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2015 Grant and Program Related Investment (PRI) Highlights

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2015 Grant and Program Related Investment (PRI) Highlights

The brief summaries below provide a sample of the diversity of projects and organizations supported by the Gates Family Foundation in 2015.

High-Performing Charter and Autonomous Schools – The Foundation continues to be a significant investor in the establishment and replication of high-performing charter schools and other forms of autonomous public schools. Grants in 2015 totaled $1.37 million, benefitting the Denver School of Science and Technology, STRIVE Prep, Rocky Mountain Prep, University Prep, Roots Elementary School, Compass Academy, Girls Athletic Leadership School, KIPP Colorado, AXL Academy, Crestone Charter School, Atlas Prep, New Legacy High School and the Charter School Growth Fund. The Foundation also supported work on the replication of the high-performing innovation status McAuliffe middle school. Critical Education Partners – In 2015, the Foundation made multiple investments totaling more than $1 million designed to strengthen the education reform community in Colorado and to support essential local and national partners operating within the state. Locally, the Foundation made investments in organizations such as A+ Denver, EdXchange, Catapult Leadership, Chalkbeat and the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Support for national partners working in Colorado included Achievement Network, Education Pioneers, Relay Graduate School and Teach for America.

Innovation Zone Development – The Foundation has been involved in multiple projects attempting to use provisions of state law providing for the creation of innovation zones as a tool to drive better academic outcomes for low-income students. The first of these efforts is a collaboration with the Pueblo District 60 Schools. The Foundation is assisting Pueblo with development of a zone plan to place a handful of schools in a zone that would provide a higher degree of flexibility and autonomy for school leaders. Additionally, the Foundation is providing outside resources to support the district and school leaders in re-imagining the academic program at each of the zone schools. The Foundation is also leading an effort to form an innovation zone within Denver Public Schools. In this case, the goal is to continue to advance gains in student achievement by giving schools that already have innovation status even greater flexibility in adapting their schools to the needs of their students. In Denver, the zone is being used as a tool to accelerate momentum at schools that are already seeing higher levels of success, rather than being a tool for turnaround of the lowest-performing schools. Finally, the Foundation is providing support to Aurora Public Schools as it works to develop an innovation zone plan for some of its lower-performing schools.

Lake County Public Schools – The year 2015 marked the second year of the Foundation’s engagement with the Lake County School District in Leadville. This district, serving approximately 1,000 students, faces many challenges in meeting the academic needs of its students. The Foundation is supporting a district and community-driven effort to improve academic outcomes. The district is in the process of transitioning its school system to an Expeditionary Learning model. Gates has provided a variety of

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different kinds of support and local and national resources to assist the district with this transition. The 2015-16 school year was the first year neither the district nor any of its schools were designated for potential intervention through the state’s accountability system.

Focus Landscapes – The Foundation has made long-term commitments to conservation at a landscape scale in four critical Colorado landscapes: North Park, the Headwaters of the Upper Colorado, the grasslands of southeastern Colorado, and the San Luis Valley/Rio Grande basin. These multi-year commitments, totaling nearly $8 million at present, support land protection, water resource management, and other related objectives in these landscapes. Two significant projects completed in 2015 included the purchase by The Nature Conservancy of the 48,230-acre JE Canyon ranch in the Purgatoire Canyon area of southeastern Colorado and the protection of the 24,777-acre BX ranch east of Pueblo by the Palmer Land Trust, working closely with the Lyme Timber Company and The Nature Conservancy. In 2015, the Foundation also made its final payments in support of the protection of the Maverick and Lazy UO ranches in the grasslands of southeastern Colorado. This transaction resulted in the protection of nearly 44,000 acres of important habitat.

Colorado Water – The past year was an extremely active year for Foundation investments and activity related to the management of water resources. Completion of Colorado’s first State Water Plan was a primary focal point for many organizations. The Foundation worked with the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources Law at the University of Colorado to provide review and input on the plan’s content, and to work with the state and other stakeholders in identifying potential targets for early implementation. The Foundation continued to work with a host of partners to promote efficiency, connect land use decisions with their water supply implications, support collaborative approaches to managing the challenges of the Colorado River Basin, and to facilitate experimentation with innovative approaches to water management and sharing between sectors. Partners in this work included the Colorado Water Trust, Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Open Lands, Western Resource Advocates and the Palmer Land Trust, among others. The Foundation also provided support to a collaborative effort on the Upper Colorado River to take the Northern Water Conservancy’s Windy Gap Reservoir off line in order to reconnect and restore habitat in that segment of the Colorado River. The project is a partnership effort involving the Northern Water Conservancy District, Grand County, Trout Unlimited, Denver Water, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and local area landowners.

