Mile High Nonprofit (Issue #4 | Q1 |2023

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MLK AD

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR SESSION #1!

MARCH 7, 2023 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Ford-Warren Library 2825 High Street | Denver, CO | 80205 You’re invited to a FREE workshop FOR NONPROFITS on how to do business with the city. Come meet the D-ONE team and meet representatives from other city agencies.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

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MILEHIGHNONPROFIT

CONTENTS VOL. 4 | ISSUE #1 JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023

in this issue Editor’s Note

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2022 Went way too fast!

D-ONE Year In Review

07 D-ONE By The Numbers 11 Year-In-Review Snapshot 13 D-ONE Lessons Learned From 2022 14 2022: Who We Served 16 2022: Who We Partnered With Also Inside...

03 Grant Opportunity: Disability Community Support

09 Meet The D-ONE Team Page 11 The Denver Office of Nonprofit Engagement (D-ONE) takes a look at the highs and lows of 2022, then looks ahead to 2023.

NEXT ISSUE: Q2 2023):

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HRCP EXEC DIRECTOR RECEIVES 2023 MLK BUSINESS AWARD

HOW NONPROFITS CAN ASSIST WITH DENVER’S MIGRANT ISSUE

HRCP Executive Director—Derek Okubo receives 2023 MLK Business Award for his effort leading the city’s engagement with their various constituents.

City & County of Denver calls on the faith and nonprofit communities to lend a hand with managing the influx of new migrants.

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MILEHIGHNONPROFIT

EDITOR’S NOTE

JAN-FEB-MAR | QUARTER 1 | 2023

CITY GOVERNMENT

Mayor Michael B. Hancock

Executive Director

2022 Went Way Too Fast!

There’s a poem by Ebony Black, an American poet, that says in its third stanza, “Time can pass quickly, there’s never enough. You miss when it was easy; now life is too tough.”

Human Rights & Community Partnerships Derek Okubo

PUBLISHING TEAM

Yep! That about sums up 2022 for us. It went by way to fast!

The poem is called “Time,” and is about the loss and gain we experience as time ticks ever onward. It speaks of how time can slip away if we are not careful. So, like others around the city, the D-ONE team is reflecting on the past year. We’re thinking hard about the lessons we learned and how we can use what we learned in the year ahead. And yes, life continues to be tough for so many Denver residents. BUT, we are thankful for the nonprofit sector that is always there to help the city meet so many of their challenges.

In looking back at 2022, we learned there is still much work to do when it comes to improving the internal processes we use to engage the nonprofit sector. From centralizing the city’s grant opportunities, to streamlining and improving the contracting process— nonprofits are telling us we need to do better if we mean it when we say they are our “partners.”

The good news about 2022 was that we received needed funding (via ARPA/American Rescue Plan Act) to provide nonprofits with technical assistance and even more funding to help with their recoveries from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As our team looks ahead to 2023, we do so with excitement and caution. We’re excited about the new programs we will be putting forward and the expanded capacity our office will have to implement that work. We’re also excited about the impact our work will have on the city as we roll out the recommendations from the year and a half-long Nonprofit Task Force. But as new city leadership is elected this year, we are cautious about the support for the nonprofit sector as a new mayor is selected and a new executive director is appointed for the Human Rights & Community Partnerships Agency (HRCP), which is where D-ONE lives. For the past twelve years, we have had tremendous champions for the nonprofit sector in Mayor Michael Hancock and Derek Okubo. We will look on with great anticipation and optimism regarding the passion for the nonprofit sector by the new leadership as they come aboard mid-year.

As we double down on our efforts, we will take to heart the final words of Ms. Black’s poem that ends by saying, “Time is wasted every day; spent on moments that fade away. So think carefully, think wisely about what you will do; With the limited time that is given to you.”

Cheers,

Wil 5

Contributing Writers Ava McCall (Intern) Tiffany Le (Intern)

D-ONE TEAM Advisors Wil Alston, Director Dr. Krystina Finlay Nydia Gomez Jessica Jorgensen Tiffany Le (Intern) Julia Mahoney Ava McCall (Intern) Dr. Ken Seeley

Published by the:

DENVER OFFICE OF NONPROFIT ENGAGEMENT Wellington Webb Building 201 W. Colfax Ave.; Dept 1102 Denver, CO 80202 Please visit our website: www.denvergov.org/nonprofitengagement 713-913-8852 To request a document be translated into American Sign Language (ASL), contact: signlanguageservices@denvergov.org.

