Adelante Colorado

The Latino Community Foundation of Colorado is proud to announce its second cohort of Adelante Colorado, a two-year comprehensive capacity building project that will support the capacity building needs of a cohort of up to 10 non-profits who have historically provided leadership and services to Latino communities in Colorado.

BACKGROUND 

Adelante Colorado was informed by a group of concerned nonprofit leaders, and the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC) to address the inequities of the philanthropic sector’s capacity building investments with Latino community. Within 20-25 years, one of three Coloradans will be of Latino origin. If Colorado is to continue to prosper, so must the Latino community. Latinos will play an expanding role in the workforce, economic growth, leadership, politics, education, and the health of the community. It is imperative that the Latino nonprofit community take a leadership role and help strengthen the civic, social welfare and community support infrastructure so that Latinos are engaged and contributing to a vision that prepares people to create a better Colorado for everyone. 

  • Greater access to resources addressing social determinants of health.

  • Reduced disparities in economic and social opportunities .

  • A stronger nonprofit sector that uplifts the Latino community and all Coloradans.

Join us in building a stronger, healthier, and more prosperous Colorado. Learn more about program structure, funding guidelines, eligibility, timeline, and application details below. 

COHORT PRINCIPLES

At the heart of Adelante Colorado, is the cohort structure. This peer-driven learning model fosters collaboration, skill-building, decision-making and innovation. Being part of this learning model supports executive directors in strengthening their organizations with a sustainable infrastructure, strategic vision, and long-term impact. Participants will build collective power, refine their organizational narrative, and center community leadership. 

Rooted in Latino culture, values, and traditions, the program integrates racial, economic, and language justice, ensuring nonprofits can effectively address disparities and expand their impact across Colorado. 

Because the cohort model is essential to learning, selected grantee organizations must commit to: 

  • Attend quarterly cohort convenings (5-6 virtual meetings, 2- 3 in person convenings; all travel/convening expenses must be covered under grant budget); 

  • Participate in learning and evaluation activities; 

  • Develop and implement organizational capacity-building activities; 

  • Participate in joint capacity-building efforts; 

  • Communicate responsively and regularly with the LCFC team; 

  • Be invested in building or strengthening organizational skill sets; 

  • Commit to sharing that skill set with other organizations 

FUNDING

Total grant awards across the two years will be up to $35,000. Over the course of the project, participating organizations will receive a portion of their funding during each phase and where phase one be the smallest award and phase three the largest. The grant period is June 2025-May 2027.

LCFC anticipates receiving far more applications than we can award.

TIMELINE

February 26th, 2025 : Announcement of the project and request for Letter of

Conocimiento (to be completed via online portal)

March 5th, 2025, 9:00am – 10:00am : Informational Webinar (English/Spanish)

March 21st, 2025, 5:00 PM : Deadline for Letter of Conocimiento

April 14th, 2025 : Applicants will be notified if they will be invited for an

interview. Not all applicants will be invited.  

April 21st – May 9th, 2025 : Organizational Interviews (for those invited to Part II)  

May 2025 : Part II applicants will be notified of selection and award.  

Friday, June 13th, 2025, 9:00am – 12:00pm : First Cohort Meeting 

June 2025 –May 2027 : Cohort Participation – (5-6 virtual meetings, 2- 3 in person convenings

*Dates are subject to change 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Cohort selection is a two-part process. Part I is submission of a Letter of Conocimiento (LOC) (or a way to get to know you). The project Advisory Council will review all LOCs for alignment and select those organizations to move forward in the second part of the process. Not all applicants will be invited to move onto Part II of the process. Part II is an organizational interview and submission of additional documents. We expect to notify organizations in April 2025 regarding their invitation to participate in an interview. After all invited organizations complete Part II, the Advisory Council will make the final selection of cohort. We expect to announce cohort selection by May 2025.

LANGUAGE JUSTICE

LCFC is committed to accessible application processes. This application is available in English and Spanish and applicants are encouraged to write their letters in the language of their hearts. 

CONTACT

If you have questions about the project, funding guidelines or the application process, please contact Rachel Griego at adelante@latinocfc.org.

Please visit our website at www.latinocfc.org/Adelante-Colorado for more information on the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado and Adelante Colorado.

STRUCTURE

Adelante Colorado: A Three-Phase Approach to Nonprofit Capacity Building

Section 1: Intro

LCFC strengthens Latino communities by investing in shared decision-making and systems change. We do this through a methodology that convenes people, organizations, businesses, philanthropy and government to drive solutions, dismantle barriers and create lasting impact.

Adelante Colorado builds capacity through a culturally relevant, self-paced three-phase approach from Q2 2025 – Q2 2027.

Section 2: The Three Phases

    • Understanding Latino community developments and growth

    • Aligning leadership style with organizational evolution

    • Understanding and orchestrating organizational transformation

    • Establishing a clear vision for growth

    • Conducting an organizational capacity audit

    • Creating a capacity-building roadmap

    • Putting the roadmap into action

    • Tailored support and coaching for each organization

Section 3: Ongoing Support & Investments

  • Technical assistance & skills building

  • Technology & infrastructure development

  • Leadership coaching & financial literacy

  • One-on-one & peer learning partnerships

ELIGIBILITY

    • Are deeply committed to serving Latino and immigrant communities and are rooted in these communities.

    • Actively engage community members in shaping programs and services.

    • Have leadership (Board and executive staff) that reflects the communities they serve.

    • Been operating for the past three years

    • Operating budget between $150,000 to $1,000,000

    • Have a paid executive director

    • Identify a participating board member able to attend some meetings

    • Organizations that explicitly state they serve Latino communities in their organizational mission or vision.

    • 75% or more of their clientele/program participants is part of the Latino community

    • Organizations who do not currently participate in other capacity building projects or programs.

Priority given to organizations that meet the organizational requirements, and are in rural areas and/or primarily serve immigrants (75% or more)

We thank the following for their generous support