It’s possible that the best way to experience community impact may be from the seat of a bicycle.
The Denver Foundation welcomed several community members for a bike tour through the East Colfax and Northwest Aurora corridor. It’s always great to get in a ride, but the deeper purpose of the gathering was to bring impact investing to life.
Melissa Lewis joined The Denver Foundation team from the Office of Colorado Congressman Jason Crow. Carson Bryant from East Colfax Community Collective rounded out the diverse group of folks excited to pedal through the city and witness the change happening right here in our community.
Impact investing is often discussed in terms of strategy and scale. But on this ride, it became tangible. It was visible in the buildings, the small businesses, and the community spaces that participants passed. It was felt in the stories shared at each stop.
The tour began and ended at The Denver Foundation’s offices at Casa Grande, with an early stretch heading toward a cluster of sites connected to the East Colfax Community Collective (EC3), a key partner providing small businesses and housing support.
Along this stretch of the ride, participants learned how EC3 is working alongside community members to preserve naturally affordable housing and prevent displacement.
These sites are strategic investments that provide safety and stability for people and families.
That’s the essence of impact investing at The Denver Foundation, deploying capital in ways that align financial returns with community benefit. It’s about using the full balance sheet, not just grantmaking, to advance equity.
The ride continued to another powerful partner site, home to Project Worthmore. Project Worthmore provides critical services for refugee and immigrant families, including English language classes, dental care, food access, and community navigation support.
Through impact investing, The Denver Foundation has helped organizations like Project Worthmore expand their spaces to meet growing community needs and serve more people.
Each stop offered time to pause, reflect, and connect the dots between capital and community outcomes. The ride created space for conversations about how dollars are deployed, who benefits, and what it means to invest in a way that centers community.
What emerged was proof that impact investing is not an abstract concept; it is a set of choices that shape real places and real lives.
It’s one thing to read about impact investing in a report. It’s another to see it block by block, to understand how a single investment can support a small business, which supports a family, which strengthens a neighborhood.
To learn more about impact investing, visit our website, and remember – amazing things are happening across Colorado, you just have to get on your bike and go for a ride.
