The Community College of Denver Foundation received a $50,000 grant through Denver Post Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund, with monies raised from the Season to Share campaign. The grant funding will support the Community College of Denver (CCD)’s Urban Male Initiative (UMI) and Women International about Success and Excellence (WISE) empowerment programs to fund peer mentors to assist these students.

UMI’s goal is to serve CCD’s urban male students by recognizing the unique challenges they face as well as provide them with academic resources and educational planning assistance through mentoring. Through UMI, CCD works to develop these students as leaders by helping them invest in their own intellectual capital, build meaningful relationships, and attain skills, such as compassion, civility, integrity, and listening.

WISE empowers CCD female students through education, leadership and professional development opportunities. The goal of this program is to ensure that these women have the necessary resources, skills and tools to navigate the college landscape.

The Denver Post funding will support peer mentors who will help UMI and WISE students navigate college by giving them academic and peer support. The grant will also fund community engagement opportunities through professional mentors who offer general support and career advice. 

“We know that male students of color typically have a lower rate of success in college, said Francie Anhut, Executive Director, CCD Foundation. “It’s also not uncommon for both of our UMI and WISE students to struggle identifying career options for themselves. This funding will help us to provide resources for these students so they not only succeed in college but after they’ve graduated.”

UMI is listed in the American Association of Community College’s Minority Male Student Success database, which provides information about programs nationwide whose goal it is to improve the success of minority male students at the nation’s community colleges.

WISE strives to ensure participants have access to resources, programming, and services that will meet their needs while creating a campus climate that is cognizant of gender issues faced by women students. WISE encompasses the mission of statement of CCD creating and sustaining a welcoming and supportive environment for women that advocates for gender equity throughout the college.

A total of $2,290,000 was distributed to 49 nonprofit organizations across the Denver metropolitan region through Denver Post Charities in this grant cycle.

About Denver Post Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund, and the Season To Share Campaign –  

Established in 1992, through Denver Post Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund, supports local nonprofit organizations with programs that focus on child & youth education, health & wellness, homelessness and hunger.. Grants are made possible with the generosity of Denver Post readers, the general public, and corporate donations to the Season to Share campaign, the primary fundraising campaign for Denver Post Charities. Since inception, more than $66 million has been distributed to improve the lives of those in need in metro Denver. To learn more about Denver Post Charities Season to Share, visit seasontoshare.com.

About the Robert R. McCormick Foundation – The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is committed to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic programs, Cantigny Park and museums, the Foundation helps develop citizen leaders and works to make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation's largest foundations, with more than $1.5 billion in assets.

The McCormick Foundation's Communities Program continues Col. McCormick's legacy by partnering with media outlets, such as the Denver Post, sports teams and philanthropic organizations across the country, to raise money and provide matching dollars, which increase the impact of charitable giving. To learn more about the McCormick Foundation, visit mccormickfoundation.org.

The Community College of Denver Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on engaging individuals, foundations, and corporations in supporting CCD in its commitment to be the most welcoming, diverse, and excellent community college in the Metro-Denver area. Through scholarships to students, programmatic and faculty support, and capital enhancements, the Foundation invests in deserving CCD students—ensuring they have access to a high quality, relevant education. Learn more at CCD-Foundation.org