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It also highlights RESCHOOL Colorado’s Learning Dollar initiative, which distributed education-related funds directly to families. The work concludes with recommendations for future grantmaking based on these practices.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/support-for-rural-colorado-schools-how-philanthropy-and-districts-came-together-to-serve-students-in-2020/582758/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/support-for-rural-colorado-schools-how-philanthropy-and-districts-came-together-to-serve-students-in-2020/582758.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Mia  ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-05","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why did Colorado need new approaches to support rural schools in 2020?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"In March 2020, school closures and the abrupt shift to remote learning created major challenges for rural districts, many of which lacked reliable high-speed internet and technology. The pandemic required innovative solutions to address acute needs.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What were the main goals of the Planning and Design Support (PDS) initiative?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"PDS aimed to expand rural communities’ equitable access to RISE funds by helping applicants develop stronger proposals, building capacity through small planning grants, and working with strategic design partners to strengthen submissions.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How did the Education Innovation Fund (EIF) differ in its design from traditional grantmaking?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"EIF was launched quickly in early 2020 with a low barrier to entry, transparency from funders, and a focus on collective learning rather than strict grantee accountability.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},582758,1792230548,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},687207024478,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","FEBRUARY 2022  \nSupport for Rural Colorado Schools  \nHow Philanthropy and Districts Came Together to Serve Students in 2020  \nPaul Beach, Katrina Boone, and Juliet Squire  \nTable of Contents  \nClick on each title Introduction  \nThe Planning and Design Support Initiative  \nThe Education Innovation  \nSidebar: RESCHOOL Colorado’s Learning Dollar Initiative Conclusion  \nEndnotes  \nAcknowledgments  \nAbout the Authors  \nAbout Bellwether Education  \nbelow to jump directly to the corresponding section.  \nFund  \nPartners  \n4  \n6  \n15  \n17  \n26  \n28  \n29  \n30  \n30  \nIntroduction  \nAs schools across the country closed in March 2020 atthe outset of the COVID-19  \npandemic, it wasn’t clear how long in-person education would be disrupted. The  \nabrupt transition to remote learning was particularly challenging for districts in rural communities, many of which have long lacked reliable access to high-speed internet and technological resources for students. The unique circumstances of the pandemic required innovative solutions to address a deepening array of acute challenges faced by rural schools.  \nIn Colorado, the philanthropic community met the moment by supporting rural school systems in fundamentally new ways, upending traditional grantmaking processes to better address communities’ needs through two key initiatives: the Planning and Design Support (PDS) initiative and the Education Innovation Fund (EIF; Table 1). RESCHOOL Colorado’s Learning Dollar initiative, a program connected to the Education Innovation Fund, also played a pivotal role by distributing money directly to families for education-related expenses.  \nThe deep collaboration among funders that occurred during these initiatives wasn’t the only silver lining that emerged in the chaos and uncertainty of 2020. Schools and districts, especially those in rural areas, also set aside considerable time and resources, when both were scarce, to secure needed funding for their students and communities.  \nIn this paper, we describe the origins of these initiatives and their basic design before outlining a set of recommendations for how philanthropy in the state and elsewhere can build on these promising practices to improve future grantmaking.  \n[ 4 ] Bellwether Education Partners  \nTable 1 Colorado Initiative Snapshot  \n| Initiative | Dates | Total Funding | Grant Summary | Types of Grant Recipients |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| RISE Planning and Design Support (PDS)\u003Cbr>The goal of PDS was to help applicants develop strong proposals to the Response, Innovation, and Student Equity (RISE) grant program by giving them more time to develop their initiatives, build capacity through small planning grants, and work with strategic design partners to strengthen their proposals. | September 2020-December 2021 | $300,000 | 16 recipients received grants of approximately $20,000 | Just less than a majority of grants went to districts (7), followed by consortia (4), school networks (2), tribes (2), anda postsecondary institution (1) |\n| Education Innovation Fund (EIF)\u003Cbr>EIF was a fast-paced initiative launched during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. EIF was defined by a low barrier of entry for applicants, openness and transparency on the part offunders, anda focus on collective learning rather than stringent grantee accountability. | March 2020-\u003Cbr>August 2020 | $319,800 | 34 recipients received grants ranging\u003Cbr>from $2,700 to\u003Cbr>$20,000, with an average award of $9,406 | The majority of grants went to nonprofit organizations\u003Cbr>(18), followed by consortia (11), individual schools (2), a school district (1), an educator (1), and a student (1) |\n\nSupport for Rural Colorado Schools: How Philanthropy and Districts Came Together to Serve Students in 2020 [ 5 ]  \nThe Planning and Design Support Initiative  \nIntroduction  \nI  \nn September 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis used federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to launch the $40.7 million Respo","cbCaisSflghQnzvi","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisSflghQnzvi","pdf",788779,31,"English","# Introduction\n## Planning and Design Support Initiative\n## Education Innovation\n## Sidebar: RESCHOOL Colorado’s Learning Dollar Initiative\n# Conclusion\n## Endnotes\n## Acknowledgments\n## About the Authors\n## About Bellwether Education","[{\"question\":\"Why did Colorado need new approaches to support rural schools in 2020?\",\"answer\":\"In March 2020, school closures and the abrupt shift to remote learning created major challenges for rural districts, many of which lacked reliable high-speed internet and technology. The pandemic required innovative solutions to address acute needs.\"},{\"question\":\"What were the main goals of the Planning and Design Support (PDS) initiative?\",\"answer\":\"PDS aimed to expand rural communities’ equitable access to RISE funds by helping applicants develop stronger proposals, building capacity through small planning grants, and working with strategic design partners to strengthen submissions.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the Education Innovation Fund (EIF) differ in its design from traditional grantmaking?\",\"answer\":\"EIF was launched quickly in early 2020 with a low barrier to entry, transparency from funders, and a focus on collective learning rather than strict grantee accountability.\"}]","Support for Rural Colorado Schools - How Philanthropy and Districts Came Together to Serve Students in 2020 | PDF",1792044397,78]