RISE Colorado
RISE Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 in Aurora, Colorado, that educates, engages, and empowers low-income families of color, including immigrant and refugee communities, to lead policy advocacy for educational equity through workshops, coalitions, and family-led campaigns.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAurora, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What RISE Colorado does
RISE Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, that educates, engages, and empowers low-income families of color to lead the movement for educational equity in the public school system. The organization's core product is 'The RISE Model,' a three-phase framework (Educate, Engage, Empower) that places families most impacted by the opportunity gap at the forefront of policy advocacy, with services delivered through workshops, coalitions, one-on-one conversations, and leadership development programs in 9+ languages. Its primary beneficiaries are Black, Latino, immigrant, and refugee families (including Burmese, Karen, Karenni, Bhutanese, and Nepali communities) served free of charge, with no proprietary technology platforms—rather, the organization's core capability is community trust built over 11+ years and codified organizing frameworks such as the Family-Led Policymaking Checklist and Family Engagement Rubric developed with the Aspen Institute.
The organization's business model is donation- and grant-based, with no commercial revenue stream. Funding comes from individual donations (including via GoFundMe), corporate giving, and philanthropic grants from sources such as the Denver Foundation, New Profit, Education Leaders of Color (2018 Boulder Fund), Pahara-Aspen, Obama Foundation, Leadership for Educational Equity, and the Bezos Family Foundation. Distribution occurs entirely through direct community engagement in Aurora and through institutional partnerships, most notably a multi-year collaboration with Aurora Public Schools (the site of historic policy wins on immigrant student safety and preschool learning resources), the University of Denver for participatory action research, and the Aspen Institute for national policy toolkits. The organization has 11-50 employees and reports measurable outcomes including 6,000+ documented family conversations during COVID-19 and policy wins impacting 700+ preschool students.
RISE Colorado firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RISE Colorado
- Legal name
- RISE Colorado
- Website
- https://rise-colorado.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- RISE Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 in Aurora, Colorado, that educates, engages, and empowers low-income families of color, including immigrant and refugee communities, to lead policy advocacy for educational equity through workshops, coalitions, and family-led campaigns.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RISE Colorado industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Equity Advocacy and Community Organizing Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Engagement & Home–School Partnership Programs (EDACALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cultural, Multilingual & Immigrant Family Engagement Programs (EDACALAL)
Keywords
Where RISE Colorado is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aurora
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
RISE Colorado business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Support: RISE Colorado is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds through individual donations, corporate giving, and philanthropic grants. They run donation campaigns on their website and through GoFundMe. The organization accepts charitable contributions to support their family and student-led movement for educational equity.
- Research Publications and Reports: RISE Colorado produces research reports documenting community experiences and educational inequities. Their first report 'Our Stories. Our Time' documents findings from over 6,000 conversations with families during the COVID-19 pandemic. These publications serve as educational resources and advocacy tools.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
RISE Colorado product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RISE Colorado operates The RISE Model, a holistic family engagement program with three phases—Educate, Engage, and Empower—that works with low-income families, families of color, and immigrant and refugee communities to put those most impacted by the opportunity gap at the forefront of the educational equity movement. The organization also produces research publications, policy toolkits, and video content that support families and policymakers in advancing educational equity in Aurora, Colorado. All programs and resources are delivered free of charge to participating families, funded through donations and grants.
Product overview
RISE Colorado operates a single holistic family engagement program called The RISE Model with three phases: Educate (families learn about the opportunity gap and how to support children's academic success), Engage (families participate in coalitions and learn community organizing tools), and Empower (families take leadership roles at decision-making tables). The organization also produces publications including the 'Our Stories. Our Time' report, family policy toolkits (Policymaking Checklist and Family Engagement Rubric), and video content showcasing family and student leader stories. All offerings are designed for low-income families, families of color, and immigrant and refugee communities in the Aurora, Colorado public school system.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The RISE Model A holistic family engagement program with three phases—Educate, Engage, and Empower—that works with low-income families, families of color, and immigrant and refugee communities to put those most impacted by the opportunity gap at the forefront of the movement for educational equity. Provided free of charge to families in Aurora, Colorado.
- Our Stories. Our Time Report A 20-page research report documenting findings from over 6,000 one-on-one calls and conversations with Black, Latino, immigrant, and refugee RISE Family Leaders during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, including lived experiences and recommendations regarding the education system and school re-entry. Translated into the top 9 languages of Aurora.
- Family-Led Policymaking Checklist
- Family Engagement: A Rubric for Education Policymaking
- Cultivating Postsecondary Aspirations Research A community-based participatory action research article describing the partnership between the University of Denver and RISE Colorado with family members from Burmese, Nepali, and Spanish-speaking immigrant and refugee communities, focused on cultivating postsecondary aspirations.