Payment for Ecosystem Services – The Foundation continues to look for opportunities to support innovative efforts to use market-type mechanisms to achieve conservation objectives. In 2015, support continued for a pilot project managed by the Environmental Defense Fund to create a habitat exchange that would allow energy development activity to directly support the protection of critical Greater Sage Grouse habitat. The exchange concept has been embraced by the State of Colorado and has become an important component of Colorado’s plan for protecting the Greater Sage Grouse and avoiding a listing as an Endangered Species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Foundation also continued to support the National Forest Foundation and its innovative effort to create the nation’s first wetlands mitigation bank focused on restoration of public land, in this case a degraded stretch of the Eagle River near the historic Camp Hale site.

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Major Communications and Outreach Projects – The Foundation was involved in two substantial communications projects in 2015. Standing in the Gap is a four-part series produced by Rocky Mountain PBS in partnership with iNews and Chalkbeat. Standing in the Gap provides an in-depth look at the history of the segregation, desegregation, and re-segregation of Denver Public Schools, and the linkages between race and the achievement gap. The Great Divide is a feature-length documentary film produced by Emmy award winning Havey Productions describing the history and influence of water in Colorado and the current need for collaborative approaches to management of this critical resource on both sides of the Continental Divide. The Foundation also continued its support for High Country News’ transition into the digital age, as well as support for Colorado Public Radio’s education coverage, Chalkbeat, Streetsblog Denver and Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Service.

Rural Community Development – The Foundation made multiple investments in rural community development projects, including the M12 arts program in eastern Colorado, downtown revitalization in Walsenburg, and important community facilities in Georgetown, Kim, Monte Vista, Fraser, Gunnison, Delta, and Rocky Ford. The Foundation also provided support to Accion for micro lending activity targeted toward rural Colorado communities.

Statewide Initiatives – In 2015, the Foundation served as a partner in multiple statewide initiatives. These efforts included:

• Colorado Pedals – A multi-year effort with the Governor’s Office, State of Colorado, and Bicycle Colorado to promote the use of bikes and make Colorado one of the most bicycle-friendly environments in the country.

• Inspire! – A five-year commitment by Great Outdoors Colorado, the State of Colorado and other partners to increase the exposure of children to the outdoors, and support them in appreciating, enjoying, and taking care of Colorado’s remarkable outdoor resources.

• Space to Create – A combined effort of ArtSpace, the state’s Creative Industries program within the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Boettcher Foundation and other partners to support the creation of mixed use projects in rural communities providing affordable housing for artists and people in the creative sector, along with work and exhibit space. The first project is partially completed in Loveland, a second is underway in Trinidad, and new projects are currently being solicited in southwest Colorado.

• Charter School Facility Fund – See a more complete description below.

• Building a Better Colorado – A non-partisan attempt to explore potential solutions to some of Colorado’s most challenging constitutional and fiscal dilemmas, including reforms to the initiative process, changes in election procedures that would create a greater role in the nominating process for unaffiliated voters, and alternatives to the revenue and spending constraints imposed on state government through the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR).

Urbanism – The Foundation supported a large number of projects in 2015 contributing to revitalization and innovation in urban environments in the Denver metro area and beyond. Projects supported in 2015 included: the West Denver Renaissance Initiative, Denver Urban Gardens’ work in urban park environments, launching of the High Line Canal Conservancy, collaborations by WalkDenver and Place

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Matters to enhance pedestrian environments and develop better tools for mobility planning and community engagement, Streetsblog Denver’s coverage of transportation and urban place making, Trust for Public Land public space development, the University of Colorado Denver’s Center for Sustainable Urbanism, Mile High Connects transit-driven opportunity collaborative, Clear Creek County greenway development and Poudre River greenway development and restoration in Fort Collins. The Foundation also committed support to the Metro Mobility Choice Blueprint effort, a collaborative approach to more holistic transportation and mobility planning for the Denver metro area. Activity on that project will begin in earnest in 2016.

Charter School Facility Fund – In 2015, the Foundation worked closely with a group of foundations (including the Daniels Fund, Walton Family Foundation, Donnell-Kay Foundation, Fox Family Foundation and the Anschutz Foundation) to establish a pool of low cost capital and develop a platform for providing real estate services to assist Colorado charter schools in finding and developing facility solutions. This initiative grew out of recognition that access to facilities was increasingly becoming a barrier to the development of new high-performing charter schools in many areas. The Gates Family Foundation’s initial commitments include $100,000 in grant funds to support the launch of the effort in 2016, as well as a contingent commitment of up to $5 million in PRI funds to help capitalize a loan fund. Food Systems and Food Hubs – The Foundation continues to invest in a variety of projects and organizations addressing various aspects of food systems in both urban and rural settings. In 2015, urban projects supported by the Foundation included the Re:Vision food hub in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood and expanded activity by Denver Urban Gardens. Rural investments in 2015 included support of the work of the Farm to School Task Force statewide, investment in a Walsenburg food hub, support for restoration of historic orchards in the Montezuma Valley, support for the Rocky Mountain Farmer’s Union in its work to expand the role of food hubs and cooperatives statewide, and participation in the development of the San Luis Valley healthy living park in Alamosa.

