Our ambition is to make Colorado the best place in the nation to be a learner.
Colorado can lead the future of learning.
Across the state, educators, families, and communities are creating new possibilities for learners. But innovation often happens in isolation, making it difficult for great ideas to grow and spread.
CultivatED Colorado is building the infrastructure that helps innovation thrive. We connect people, ideas, resources, and research to strengthen Colorado's education ecosystem and accelerate learner-centered change.
Imagine if Colorado...
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Became the nation's learning laboratory of what school could be.
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Supported innovators in the way startups in other industries are supported.
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Connected schools, communities, businesses, philanthropy, and policy makers.
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Tested new ideas, invested in research, and shared what works.
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Created more pathways for learners.
Colorado's Not
Waiting
We aren't just dreaming of change. We're building the infrastructure for it.
We believe that Colorado can become the place where the future of learning is established. To move forward, Colorado needs more than inspiration; it needs an Innovation Ecosystem. We envision a statewide ecosystem where:
Labs
Lab Schools
Creating living models of what is possible in real-world conditions.
R&D
R&D Engine
Applied R&D where educators are supported to experiment and refine practices. Data collection dedicated to experimentation, research, development, and shared learning. Responsibly replicating what works and transparently learning from what doesn't.
Community
Community Partnerships
Connecting students to real work and real-world immersive learning experiences through co-designed learning.
Sandbox
The Innovation Sandbox
Providing a safe space just outside the system for long-term experimentation to then impact the system.
We are for the brave builders reimagining education.
CultivatED Colorado is for the people who believe learning can be better.
We work alongside educators, school and system leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, families, community organizations, and business partners who are committed to creating stronger opportunities for learners.
Whether you're building a new model, improving an existing one, supporting innovation, or looking for ways to contribute, we're creating the connections, resources, and infrastructure that can help bold ideas move from possibility to reality.
If you're invested in the future of learning, we hope you'll join us!
What We Do
We bridge the gap between vision and reality.
The Innovation Lab: Designing What's Next
We provide the physical and relational infrastructure for Colorado's education R&D, giving founders and educators the space to prototype and scale new models.
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The Studio: Partnered design sprints and "jam sessions" to refine new school models and learner experiences. Whether you are dreaming up a new community-based partnership or a specialized lab school, we provide the tools to move from a "hunch" to a solution.
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The Space: A relational R&D lab for the future of learning. We host spaces where leaders cross-pollinate ideas and connect.
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The Innovation Sandbox: A dedicated funding and research structure to support long-term development. We help schools find "wiggle room" in policy and finance to try things that have never been done before.
The Implementation Engine: Making it Work
Innovation is only as good as its execution.
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Systemic Coaching: We partner with school founders and leaders to refine existing systems.
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Capacity Support: Highly personalized, real-time capacity support to be the extra pair of hands to do this visionary work.
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Resources: We create the tools and templates that enable your work.
Whether you're building something new or trying to stabilize what you've already built, we're here to support you.
If you're looking for a thought partner who understands both vision and viability, we'd love to connect.
Headquartered in Colorado