Partners

Website: www.archwaycommunities.org Contact: [email protected]

The interest list for our upcoming community, Mosaic Community Campus, is now open! Archway’s newest community will feature 154 apartments on the former Johnson & Wales Denver campus.

Archway Communities is a nonprofit that elevates lives by providing access to affordable housing, food security and the supportive social services people need to thrive. Since our founding in 1994, we have recognized that residents need more than affordable housing to stabilize their lives. Our goal is to build healthier communities and improve lives by holistically addressing the systemic challenges facing marginalized communities throughout Colorado.

Archway currently supports residents across eight communities in the Denver Metro area, and one community in El Paso County. This redevelopment at Mosaic Community Campus presents an unparalleled opportunity to secure long-term affordability and community-informed development in the Park Hill neighborhood.

Through adaptive reuse, Archway will transform four buildings of the former Johnson & Wales Denver campus from dorm-style living spaces into 154 apartments. These apartments will be available to individuals and families that fall within 30-60% of the Area Median Income, and will include one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom layouts. This unique renovation will result in a lower cost per unit than new construction, while providing an above-market quality of construction and community amenities. Wherever possible, the original unit and common area finishes will be preserved.

Reuse of historic buildings creates access to amenities whose quality far exceeds what we could build today, including beautifully preserved indoor and outdoor community spaces. Families will benefit from a campus designed to provide an accessible site for multi-cultural, multigenerational uses, including high quality K-12 education, learning opportunities with the Emily Griffith Technical College, affordable housing, culinary arts training, community spaces and services that will enhance the surrounding communities.

Supportive services are at the heart of Archway’s mission. Archway will have full-time Supportive Services Coordinators on-site providing age-appropriate services and programming that focus on physical and mental health, community building, finance, life skills and more. Archway will hold weekly food shares in partnership with various partners to promote food security for all residents and families.

In addition to on-site amenities, Mosaic Community Campus is ideally located for residents to use public transportation to access job sites, shopping centers and cultural activities. The community’s Supportive Services Coordinators will have an on-site van available to provide transportation to residents when necessary. This partnership will connect resident families with economic and workforce development opportunities.

To learn more about our mission, the services we provide and any current and upcoming projects, please visit our website: www.archwaycommunities.org. If you would like to support Archway Communities, please reach out to Georgeanne Barrett for more information on how you can get involved, or consider donating at: www.archwaycommunities.org/donate.

Website: www.denverhousing.org

The Denver Housing Authority (“DHA”) is a quasi‐municipal corporation with a portfolio of over 13,000 units and housing choice vouchers, providing affordable housing to more than 26,000 very low, low and middle‐income individuals representing over 12,000 families. DHA has transformed public housing in Denver creating vibrant, revitalized, sustainable, transit‐oriented, and mixed‐income communities of choice. The organization’s mission is to develop and provide high‐quality, affordable housing with responsive services, enabling people and communities to thrive.

DHA is an active partner on the Mosaic Community Campus as owner of Gaebe Hall and Triangolo Hall along with the underlying land on what is generally known as the “South Campus.” These properties were acquired in 2021 using DHA Delivers for Denver (“D3”) funding, a partnership and Intergovernmental Agreement (“IGA”) between the City and County of Denver (“City”) and DHA intended to expedite a pipeline of affordable housing in support of the City’s Five‐Year Strategic Housing Plan.

Through the D3 program, DHA issued a $130 million municipal bond backed by City property tax allocations in 2019 that generated approximately $120 million in net revenue. Of this total, 49.9% was earmarked for use as gap funding on DHA’s direct development projects, while the other 50.1% was utilized as acquisition funding for properties to be developed as permanent supportive housing (“PSH”) for residents exiting homeless.

Gaebe Hall and Triangolo Hall were acquired in June 2021 as DHA’s the 10th acquisitions since 2020 using D3 PSH funding and DHA is actively in the process of evaluating adaptive re‐use opportunities for the two buildings and selecting a development partner to renovate, own, and operate the buildings for housing uses and supportive services long‐term in ways that will complement the existing housing and educational uses across the Mosaic Community Campus.

Website: dsa.dpsk12.org Contact: [email protected]

The mission of the Denver School of the Arts (DSA), part of Denver Public Schools, is to encourage the arts for every child. DSA is committed to fostering a lifelong love of the arts in a culturally diverse, academically challenging environment. In keeping with our commitment to foster a lifelong love of the arts in a culturally diverse, academically challenging environment, DSA will expand into the property previously owned by Johnson and Wales, including the Whatley Chapel. DSA is recognized as one of the nation’s best 21st century schools. In addition to a rigorous academic program, students engage in intensive studies in Bands, Creative Writing, Dance, Guitar, Orchestra, Piano, Vocal Music, Stagecraft & Design, Theatre, Video Cinema Arts, and Visual Arts. Future plans include adding three additional majors: Business Arts, Culinary Arts and Musical Theatre.