For other public accommodations requests/concerns related to a disability, please contact: disabilityaccess@denvergov.org

INSIDE HRCP HRCP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEREK OKUBO RECEIVES MLK BUSINESS AWARD DURING 38TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION On Friday, January 13th, Derek Okubo received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Award for his leadership in engaging the community and for his advocacy of human rights. Okubo, the Executive Director for Denver Human Rights & Community Partnerships, received the award along with several other giants in the Denver community, including: Music Pioneer—Charles Burrell, Internationally acclaimed Sculptor—Ed Dwight, Hate Free Colorado—a coalition dedicated to countering hate crimes in Colorado , internationally acclaimed artist—Emanuel Martinez, the Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce—a longtime economic development advocate for the Native American community, and Trailblazer Award recipient—Charleszine Nelson, the Head Librarian at Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library and a key steward of Denver’s African American history and culture.

Each year, the MLK Business Awards are presented to individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations for their exceptional community service endeavors in honor and memory of Dr. King. In 2007, the Trailblazer Award was added to recognize pioneers in the civil rights movement in Colorado.

Since 2011, Derek has served as Mayor Hancock’s Executive Director to the Human Rights & Community Partnerships Agency. In that role, Derek has grown the agency to become an irreplaceable asset for the city when it comes to engaging the residents—who are the city’s customers! As Derek ends his tenure after three terms in the position, the new mayor will be hard pressed to find a better advocate for human rights and community partnerships.

Congratulations, Derek!

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MEET THE D-ONE TEAM Wil Alston, Director Wil is beginning his 4th year as the D-ONE Director. Prior to this position, he spent over 40 years serving as a nonprofit leader, an entrepreneur, a government administrator, and as a communication/ public relations professional, including senior roles with Gov. Bill Ritter and Mayor Michael Hancock.

Dr. Kyrstina Finlay, Evaluation Specialist Krystina has over 20 years of experience in program evaluation and research and has a doctorate in Social Psychology. She has published more than 15 peer-reviewed scientific articles on behavior prediction, health psychology, and cross-cultural psychology.

Nydia Gomez, Operations Assistant Nydia is a welcomed “informal” member of the D-ONE Team. She is a native of Texas and has lived in Colorado for just over a year. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University where she majored in international politics and diplomacy and minored in sociology and public health.

Jessica Jorgensen, Contract Administrator Jessica has over a decade of government experience and expertise in contract management and administration, community engagement, process improvement, and data and research. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Policy and her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Denver.

Tiffany Le, Intern Tiffany recently graduated from the University of Denver where she double majored in international business and marketing. She joined the D-ONE team in September where she has led or supported a variety of marketing and special projects aimed at furthering D-ONE's strategic goals.

Julia Mahoney, Program Manager Julia joined the D-ONE Team two years ago as an intern and is now the program manager for the Energy Efficiency Program. She has an affinity for learning and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Global Mental Health, and a Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation.

Ava McCall, Intern Ava is a senior at Colorado State University, double majoring in political science and communication studies with a minor in women's studies. Ava is heavily involved in the CSU community through their student government and the Associated Students of Colorado State University.

Dr. Ken Seeley, Collaboration & Evaluator Specialist Ken currently serves as a collaboration and evaluation specialist for D-ONE. Prior to his work with the city, Ken served for 20 years as the president/ceo of the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, a nonprofit partnership with five Colorado state agencies.

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THE YEAR IN REVIEW (WHAT WE DID IN 2022)

Community Solar Garden

Energy Efficiency Program

In partnership with Energy Outreach Colorado and Xcel Energy, D-ONE brought a Community Solar Program to low-income residents, and nonprofits serving those communities in Denver.

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As part of the Xcel Energy Franchise Agreement with the City and County of Denver, D-ONE has distributed and managed approximately two million dollars annually, totaling over 30 million dollars to date. These funds are used to reduce the impact of costly energy bills for nonprofits and low-income individuals.

$350K grant from D-ONE $243K total bill savings for households 302 households and nonprofits served Media Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/ news/arapahoe-community-solar-energy-gardenpanels-help-low-income-residents/

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$1,700,000 allocated for the program

Nonprofit Vaccine Impact Project

Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and fiscally sponsored by Mile High United Way (MHUW), this project utilized eight nonprofits to increase the number of Black, Indigenous, and people of color who received vaccines.