- Family and Student Leader Video Stories Video documentaries and stories featuring various student and family leaders, including 'The Power of Students,' 'The Power of Parents,' 'Family Leaders,' 'APS Resolution,' and '2018 Boulder Fund Winner' testimonials. Used for advocacy, awareness, and storytelling.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 700 preschool students in Aurora now have access to learning resources during the school year and Summer due to a family-led policy campaign win
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use RISE Colorado
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RISE Colorado technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RISE Colorado partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Aurora Public SchoolscoreRISE Colorado and Aurora Public Schools have a multi-year partnership to empower multilingual families. The partnership centralizes language services in the district's communication department to better support schools in meeting diverse linguistic needs of APS families. RISE families have led successful campaigns including the APS resolution for immigrant student safety and preschool homework policy.
- University of DenvercoreCommunity-based participatory action research partnership between University of Denver and RISE Colorado, including family members from Burmese, Nepali, and Spanish-speaking immigrant and refugee communities. The partnership aims to cultivate postsecondary aspirations and expand educational opportunity through research collaboration.
- Teach For AllminorRISE Colorado co-founder Veronica Crespin-Palmer is a 2006 Teach For America - Los Angeles corps member. Teach For All's network features RISE Colorado's work through alumni changemaker spotlights and video documentaries.
- Aspen InstitutecoreRISE Colorado collaborated with the Aspen Institute to create the Family-Led Policymaking Checklist and Family Engagement: A Rubric for Education Policymaking. These tools support families in developing policies for educational equity and help state leaders assess family engagement practices.
- Obama FoundationminorRISE Colorado CEO Veronica Crespin-Palmer was featured in the Obama Foundation's Face to Face with the Fellows program, highlighting her work and family background.
- BELE NetworkminorThe BELE Network featured RISE Colorado's Family-Led Movement for Educational Equity in an article highlighting the organization's impact.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RISE Colorado competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Teach Plus: National nonprofit developing teacher leaders to advocate for equitable policies and improved student outcomes in high-need schools. Adjacent to RISE's mission of educator-supported family engagement; shares similar funder base and policy advocacy tactics though focused on teacher rather than parent leadership.
- Leadership for Educational Equity: National organization that develops civic leadership skills among Teach For America alumni and other leaders to advocate for educational equity. Adjacent to RISE's leadership development pipeline; LEE has previously recognized RISE's CEO and shares the same underlying talent ecosystem for education advocacy.
- Aspen Institute Education & Society Program: National policy program that convenes education leaders, conducts research, and produces frameworks on equity and family engagement. Direct partner to RISE Colorado in co-developing the Family Engagement Rubric and Family-Led Policymaking Checklist, making it a collaborating peer in shaping field standards for parent engagement.
Regional players
- UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza): National Latino civil rights organization with extensive education, immigration, and civic engagement programs serving Hispanic families across the U.S. Operates at much larger scale than RISE but serves overlapping Latino family populations in education advocacy contexts.
Direct peers
- Families in Schools: Los Angeles-based nonprofit that trains and organizes parent leaders in school districts to advocate for equity and improved student outcomes. Directly comparable to RISE Colorado's family-led organizing model and multilingual parent engagement work, with similar focus on under-resourced communities of color.
- Boston Parent Organizing Network: Boston-based parent organizing group building power among families of color in Boston Public Schools to win campaigns on equity, school assignment, and resources. Highly comparable parent-led organizing structure serving similar urban district context and immigrant/refugee communities.
- New York City Coalition for Educational Justice: NYC-based parent-led coalition organizing low-income families and families of color to win district-level policy campaigns on equity issues. Closely aligned with RISE's three-phase Educate/Engage/Empower approach and focus on building parent power to drive systemic school change.
Broad incumbents
- National Parents Union: National parent advocacy network representing affiliated parent organizations across multiple states to influence federal education policy. Operates at significantly larger scale than RISE but addresses the same mission of elevating parent voice, making it a comparable but more resourced player in the family-led education equity space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RISE Colorado social profiles
Digital presenceRISE Colorado financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RISE Colorado leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
RISE Colorado funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RISE Colorado M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RISE Colorado
What does RISE Colorado do?
RISE Colorado operates The RISE Model, a holistic family engagement program with three phases—Educate, Engage, and Empower—that works with low-income families, families of color, and immigrant and refugee communities to put those most impacted by the opportunity gap at the forefront of the educational equity movement. The organization also produces research publications, policy toolkits, and video content that support families and policymakers in advancing educational equity in Aurora, Colorado. All programs and resources are delivered free of charge to participating families, funded through donations and grants.
Is RISE Colorado a public or private company?
RISE Colorado is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was RISE Colorado founded?
RISE Colorado was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is RISE Colorado based?
RISE Colorado is headquartered in Aurora, United States, in the North America region.
How does RISE Colorado make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Philanthropic Support is the primary driver. The others are research Publications and Reports.
Who are RISE Colorado's main competitors?
Others on record are Teach Plus, Leadership for Educational Equity and Aspen Institute Education & Society Program. UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Families in Schools, Boston Parent Organizing Network and New York City Coalition for Educational Justice. National Parents Union is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does RISE Colorado have an API?
No public API is recorded for RISE Colorado.
What industry is RISE Colorado in?
RISE Colorado's product category is Educational Equity Advocacy and Community Organizing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACALAB, Family Engagement & Home–School Partnership Programs, with a secondary code of EDACALAL, Cultural, Multilingual & Immigrant Family Engagement Programs. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8300.