History

In the late 1980s, when it was becoming clear to many that the disappearance of the arts from the public-school curriculum was detrimental to students’ academic success, a group of community visionaries developed the concept for an arts school. Among the school’s initial supporters were Gully Stanford, Managing Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company; Joe Craft, retired teacher and Director of Denver’s Shakespeare Festival; and Denver Board of Education members Naomi Bradford, Carole McCotter, Judy Morton, and Tom Murham. Their idea for a magnet arts school was soon embraced by a gathering of young people and their teachers who led an impassioned drive that sparked the support of then Governor Roy Romer and was taken up as a personal cause by television and stage actor Raymond Burr. With Mr. Burr’s financial backing and wide-spread community support generated by Katherine Schomp, a former Denver Board of Education member and prominent civic leader, the modified initiative was finally accepted by Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education in October, 1990. The following year, the determined coalition’s dream was fully realized when the Denver School of the Arts (DSA) opened in August, 1991.

Future of DSA

Year after year, the demand for learning at DSA continues to exceed capacity. DSA opened in 1991 to 200 students, grades six through nine; ninth grade students were mainstreamed at a Manual High School and transported to Cole Middle School for afternoon arts courses. By 1997, DSA had grown to serve 670 students. In 2003, DSA welcomed 900 middle and high school students to the school’s present location at Montview Boulevard, formerly occupied by the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Currently, DSA facilitates 1,100 students in a building renovated for 900, and enrollment is expected to increase over the next six years.

DSA’s scheduled expansion at the Mosaic Community Campus beginning in 2024 will provide the opportunity to increase our capacity to welcome additional students who have a passion for the arts and, at the same time, create an arts hub for the whole community. Denver School of the Arts and Denver Public Schools are grateful to the voters of Denver who helped make the acquisition of the four buildings (Academic Center, Whatley Chapel, Wildcat Center, and the Aspen Building) possible.

The Future of Whatley Chapel

Additionally, DSA is excited about the renovation of Whatley Chapel to expand the capacity of DSA by providing a year-round arts hub for hosting performances, summer camps, after-school programming, art galleries and many other events. The volume and naturally resonant acoustical character of Whatley Chapel are uniquely suited to multiple DSA majors.

A Performance Center at Whatley Chapel will provide an essential high school performing arts venue necessary for a viable school expansion. This new venue will accommodate over 800 patrons for a wide variety of performances. This new campus and the Performing Arts Center at Whatley Chapel will serve to connect the entire community supporting arts performances and cultural events. At the same time, DSA is committed to fostering a lifelong love of the arts in a culturally diverse, academically challenging environment. DSA, along with the community, look forward to a time when Whatley Chapel comes alive again as a community hub, full of artistic energy, spirit, expression and joy.

Current Capital Campaign

The Art for the Ages campaign to create a Performance Center at Whatley Chapel provides many opportunities for DSA to celebrate philanthropy and recognize donors that helped make the extraordinary performance space possible. With the funds necessary to bring life and open the doors to Whatley Chapel in its new role—to breathe new life into it for the ages—we will be able to expand DSA’s programs and connect the community. Naming opportunities range from the naming of classrooms, the performance space, and the most celebrated name: the Performance Center at Whatley Chapel.

Denver School of the Arts welcomes your support of this campaign with gifts to support our expansion to renovate this venue for the students of DSA and the community.

Website: emilygriffith.edu Contact: [email protected]

Emily Griffith Technical College is the public, postsecondary and adult education arm of the Denver Public School system and is one of three area technical colleges in the Colorado Community College System. The college was founded in 1916 to offer educational opportunities for all who wish to learn. By providing students equal access to education and real-world opportunities, we strive to remove barriers in the education system. 

Emily Griffith offers several areas of study including Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificate programs in Trades, Health and Creative Arts, with a hands-on learning focus, which includes Concurrent Enrollment opportunities for high school students. We also offer Apprenticeships to earn while you learn, English Language Acquisition to improve everyday language skills and prepare for further education or the workforce, as well as High School Equivalency and Continuing Education courses. 

Learn more about Emily Griffith:

History 

Emily Griffith Technical College was founded by education pioneer Emily Griffith. Emily began her career as a school teacher. She saw that the parents of her students could not read or write and therefore struggled to find good paying jobs. Her vision was to break through the barriers to higher education for those seeking economic mobility. She started Opportunity School. In 2011, the school was renamed Emily Griffith Technical College in order to better reflect our mission. 

