2023 has been a year of accountability and hope... as well as AJL's fourth year for participatory grantmaking. Fifteen incredible community organizers, families, youth leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, human service professionals, educators, businesspeople, community lovers and change-makers came together to identify twenty high-impact, community-driven organizations serving Colorado families and youth to each receive a $20,000 general operating support. Meet the 2023 grantmaking committee here.
Why participatory grantmaking? We believe that by bringing together diverse representatives of all stakeholders affected by our grantmaking to make funding decisions, the collective expertise and experiences of the group will lead to more effective and equitable grantmaking decisions and increased impact.
How does the participatory process work? Read all about it here. And without further ado, meet the incredible community-driven organizations here who are supporting, empowering and leading their communities:
African Leadership Group’s mission is to help the African diaspora integrate and prosper by connecting cultures, developing strong community leaders, and advocating for economic, social, and educational impact.
The Alamosa Alumni Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of students and graduates of Alamosa High School.
The mission of the Black Family Advisory Council (BFAC) is to collaboratively create a platform to empower families of Black Denver Public Schools (DPS) students to ensure informed decisions are being made that positively impact our students through advocacy, information and active community engagement.
Children's Specialty Clinic of the San Luis Valley is on a mission to be the nexus for children in the San Luis Valley with complex medical and behavioral needs, offering a space for specialty providers to care for children where they are – geographically as well as emotionally and financially.
The mission of Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities (CHIC) is to “build women’s economic, social, and cultural capital because powerful women build healthy families and thriving communities.”
Colorado Asian Pacific United strives to celebrate and preserve Asian Pacific American cultures and histories through education, allowing us to build stronger communities and allies while taking a step towards equitable empowerment, collaboration, and representation.
Colorado Dream Foundation's mission is to partner with youth and their families as they successfully navigate school, college, and career by providing a holistic academic, social, and emotional program from elementary school through college, along with postsecondary scholarship assistance.
Denver Indian Family Resource Center's mission is to strengthen vulnerable American Indian/Alaska Native children and families through collaborative and culturally-responsive services.
Fortaleza Familiar is dedicated to the wellness and safety of Indigenous Chicanx Latinx Lesbian Gay Bi Queer Trans Two-Spirit young people and their families in Colorado.
HEART of Saguache is a grassroots organization engaging residents in education, advocacy, and coalition building to cultivate leadership, cultural belonging, and BIPOC health equity across the San Luis Valley.
International Survivors and Families Empowered (iSAFE) empowers immigrants and refugees to achieve mental, physical, social, and spiritual wellness.
Miss Jackson's Beauty empowers Vulnerable Individuals through Hair Salon Services and Peer Therapy.
Muslim Youth for Positive Impact Empowering youth with the Islamic identity and principles to make a positive impact on their communities, environment and relationships that promote responsible citizenship and stewardship.
Phenomenal Women, Inc. is an organization that aims to empower, encourage, and uplift women year-round with an emphasis on uplifting BIPOC youth through various community initiatives and life skills programming. We pride ourselves in authentically creating a space that empowers women, serves the community, and enriches the youth.
The Foundation for Black Entrepreneurship (FBE) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Through our business accelerator program, Sistahbiz Global Network, our mission is to provide Black women business owners with free and low-cost coaching, training, technical assistance, capital, and a community that help to both ensure their growth beyond solopreneurship, and also close racial equity gaps in entrepreneurship.
The Crowley Foundation connects & builds young men (Young Kings) by providing educational opportunities through academic instruction, life skills, social/emotional learning, relationship building & career exploration. We foster learning and empowerment by providing leadership development programs, promoting artist expression as well as healthy lifestyles via 5 protective factors (mental health).
The SLV Cancer Relief Fund, Inc. is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, more specifically to provide financial support for cancer patients and their families in the San Luis Valley.
The mission of the Wezesha Dada Center is to empower entrepreneurial women and girls who identify as BIPOC – and others who have faced systemic disadvantages – in Colorado and beyond to achieve economic success by providing business-related education, training and technical assistance; promoting peer-to-peer connections; facilitating funding opportunities, partnerships and referrals; and connecting women and girls with self-empowerment and advocacy resources and tools that promote safety, well-being, influence, and independence.
The mission Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism (YAASPA) is to encourage and support disengaged and underserved youth to participate in their communities socially and politically, in order to make changes within the community.
The Youth Empowerment Broadcasting Organization (YEBO) cultivates habits of belonging, wellness, and independence in youth by amplifying their everyday digital practices as powerful skills for social change.
