Rose Community Foundation launched new giving circles, which democratizes philanthropy and allows members to have joint decision making regardless of how much each person donates. The Rose Community Foundation recently began their first cohort of Generation Now Circle, a giving circle that includes a diverse group of 25-40 year old individuals. Because of this opportunity, members are able to discuss current community issues and creative solutions. Hear from some of our MGLP alumni, who are part of the first cohort:

“I wanted to join the Rose Community Giving circle for many reasons. It felt like a chance to positively impact our Denver community through monetary support that I could not hope to do on my own. It also felt like a space where I could engage with other individuals growing their careers, who are invested in the region and share values when it comes to giving back. Finally, I could not pass up on a learning opportunity to understand the grant process from the other side, this will be invaluable in future goals I have for helping our AAPI community get grant funding in the future.”  -Alyssa Nilemo

 “I joined the giving circle because I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to my community while also learning more about my community at the same time.  I appreciated that the giving circle was made up of a group of diverse peers that would give me insight into the community that I did not have before.   Additionally, I thought the giving circle was a great place to learn more about grantmaking and how to think about using grants to benefit my community.”  -Alex Kimata

“I wanted to join this program to better understand the thinking and process from a grantmakers perspective. So often I work with organizations that are applying for grants and I wanted to make sure I was serving the organization well by understanding the mindset. Also, simply put, I wanted to impact the Denver metro community and know that a grant could do so. It is also an opportunity to expand my network of people that are dedicated to making a difference in many different areas.”  -Katrina Yoshida

“I wanted to participate in the Rose Community Giving Circle initiative because I am passionate about shaping conversations around philanthropy in a way that is grounded in equity. Particularly as someone who has worked both on the side of distributing and developing grants and receiving grants at a nonprofit I believe it is essential to rethink giving structures in order to support systemic changes. In addition, young voices aren’t often centered in these types of spaces so I thought it was a valuable opportunity to work collaboratively with other young like-minded individuals and to learn more about the pressing issues we are facing in Denver. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Circle and look forward to continuing and shifting the conversation around philanthropy.”  -Allyson Goto