Programming at Mosaic Community Campus 

Emily Griffith is committed to supporting refugees in their journey to rebuild their lives and thrive in the United States. Our Career Readiness English as a Second Language (CRESL) Program plays a vital role in this mission by providing comprehensive language instruction and workforce preparation. 

CRESL focuses on helping refugees acquire the critical skills needed for successful integration into their new communities and the U.S. job market. Instructors strive to meet the unique needs and backgrounds of each individual. Through engaging classroom activities, practical exercises, and interactive learning experiences, we ensure that students develop the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in real-life situations. 

We understand the importance of economic self-sufficiency and the desire to embark on fulfilling career paths. That’s why we also offer the CAREERS program, to help guide refugees in planning their career and academic pathways in the United States. We provide support as they enter workforce training or re-enter their previous career fields. 

Career navigators assist students in identifying their skills, interests, and goals, and collaborate with them to develop a customized plan for success. From exploring various career options to providing information on training programs, certifications, and educational opportunities, CAREERS equips refugees with the tools they need to make informed decisions and pursue meaningful careers. 

Learn more about Emily Griffith and follow us on social media!

Website: kitchennetworkdenver.com Contact: [email protected]

Mission Statement. The mission of the BuCu West Development Association is to create destinations that promote and support entrepreneurs, small business, cultural organizations and residents in an authentic, energetic and colorful environment

When Johnson and Wales made the decision to close this campus, it took with it a sizeable number of well-paying jobs and a key resource for training the next generation of culinary experts. Our experience working in partnership with overlooked and underserved communities on business ownership, entrepreneurship and training/education, made BuCu West quick to recognize the unique resource this facility offers for individual economic stability as well an economic engine for the surrounding neighborhoods and greater Denver.

With its state-of-the-art facilities and the demand that BuCu West sees for these services in northeast Denver, we estimate that the Kitchen Network Park Hill will be able to serve more than twice as many business startups as the Morrison Road site. In addition, this campus provides ample space to bring in educators, incubate nonprofit programing, support onsite retail ventures and give all Kitchen Network members the ability to access facilities on both sides of the city—reducing miles traveled and direct costs to the small businesses.

The neighborhoods immediately surrounding the Kitchen Network Park Hill campus include North and Northeast Park Hill, East Colfax, Central Park and North Aurora. Collectively over 53,000 individuals live in these neighborhoods of whom 60% are white, 24% Latino, 24% Black, and 1.12% Native American. Of these residents, 15% are foreign born, 14% of families live in poverty, 48% have incomes less than 100% of Denver’s median $60,000/year and 20% have low access to healthy, fresh food. Compared to the seven-county Denver metro area, these neighborhoods have nearly twice as many Latino and foreign-born residents, twice as many families living in poverty, five times more Black residents and five times more individuals and families who live more than a mile from healthy food. These statistics are compelling especially considering that Stapleton skews these statistics somewhat as it is a newer, planned community of more expensive homes and more wealth. (Shift Research Lab, A Program of the Piton Foundation, 2017.)

A sizeable portion of Kitchen Network clients are from east Denver, Aurora and Commerce City including many from the city’s refugee-immigrant community. Geographically, this site will provide the resources and support these entrepreneurs have come to depend on closer to their own neighborhoods while also attracting new clients. Since starting our Lease/Purchase agreement term BuCu West has given over 100 in person tours with the large majority of attendees representing local businesses based in the most underserved neighborhoods around campus. This visible interest along with BuCu West’s research clearly indicates that a community-focused resource providing entrepreneurial support that is also welcoming to immigrant, refugee and other underserved communities has long been a need in the East Colfax and Aurora areas.

In addition to helping individual entrepreneurs, it is our goal to work with other respected organizations to respond to the needs of northeast Denver communities. As such and to ensure that the Kitchen Network’s resources reach entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, BuCu West will leverage current relationships and create and sustain new ones. Examples of partnerships include:

• Rocky Mountain Chefs of Colorado has an apprenticeship program at the Park Hill Campus and is working with Red Rocks Community College to provide direct community college credits.
• Dirt Coffee trains, employs and empowers neurodiverse individuals. They are seeking a location in NE Denver to address a growing demand for their services.
• Work Options for Women helps people overcome barriers to sustainable employment by building confidence and providing resource and culinary job training. Having lost their downtown location, the Park Hill Campus will both preserve their valuable services and provide an opportunity for growth.
• We Don’t Waste, a nonprofit recovering excess food and providing a direct path for that food to reach households which are food insecure, has already started creating cooking classes for the Park Hill Campus. Also they are exploring with BuCu West ways to utilize their connections to support food insecure families.  
• Food Business Consultants work behind the scenes to transform established and new products into commercial successes. The Kitchen Network Park Hill facility would allow FBC to expand into Denver. FBC in turn will help small businesses incubated on the campus conduct market studies, focus group evaluations and develop small batch products.
• DBar  Uses a kitchen to be able to have product for their multiple venues.
• ChoLon Uses a kitchenfor their multiple venues.

