education, and then provides them with opportunities and tools to propose and implement change.

Through sharing their lived experiences, the founding cohort of the program led the advocacy and implementation of the new Denver Public Schools graduation requirements, which include cultural and ethnic studies and financial literacy courses. Ednium also secured funding from Next Gen Personal Finance to create a full-time financial literacy specialist for the district and has worked alongside that specialist to help design the new curriculum. As a result of Ednium's work with alumni, and their advocacy and partnership, all high schools in Denver Public Schools will have cultural and ethnic studies courses in 2023-34; and the pilot financial literacy curriculum will begin in roughly 20 high schools in the 2023-24 school year and is expected to be in every school in 2024-25.


“RootED is not only one of the key contributors to the founding of Ednium, but also an amazing partner that supports our ability to keep our community connected to the ecosystem. RootED is such a valuable partner because they respect the values of the Collective that allow us to serve and maintain our authenticity.”

TERAY ESQUIBEL
Executive director of Ednium: The Alumni Collective

RootED

Guiding Principle

STRENGTH
IN LIVED
EXPERIENCE
For the full story & experience open this page on your laptop or desktop computer

2022-23 ROOTED GRANTEES

Explore a full list of our grantees:

Academy 360
Beacon Network Schools
BLM 5280 Freedom School
Collaborative Healing Initiative within
Communities (CHIC)
Colorado Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Colorado Association of Charter Authorizers (CACSA)
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI)
Colorado League of Charter Schools
Colorado Succeeds
Colorado Education Organizing Funders Collaborative
Denver Public Schools Culture Equity and Leadership Team
Denver Public Schools Foundation
Denver Journal of Education and Community (DJEC)
DSST Public Schools
Education Board Partners
Ednium: The Alumni Collective
FaithBridge
French American School of Denver
Girls Athletic Leadership Schools (GALS) of Denver
Generation Teach
Highline Academy
Juntos Community
KIPP Colorado Public Schools
Luminary Learning Network
Lyra
Montbello Organizing Committee
Montessori on Wheels
Moonshot edVentures
Northeast Denver Innovation Zone
Our Turn
Radian
Relay
RiseUp Community School
Scholars Cultivating Dignity (SCD) Enrichment
Program
Stand for Children
Teach for America
Transform Education Now (TEN)
Vega Collegiate Academy
Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA)
Youth Roots
This map is a visual representation of our funded schools.

Explore an interactive version of our funded schools and community-based organizations.

BE INFORMED AND INVOLVED

Subscribe to RootED Denver’s monthly newsletter and follow us on social media.

In our newsletter and across our social media channels, RootED shares important news and updates about Denver Public Schools, and the schools, community-based organizations and programs we fund. Our channels also celebrate the measurable and profound impact our education partners are having on students, families, educators and communities in the Denver Metro Area.

Join the conversation.

Attend an upcoming community event, share your own story or idea, or learn more about students’ and families’ vision for Denver’s future of education at the Denver Education Vision Project.

Learn more about the schools, community-based organizations and programs RootED Denver funds.

RootED’s partners are deeply committed to partnering with students, families, educators and communities to co-create learning environments and experiences that advance racial equity, and are culturally responsive, rigorous, and effective. You’ll find a complete list of autonomous schools and community-based organizations we support on our website. Visit their web pages, engage with them on social media, and support the work they’re doing to advance our shared vision of equity and opportunity for all Denver Public Schools students.

Attend local school board meetings.

Each year, state and local school boards engage in discussions and vote on matters that affect our students, families, educators and communities. Learn more about the Denver Public Schools Board of Education and use BoardDocs to see agendas for the board meetings, to sign up for public comment, and to watch meetings live.

Explore Reports From Previous Years