Fostering Belonging Across Colorado

By Erika Montes, Belonging Colorado Program Lead at The Denver Foundation

Communities thrive when people feel they belong. Feeling connected and having a sense of belonging is not just a "nice-to-have"-it is essential for physical and mental health. In schools, belonging improves academic achievement; in workplaces, it boosts satisfaction and engagement. Research shows that belonging also strengthens community resilience and well-being.

Yet across Colorado, as in many parts of the country, political, cultural, and economic divides can weaken trust, limit collaboration, and prevent us from working together on the issues that matter most. In Colorado, only about half of our residents feel a strong sense of belonging in their local community, according to the Colorado Belonging Barometer.

This is the challenge, and the opportunity, that inspired Belonging Colorado, an ambitious new effort made possible by a special fund at The Denver Foundation. Our mission is to build a culture of belonging across lines of difference so that every Coloradan has the opportunity to feel seen, valued, and included in shaping the future of our state.

Bridging at the Heart of Belonging

Bridging differences is at the core of this work. We draw on the research and expertise of our partner, the Greater Good Science Center, which shows that people are more willing to collaborate when they build relationships across differences. By practicing bridging, communities can transform conflict into connection and move from "us versus them" to "all of us, together."

Bridging differences involves both seeing the humanity of people or groups whose backgrounds or views differ from your own and better understanding them. It includes activities, actions, and conversations that engage people with different viewpoints, experiences, traditions, and ideas.

Through Belonging Colorado, we provide funding, training, and evaluation tools to help leaders and organizations put bridging into practice. Our grantees represent the diversity of Colorado, rural and urban, grassroots and institutional, cultural and civic. What unites them is a commitment to bringing people together across divides to solve problems and build a shared future.

While political differences are often present, most of the bridging work begins with shared projects or local challenges. By starting from common goals, communities create space where people with different political perspectives can build trust and collaborate. Bridging doesn't ignore the differences that make us unique, nor does it mean agreeing on everything. It's about valuing one another and working towards shared goals and a future we can co-create.

Funding for Community-Based Solutions

Every community has its own vision of what belonging looks like. In our first year, Belonging Colorado supported 15 grantees across the state who are building bridges in ways that reflect their own challenges and opportunities:

• In Steamboat Springs, community-wide conversations are elevating housing solutions for families across income levels.
• In Chaffee County and on the Western Slope, storytelling projects are connecting people across generations.
• In Eagle County, shared activities like cooking are bridging cultural, racial, and socioeconomic differences.
• In the Denver Metro Area, collaborative art workshops celebrate cultural legacies while building understanding and inclusion.

These grants are not just about dollars; they are an invitation to innovate, to test new approaches, and to demonstrate how belonging can be built on the ground.

Building Leadership Networks

We also invest in local leadership networks, which are updating curricula, activities, and programs to include bridging practices. With training from the Greater Good Science Center, leaders learn science-based skills such as:

• Compassionate listening
• Perspective-taking
• Identifying common goals

These leaders are then equipped to bring bridging practices into their own roles and organizations. By modeling new ways of listening, connecting, and collaborating, they help encourage bridging practices and their impact to ripple outward into schools, nonprofits, businesses, and communities. In some cases, networks also create direct opportunities for people to practice bridging together, such as through events, dialogues, or collaborative projects.

Evaluation and Learning

Evaluation is essential to this effort. We're not just asking whether people "liked" a training; we're asking whether they are able to use these skills in meaningful ways. Are they building new relationships across lines of difference? Are they working together on shared challenges? Are communities noticing a shift toward inclusion and belonging?

The individuals and organizations involved in Belonging Colorado are approaching these locally based efforts with humility and curiosity. By collecting data and feedback and with guidance from our partner, the Colorado Health Institute, we're collecting knowledge about what works in fostering belonging and sharing those lessons openly.

A Community Foundation's Role

As a community foundation, The Denver Foundation is uniquely positioned to lead this work. We are trusted conveners, we hold long-term relationships across sectors, and we are accountable to the communities we work with. Belonging Colorado reflects our belief that philanthropy is not just about funding projects; it's about strengthening the social fabric that allows those projects to succeed.

Our President & CEO, Javier Alberto Soto, says, "Belonging is both deeply personal and profoundly collective. When we build bridges across our differences, we unlock the full potential of our communities."

Each of us wants to feel that we matter. But creating that experience at scale requires intentional work, building bridges across political, cultural, and economic divides.

Looking Ahead

Belonging Colorado is just beginning, and already we've seen bright spots: young people coming together who once felt worlds apart, leaders practicing new skills that change how decisions are made, and communities imagining a future where everyone belongs.

In 2026, we'll expand this work through a new social entrepreneurship accelerator with Startup Colorado. This program will support eight to ten founders with innovative, scalable ideas for bridging differences while documenting lessons that others can replicate. By investing in these leaders, we aim to demonstrate how entrepreneurship can strengthen both our economy and our sense of community.

We can make belonging real, together. We're calling on communities across Colorado to bring belonging to life in ways that feel true to them, through events, programs, or everyday actions that help people feel safe, seen, and connected. We're asking people to join the movement, learn more on our website, and stay connected for what's ahead.