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About the Program
DCI's Colorado Challenge Accelerator Program is a team building accelerator focused on establishing a plan of work and proposal that engages public, private, and non-profit partners to address a significant community challenge over the course of twelve months. The Colorado Challenge Program works to transform the community’s challenge into an opportunity, to establish a proposal, financing approach, and team of community partners ready to implement their plan of action.
Phases of the Program
The
program includes five phases of planning and development that will help
our Colorado communities establish a plan for community-wide
initiatives to foster sustainable community and economic development.
This involves public, private, and non-profit partners moving forward to
establish their community as a business-friendly destination for
entrepreneurs and community initiatives.
The phases include:
Contact Kylie at outreach@downtowncoloradoinc.org for more information on the program.
Note: In order to complete the online application, we will request a letter of interest. View a sample letter here and have your community's sample letter ready before you apply!
Testimonials
It was my first time and by participating in the Center Studio Workshop, I saw the immense amount of expertise all of the attendees brought to the table to learn and glean from. It was invaluable. I also loved being able to learn about local projects and gain lessons learned for my part of the state." – Jeff Owsley, Community Relations – San Luis Valley, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority
"We
had a challenge studio at the In the Games conference and for the first
time collaborated with our neighboring communities of Silverton and
Ouray. You can try to do a lot over phone calls and emails, but there is
nothing like working on a project in one room together. The addition of
conference attendees from across the state helped to provide insight
into our challenges and ways to refine our project with an outside lens.
As a result, our three communities are working together to pursue
grants at a state and national level for our region." -Kiki Hooten, Local First La Plata
Colorado Challenge Program: In Review
Meet DCI's Colorado Challenge Communities
Short Recaps from 2020
Update from 2019 |
Reports from All Communities
Cañon City: Creating a Booming Main Street (2020)
Old Colorado City: Forming Corridor Partnerships
(2020)
Monument - Civic Pride: Supporting Small Businesses in a
Historic Downtown on I-25 (2018)
Idaho Springs - Brownfields + Financing Redevelopment:
Timeline + Strategy for TIF (2018)
Woodland Park: Balancing Local v. Tourism Communication
(2017)
Rocky Ford: Building a Sustainable Job Economy (2020)
Trinidad: Sustaining a Performing Arts Center (2019)
Lamar - Branding + Social Media: Citizen Engagement in a
Digital Environment (2018)
La Junta - Historic Preservation: Accessing Upper Floors for
Housing (2018)
Walsenburg: Sustainable Financing for Cultural Amenities
(2017)
OUR PARTNERS
Below are our partners who are indispensable to ensuring the Colorado Challenge Program's success. A special thanks to Randy Harrison and the graduate students of CU Denver's School of Public Affairs for their work on the Challenge Program Reports.
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