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Save Green, Be Green Conference

Designed for nonprofits and community faith-based organizations, the conference focused on money-saving facility planning, conservation efforts, and environmental management.

65.3% of individuals identified as Hispanic/Latino $347,987.84 funding for projects 4,597 vaccines given

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110 attendees, presenters, & staff 24 nonprofits/ churches

(Continued on page 12)

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Collaborative Impact Fund of Denver

(Continued from page 11)

Commission Legislative Committee

The Commission Legislative Committee (CLC) is a group of representatives from each commission that track legislation at the state level and lead their respective commissions' policy advocacy efforts.

The Collaborative Impact Fund of Denver (CIFD) was developed by D-ONE in 2022 as a new community philanthropy base aligned with city priorities and created to fill gaps and build supportive partnerships for the nonprofit sector in Denver and the residents they serve.

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Created a standard of work document for the CLC process and procedures.

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Lead individual commissions with their local policy and advocacy efforts

CIFD received an ARPA grant of $1,000,000 to support nonprofits in Denver for three years.

Metro Denver Nonprofit Loan Fund

In 2022, D-ONE contributed $250,000 from our American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant to the Metro Denver Nonprofit Loan Fund. These zero-interest loans provide an opportunity to combine financial and technical assistance to help strengthen individual nonprofit organizations.

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D-ONE Nonprofit Task Force

A report on the engagement of the nonprofit sector with the City & County of Denver was completed in 2022 and will be rolled out in Q1 2023.

8 nonprofits were funded with the city’s contribution in this first round

Key recommendations from the year-and-a-half-long (Continued on page 13)

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THE YEAR IN REVIEW Cont’d (Continued from page 12)

effort includes: • Streamlining and improving the contracting process for nonprofits • Expanding the authority and funding of D-ONE to centralize and manage the city’s nonprofit body of work • Centralizing grant opportunities available to nonprofits, and • Improving the tracking and reporting of the impact of nonprofits doing business with the city

HRCP Contract Management

D-ONE is home to HRCP’s Contracts Manager. As a result, our department is critical in the management and process improvement of the contracting process for the agency. In 2022, HRCP produced the follow contractsrelated results: •

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LESSONS WE LEARNED IN 2022

Federal Grant Management for HRCP

D-ONE played a key role in securing and coordinating federal funds for HRCP. • •

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107 contracts, purchase orders, and supplier invoice requests were managed and processed for a total of $16,069,714 Average Contract Execution Time: 35 days Created & Executed 36 contracts

1. As with the airline industry—”put your own mask on first!” Meaning, make sure we are tending to our own selves and programs because we can best help the agency when our department is at its best and strongest.

2. “Don’t forget about the little things,” like the building of a nonprofit registry or getting this e-mag out consistently. The little things not only matter, but sometimes reflect how we do everything else.

3. “Use your team!” There is so much to do around this nonprofit advocacy work. Big impact can only be made by using the team to its fullest.

D-ONE secured $1,264,770 ARPA for various programs for its own department.

D-ONE lent a hand in coordinating approximately $290k to help the Denver Police Department address violent crime in identified hot spots across the city. $500K went to the Nonprofit Vaccine Impact Project.

The Division of Disabilities Rights and JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc. were also able to secure $375K and $100K, respectively, with D-ONE's help.

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WHO WE SERVED

ORGANIZATION PROGRAM NAME African Chamber of Commerce FEMA Vaccine Project Asian Girls Ignite Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program Collaborative Impact Fund of Denver Monthly Admin Support Colorado Changemakers Collaborative RSJI Mini-Grant Program Commun, Barton Institute for Community Action RSJI Mini-Grant Program Convivir Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program Cultura Chocolate/The Pomm LLC Sponsorship Denver Children's Advocacy Center RSJI Mini-Grant Program Denver Museum of Nature and Science FEMA Vaccine Project El Grupo Vida RSJI Mini-Grant Program El Semanario FEMA Vaccine Project Energy Outreach Colorado Energy Efficiency Program Energy Outreach Colorado Monthly Energy bills paid for 1200 households in arrears Energy Resource Center Energy Efficiency Program Extreme Community Makeover Hot Spots Program, RSJI Mini-Grant Program Families Against Violent Acts Hot Spots Program FAX Partnerships Hot Spots Program Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program & DPD Hot Spots From the Heart Program Greater Denver Cares Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program Groundwork Denver Energy Efficiency Program Homies Unidos Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program Hope Communities RSJI Mini-Grant Program Iglesia Amistad FEMA Vaccine Project Inner City Health Center FEMA Vaccine Project Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program, RSJI Mini-Grant Juntos 2 College Program KAPS Foundation Sponsorship Kenzie's Causes FEMA Vaccine Project Ktone Cares Sponsorship Life-line Colorado RSJI Mini-Grant Program Lutheran Family Services RSJI Mini-Grant Program 14

