SNAPSHOT

OUR APPROACH

Since 2018, the Margulf Foundation has supported education leaders and organizations working to provide all youth with the learning opportunities they deserve. We know that K-12 public education historically was not designed to meet every student’s needs, and despite the world evolving significantly, our approach to learning has remained largely unchanged for the past 150 years. That’s why we believe grantees who deeply understand youth—and continuously innovate to strengthen their impact—are best positioned to help them thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.

Whether exploring new ideas, scaling proven practices, or sustaining long-term efforts, we support our grantees at every stage of the innovation cycle. As a funder, we strive to build genuine partnerships, ensuring our grantees feel seen, valued, and understood. We’re also committed to iterating on our own work and breaking down funding barriers in our practices by designing, piloting, and reflecting on new approaches to grantmaking, technical assistance, community building, and more.

One of the most notable events of 2024 was our first in-person Grantee Convening, which brought together nearly 100 leaders across our grantee portfolio. The Convening fostered deeper connection and collaboration among our grantees and inspired our team to increase our focus in this area of work. This Snapshot highlights the Convening and the broader impact of our grantees – enjoy!

OUR PURPOSE

OUR VISION

To expand and improve learning opportunities for all youth.

OUR MISSION

We act in partnership with leaders and teams who are reimagining education with youth, families, and communities to move toward a more just and equitable future.

OUR CORE
GRANTMAKING AREAS:

Margulf provides general operating support to grantees working in two areas:

Learning Environments grantees create educational spaces that help youth thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.

Talent grantees support the people, community, and conditions necessary to surround youth with engaging and meaningful learning experiences.

OUR PRINCIPLES

Community

Margulf grantees honor the strengths and opportunities in the communities they serve. They are committed to systemic change that enables agency and independence for youth and families.

Holistic

Margulf grantees recognize all people have their own passions, talents, and essence. With respect for this individuality, grantees build authentic relationships that lead to belonging and wellness for youth.

Innovation

Margulf grantees develop new ideas and apply existing ideas to new contexts to foster youth learning and growth. They disrupt the status quo with purpose and intentionality.

Reflection

Margulf grantees learn from everything they do. They embrace
failures and challenges as learning opportunities.

OUR TEAM

STAFF

Brenda Calderon

Manager, Strategic Initiatives

Dee Arias

Operations Coordinator

Kim Martinez

Senior Accountant

Lisa Osmundson

Grants Coordinator

Liz Aybar Conti

CEO

BOARD DIRECTORS

PARTNERS

Vicki Sterling, President

Ramsay Stabler, Secretary

Eunice Kim, Treasurer

Dwight Jones

Logan Boon

Director of Grantmaking

Sonya Marques-Correia

CFO

OUR GRANTMAKING

In 2024, Margulf granted approximately $10.3M to our Learning Environments and Talent grantees. Our grantees work with and represent a wide range of communities across Colorado and beyond.

COMMUNITIES SERVED

186,653

Youth

142,984

Parents/Guardians

78,352

Educators

13,838

Education

Innovators and Leaders

REACH

45%

43%

12%

Colorado-Focused Organizations

National Organizations Working in Colorado

National Organizations

OUR INITIATIVES

Here are a few examples of how we respond and iterate in our work based on what we’re hearing from our grantees.

GRANTEE COMMUNITY BUILDING

For years, our grantees have expressed a strong desire to connect in-person. In response, we held our first Grantee Convening in September, bringing together nearly 100 attendees, representing 86% of our grantee organizations. It was a powerful moment for our community – a time to reflect, connect, and share in ways that can only happen face-to-face.

The Convening was designed by a committee of our grantees, who drew on a portfolio-wide survey and one-on-one consultations with grantees to build the purpose and content around the needs of the broader community. The sessions were led by grantees themselves, allowing for deep, meaningful exchanges on topics such as fundraising, human resources practices, strategic planning, artificial intelligence, and community engagement. This peer-driven approach not only led to the sharing of valuable tactical tools, but it also sparked potential collaborations, expanding the visibility and potential of grantees’ work.

The feedback we received from attendees was overwhelmingly positive and reflected the Convening’s impact.

98%

82%

92%

100%

98% said they met a leader they hadn't known before and planned to stay in touch.

82% said they met someone they wanted to collaborate with moving forward.

92% said something they learned or heard during the Convening might directly impact their work.

100% said they felt connected with and supported by the community at the Convening.

These responses highlight the tremendous value of bringing grantees together to encourage knowledge-sharing and foster new relationships and collaborations.

The community of grantees is affirming and inspiring. As someone who is passionate about AND sometimes overwhelmed by the important work my team and I do, this Convening gave me a renewed sense of hope and feeling that I am not alone.

— ANONYMOUS GRANTEE

COLLABORATION

After seeing grantees naturally connect and build on each other’s strengths, Margulf launched a new grantmaking area called Collaboration Grants in 2022 to help fuel partnerships and deeper collaboration among grantees. Grantees used the grants to bring fresh learning experiences to youth, educators, and communities; build stronger networks with like-minded leaders; and test new ideas to push their work forward. Given that early success, we funded another round of Collaboration Grants in 2024 distributing approximately $500,000 to teams of grantees learning from and with one another. Examples include:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education

Organizations focused on how to use AI in a values-based, human-centric way that ensures AI serves as a tool for empowerment rather than exclusion

Alternative Approaches to Measuring Student Success

Organizations working together to understand the correlation between positive student experiences and strong school climate (e.g., sense of belonging, safety, sense of purpose) on more traditional student outcomes (e.g., attendance, test scores)

Ecosystem Mapping and Organizational Growth

Organizations researching which people, organizations, and systems are thinking innovatively about youth and education to better understand where connections can foster greater impact

Community and Connection

Leaders and organizations coming together to build relationships, engage in thought partnership, and share expertise, strengthening their individual and collective impact

Storytelling and Understanding Impact

Organizations exploring how they capture and disseminate meaningful data and/or case studies that effectively demonstrate their impact

It is rare for us to receive funding that continues our work with alumni in a more targeted and specialized manner, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity not only to deepen our support of [some of our alumni who are launching schools], but also for the ability to test out learning bets that we’ve been thinking about for years. The Collaboration Grant was incredibly helpful in deepening existing relationships and work, particularly when most grant funding is focused solely on new partnerships.