Blog
Ours To Own Denver Turns Two
July 27, 2016
This week, we had the pleasure of celebrating the second anniversary of Ours To Own with our wonderful partners in Denver: Urban Land Conservancy, Colorado Enterprise Fund, Community Reinvestment Fund, Piton Foundation, the Denver Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, and the Colorado Trust.
We hosted an event at the incredible Social Enterprise Foundry - one of the warehouse sites financed by Ours To Own - to celebrate the accomplishments of the past and build the community of investors for the future.
We had a lot to celebrate. In our first two years, hundreds of local investors have invested over $5 million - the "first movers" that believed in us and our mission from the start. Those investors helped finance three acquisitions of affordable space for local non-profits and social enterprises that employ and serve low-income populations and helped make loans to more than 400 local small businesses, many of which are women, minority and/or veteran-owned. Together, the investments created or retained more than 5,500 local jobs.
Despite these early successes, our work is not done. Denver, as many know, is going through a period of significant growth as young people and families move into the city to enjoy its beauty, economic opportunity and way of life. While this brings many benefits, it can also come at a cost for low-income communities who see their cost of living rise, access to services threatened and neighborhoods change.
To meet this increasing need, we are committed to building from our strong foundation to grow the community of local investors. At our gathering this week, many early investors brought along friends or colleagues to introduce them to this work so they could see, first hand, the impact an investment in Ours To Own creates. In our third year, we look forward to hosting more events and talking to more people to bring local citizens closer to the important community and economic development work happening in their backyard.
Anyone in Denver with a bank account, $20+ to invest, and a desire for positive community change can join us in our work to ensure that Denver's growth is equitable and inclusive.
Thank you to our partners, our investors, our cheerleaders, and all who joined us to celebrate this week.
Onward!
