Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Fund

“Rose Community Foundation has been a guiding influence for progress on early childhood education issues in Colorado. The Foundation’s impact is felt through their grants, their community leadership, their long-term perspective and their ability to bring other leaders and funders to the table to help solve our common challenges.”
– Lt. Governor Joe Garcia

In 2012, Colorado was awarded $29.9 million in federal Race to the Top education funding to advance the state’s plans to improve school readiness. Additionally, in July 2013 the state received a $15 million supplemental grant to Colorado as part of the Race to the Top — Early Learning Challenge. The grant funding will increase access to high-quality early learning programs and will help develop the capacity of those people, programs and places serving children with the highest needs. The funding will accelerate many of the statewide initiatives the Foundation had a role in developing. Rose Community Foundation provided funding to support the process for the initial successful proposal.

We frequently cite our role in strengthening the community through the ability to bring a disciplined focus and by building on incremental successes around issues such as early childhood education.

Early childhood education has been a passionate focus of the Foundation for many, many years as we’ve made significant grants to community organizations and have provided the focus and leadership to really move the needle on the issue. In addition to our support of the Race to the Top proposal, Senior Program Officer Elsa Holguín was appointed to the first Early Childhood Leadership Commission that championed the new Office of Early Childhood where this grant now resides.

These kinds of “wins” don’t happen overnight and they don’t happen by accident. This is another example of how the combination of the Foundation’s long-term perspective, strategic grantmaking and community leadership combine to demonstrate the myriad ways our work has a positive impact in the community.

Read more: Colorado wins Race to the Top money for early childhood push – The Denver Post


Back to Blog