WHO WE SERVED CONT’D

ORGANIZATION Make a Chess Move Mi Casa Resource Center Mile High Youth Corp Montbello Organizing Committee Denver Nonprofit Engagement Commission Porter-Billups Leadership Academy Radian RawTools SafeHouse Denver SarCO (Salvadorenos Residiendo en Colorado) Servicios de la Raza SmartBiz Sonic Guild (formerly Black Fret) The Martin Foundation Thriving Families Vision Pura VIVE Wellness Reach Sunshine Home Share Consumption Literacy

PROGRAM NAME RSJI Mini-Grant Program Sponsorship & FEMA Vaccine Project Energy Efficiency Program FEMA Vaccine Project Monthly Admin Support Sponsorship Nonprofit Rental Assistance Program Hot Spots Program Hot Spots Program FEMA Vaccine Project FEMA Vaccine Project Hot Spots Program Sponsorship Hot Spots Program RSJI Mini-Grant Program FEMA Vaccine Project RSJI Mini-Grant Program Sponsorship & Start-up Consultation Affordable housing for older adults Zero Waste composting for community gardens- Connection Session

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WHO WE PARTNERED WITH

ORGANIZATION Alchemy Strategy Group Barefoot PR City Attorney's Office Colorado Health Foundation Colorado Trust Community First Foundation Denver Foundation

PROGRAM NAME Task Force Recommendations Nonprofit Strong Campaign & Collaborative Impact Fund of Denver Nonprofit Contracting Report & New Mini Grant Program Collaborative Impact Fund Collaborative Impact Fund Metro Denver Loan Fund Metro Denver Loan Fund

Denver Human Services Denver Nonprofit Engagement Commission

Energy Efficiency (LEAP) Navigator & Data Mapping (Dr. Piscopo) Nonprofit Task Force

Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, Save Green|Be Green Conference & Solar Garden & Energy and Resiliency Efficiency Advisory Board Denver Police Department Hot Spots Program Energy Efficiency (LEAP) Navigator & Save Green|Be Green Conference & Energy Efficiency Advisory Board, MF and NEEP Energy Energy Outreach Colorado Efficiency Programs Energy Resource Center Energy Efficiency Program Save Green|Be Green Conference & Solar Garden & Energy EffiEnvirnomental Protection Agency ciency Advisory Board Grid Alternatives 2023 Save Green | Be Green; Energy Advisory Board Groundwork Denver Energy Efficiency Program Jewish Family Services Save Green|Be Green Conference & Solar Garden Mayor's Office New Mini Grant Program Metropolitan State University Graduate School of Social Work Class Mile High United Way FEMA Vaccine Project Mile High Youth Corps Energy Efficiency Advisory Board, Energy Efficiency Program Nonprofit Finance Fund Metro Denver Loan Fund Nonprofit Learning Lab 2022 Save Green|Be Green Conference Office of Councilman Jolon Clark Save Green|Be Green Conference & Solar Garden Peak Academy Task Force Recommendations & D-ONE Planning Radian Providing and managing nonprofit shared spaces Rose Foundation Metro Denver Loan Fund Tradewinds PR D-ONE marketing and events Save Green|Be Green Conference & Energy Efficiency Advisory Waste Management Board

Xcel Energy

Save Green|Be Green Conference & Solar Garden & Energy Efficiency Advisory Board 16

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2023 OUTLOOK As we settle into the new year, the D-ONE Team will be looking to:

1. Increase the number of nonprofits doing business with the city 2. Secure non-city funding to deepen and broaden the work of the office 3. Continue to raise awareness of the work and impact of the office 4. Establish D-ONE as a valuable contributor in the growth and sustainability of Denver’s nonprofit ecosystem, and 5. Further explore and implement additional ways to have greater impact with our Energy Efficiency Program As we pursue these desired outcomes, we will continue to utilize our CURATE | CONVENE | CAPACITY BUILDING MODEL where we curate information and reports for the “do-it-yourselfers, we convene folks to collaborate and explore solutions to challenges our nonprofits face, and we invest in the capacity building of nonprofits to strengthen their ability to deliver mission.

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