Website: stelizabethsdenver.org Contact: [email protected]

At St. Elizabeth’s, we are on a mission to transform lives through intentionally inclusive education that embodies the values of equity, social justice, intellectual curiosity, and compassion. We welcome and affirm individuals of all backgrounds, orientations, and faiths, striving to create a place where everyone belongs. Our core values are courage, compassion, curiosity, and connection.

Inspiration and Journey:

In 2007, our journey began in the basement of St. Andrew’s, eventually evolving into the Clayton Early Learning Campus, Gaylord Campus, and now on the current Mosaic Campus. Originally envisioned as a choral school with a focus on music and the arts, we took root in the Five Points community at a time when access to excellent schools was limited. Our belief is simple: if all children have access to quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background, everyone succeeds. We prioritize accessibility through inclusivity and personalized tuition.

Teacher Dedication: 

At St. Elizabeth’s, we’re passionate about developing well-rounded students who excel academically, socially, and emotionally. Our graduates transition to high school as confident learners, leaders, and compassionate citizens. Our teachers are experts in research-based teaching, leveraging small class sizes to personalize instruction. They design engaging educational experiences that are purposeful and culturally-responsive, fostering learning both in the classroom and within our diverse community.

Achievements and Impact:

Our impact is measurable. We prioritize arts, music, drama, and physical education, enriching students’ lives multiple times a week. Remarkably, 97% of our graduates are accepted into their top-choice high schools.

Our Community:

58% of our students identify as people of color. People of all genders and sexual orientations are a vital part of our community. Our families are representative of all faiths as well as some without any formal faith background.

Unique Approach:

St. Elizabeth’s School embraces inclusivity through our Family Commitment Plan, which individualizes tuition based on a family’s financial resources, eliminating traditional “scholarship” or “financial aid” categories. We are one of only two schools in the nation combining a sliding-scale tuition model with balanced socio-economic class compositions to create an intentionally inclusive community.

Differentiation:

Our commitment to a low student-to-teacher ratio aligns with research demonstrating its positive impact on education. We believe in laying a strong learning foundation early in life, resulting in better academic and personal outcomes. Our high-quality faculty and personalized approach set us apart in fostering lifelong learning.

Get Involved:
Join us on social media @st.elizabethsschool or visit our website stelizabethsdenver.org to learn more about our journey, impact, and how you can support our mission. Together, we’re creating a brighter future for all through inclusive excellence.

Affordable real estate. For good.

Website: urbanlandc.org Contact: [email protected]

Urban Land Conservancy (ULC) is a nonprofit real estate organization that makes permanently-affordable homes possible in the Denver metro area’s historically underserved communities. ULC delivers affordable housing, as well as affordable commercial spaces for community-serving organizations. 

Founded in 2003, ULC has provided more than 2,300 affordable homes for Coloradans. At the same time, ULC Nonprofit Hubs offer low-cost office leases, helping more than 70 nonprofits stay rooted in their neighborhoods across the Denver metro area — so they can focus more on their work and less on their rent.

ULC often uses a nontraditional community land trust to preserve affordable real estate, empower communities and foster long-term neighborhood stability. Through this approach, ULC strategically acquires real estate for long-term community benefit. Typically, ULC buys and holds the land to counter speculative market-rate developers, and works with nonprofits, developers, neighborhoods and other mission-aligned organizations to deliver multifamily affordable apartments, nonprofit facilities, schools and other community-serving spaces. 

The Mosaic Community Campus was one of ULC’s most ambitious acquisitions to date. It involved partnering with Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) — each of which now owns a portion of the campus. ULC bought the entire campus and immediately sold the south campus to DHA and the west campus to DPS. ULC retained the east campus, encompassing 13.5 acres of land and seven buildings. ULC retains ownership of the east campus land under the buildings via land leases, giving ULC the right to dictate the use of the buildings for community benefit. Nonprofit affordable housing developer Archway Communities bought four east-campus buildings from ULC and is converting 400 dorm rooms into 154 permanently affordable apartments. The private K-8 St. Elizabeth’s School and the nonprofit small business incubator Kitchen Network are leasing the remaining three buildings.

Today, about 50 properties in metro Denver and the Front Range are either ULC-owned, held in a ULC land trust, or in other ways compelled by ULC to provide community benefit. To view ULC’s complete portfolio since 2003, or learn more, visit urbanlandc.org.