Mental Health Center of Denver – The Mental Health Center of Denver’s new Dahlia Campus in northeast Park Hill is an innovative and multi-faceted child and family community center focused broadly on health and well-being. The 46,000 square foot facility and the site on which it is located will address a variety of mental health needs, but will also provide an early childhood education center, community vocational training, an urban farm and greenhouse, community gardens, a training kitchen, pediatric dental facilities and a variety of other services to community residents. The Foundation provided a grant of $125,000 in support of the construction of this facility.

Colorado Springs Cultural Facilities – In 2015, the Foundation provided support to three important cultural facilities in Colorado Springs. The most significant of these was a $300,000 commitment to support the development of the U.S. Olympic Museum. The Foundation also made payment of $150,000 of a total commitment of $200,000 in support of the construction of a performing arts center serving the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, as well as the broader cultural community in the Pikes Peak region. Finally, the Foundation provided $100,000 to the Colorado Springs Conservatory to support the purchase and renovation of its permanent home in downtown Colorado Springs.

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West Denver Renaissance Collaborative – The West Denver Renaissance Collaborative (WDRC) is an effort involving the Denver Housing Authority, the City and County of Denver, Enterprise Community Partners, the Denver Foundation, Mile High Connects, the CityCraft Foundation and the Gates Family Foundation. WDRC’s goals include restoration of the environmental and social health of eight west Denver neighborhoods by focusing on housing, jobs, education, health, public infrastructure, and environmental systems. One cornerstone of the effort will be the revitalization and redevelopment of the Sun Valley public housing community just west of the South Platte River. The Foundation is providing $160,000 in support of this effort, and was an investor in earlier phases of work that served as the foundation for this current initiative.

Rose Andom Center – The Rose Andom Center is a comprehensive domestic violence center designed to coordinate and streamline the provision of services to victims and their children. The facility will bring together assistance programs, legal advice, counseling, housing assistance, health care, employment support, help with public benefits, and access to police and representatives of the district attorney’s office. The 45,000 square foot facility will be located at 1330 Fox Street in Denver in close proximity to Denver Health, the courts and Denver police, and will be accessible by public transit. The Foundation provided a grant of $225,000 to assist with the renovation of this facility.

Children’s Museum of Denver – The Foundation provided $150,000 in support of a significant renovation and expansion of the Children’s Museum of Denver. Changes to the facility included the purchase of an adjacent 4.5 acre parcel, a 40% increase in building space, the development of five new highly-interactive exhibits, and the creation of a Colorado-themed outdoor discovery space called “Joy Parl”. The new interior exhibits explore the themes of energy, water, altitude, food, and art.

Arrupe Jesuit High School – The Foundation supported improvements to the Arrupe campus in northwest Denver. The Foundation’s $150,000 grant assisted with the creation of the Arrupe Information Commons. The Commons provides workstation access to online resources for up to 60 students, supports the school’s college prep activities, and increases student and teacher access to technology. Arrupe provides a unique high school model that allows low-income students to be placed with local employers in order to gain valuable work experience and to have the cost of their high school education supported through that employer relationship. More than 90% of Arrupe alumni are the first in their family to graduate from college, and 55% are the first in their family to graduate from high school.

Georgetown Schoolhouse – The Foundation supported the final phase of renovation costs for the historic Georgetown Schoolhouse. The red brick building is believed to be the oldest brick schoolhouse in Colorado, dating to 1874. The school has been restored and this fall opened as a community center, performance and cultural programming venue, and home to the Clear Creek County archives. The Foundation made two prior grants to the Georgetown Trust for Conservation and Preservation to support the purchase/stabilization of the structure in 2006 and to support the initial interior renovation in 2011.

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Kim Equine Pavilion – The Foundation made a final commitment of $50,000 to support completion of the community room at the Kim “Mustang” equine pavilion and community center (to be paid in 2016). Over a number of years, the Foundation has invested $367,000 in the creation and development of this facility, a key component of the community’s survival strategy. The facility is the premier facility of its type in the region, specializing in equine events for youth as an incentive for families with children to remain in the area. The hope is to strengthen the local school, and thereby increase the small rural community’s long-term viability.

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