SPREE River Access Leadership Gift

This $100,000 campaign will unlock a durable expansion of SPREE Environmental Education by removing two practical barriers that keep many underserved schools from participating today: transportation and basic program resources. With demand for environmental education rising and representation in conservation fields still limited, the moment is right to expand access while schools are actively seeking opportunities.

Campaign funds will be allocated to what makes participation possible and scalable: 50% to transportation, 30% to hands-on educational materials aligned to environmental science curricula, and 20% to program development to strengthen instructional quality and support expansion. The result will be more students reliably reaching outdoor learning sites along the South Platte River and building environmental literacy through direct, place-based experience.

The Greenway Foundation will track progress through participation and learning indicators, including new school partnerships, total students served, and program frequency, alongside post-program surveys focused on engagement, knowledge retention, and classroom integration. A leadership gift of $50,000 will accelerate expansion and deepen school partnerships, with transparent, metrics-based reporting that shows exactly what the investment enables.

This $100,000 campaign matters now because many underserved schools still face practical barriers—especially transportation and basic program resources—that prevent students from participating in meaningful outdoor learning along the South Platte River. At the same time, demand for environmental education is rising, while representation in environmental and conservation fields remains limited.

A timely, strategic investment enables The Greenway Foundation’s SPREE program to expand efficiently to meet this unmet need and remove access barriers while students are ready and schools are seeking opportunities. Delaying action prolongs inequitable access to hands-on, place-based learning in the South Platte River ecosystem—slowing the development of environmental literacy and long-term stewardship that comes from direct experience. Donors who act now can lead the effort to close these gaps and ensure more students can participate immediately, rather than waiting for access barriers to persist another season.

If this campaign succeeds, The Greenway Foundation’s SPREE program will have the infrastructure required to expand hands-on, place-based environmental learning along the South Platte River to more underserved schools. The campaign will remove two of the primary barriers that keep many students from participating today—transportation and limited school resources—so students can reliably reach outdoor learning sites and engage directly with the river ecosystem.

The result will be a durable expansion of equitable access to outdoor education in Denver: more students spending meaningful time on the river, building environmental literacy through direct experience, and developing a stronger connection to local waterways and conservation. Donor investment in this campaign functions as the enabling capital that makes this access possible—creating a foundation for sustained educational impact and more inclusive pathways into science, stewardship, and community leadership well beyond the campaign window.

This campaign will expand access to SPREE Environmental Education and increase student participation by removing transportation barriers, equipping educators with hands-on materials aligned to environmental science curricula, and strengthening program design to improve instructional quality and scalability. Campaign funds will be allocated 50% to transportation, 30% to educational materials, and 20% to program development.

Progress and outcomes will be tracked through a defined set of participation and learning indicators: number of new school partnerships, total students served, and frequency of program delivery. Program effectiveness will be assessed through post-program surveys and participation tracking focused on student engagement, knowledge retention, and classroom integration of SPREE materials.

Donors will receive periodic, metrics-based updates that report (1) participation results, (2) progress against program expansion milestones, and (3) transparent use of funds by category, enabling supporters to see how their investment is translating into expanded reach and stronger educational outcomes.

Partnership for a major donor is structured as a targeted investment in expanding equitable access to environmental education in Denver, with The Greenway Foundation (SPREE) responsible for execution, fund allocation, and reporting. The campaign is seeking a leadership gift of $50,000 to help accelerate program expansion and deepen school partnerships.

Major donors will be treated as leadership partners throughout the campaign period through transparent, ongoing communication and clear accountability. Engagement will include periodic updates summarizing participation metrics, how funds are allocated across transportation, materials, and program development, and progress against key milestones in school partnerships and program expansion. This relationship is designed to give major donors direct line-of-sight into what their investment is enabling and how it is advancing equitable access to environmental education.