Denver Teens Allocate $50,000 Through Rose Youth Foundation

Ever since its inception in 2001, the Rose Youth Foundation has engaged Jewish teenagers in Denver in philanthropy and community leadership. 

Many students from DJDS participate in the program each year. The foundation was created as a way to get Jewish teens involved in their communities and in leadership roles by giving them a collective challenge: deciding how to allocate $50,000 to nonprofit organizations in the Denver Metro Area. 

“[The program] combines participants understanding of what our own Jewish identity is and how that relates to philanthropy, social justice, and our responsibilities to our communities,” said Philanthropic Initiatives Coordinator Zoe Carlson. 

Participants attend speaker sessions, group discussions, and site visits to nonprofits. Carlson says site visits are the most formative aspect of the program; she reflects that “things kind of click” when teens see the real people whose lives are impacted positively by the grant money. 

Last year’s participant, Natan Shafran, felt that the site visits were meaningful because he “got to see…[that] what we were giving really was making an impact.” 

Rose Youth grants have supported a variety of causes. Last year, the $50,000 went to nonprofits addressing youth mental health and gun violence. This year’s cohort is focusing on programs serving the homeless. 

Participant Sophia Gitler, a DJDS senior, finds meaning in “working with everyone on board to make a difference in homeless people’s lives.” 

To date, the foundation has granted over $1 million to non-profits in and around Denver. Carlson noted that programs like the Rose Youth Foundation provide a structured space for Jewish teens to engage with their community, especially in light of recent global events affecting Jewish populations. 

“Teens and adults alike are craving that kind of space,” Carlson said. “It is a space of acceptance, purpose, and Jewish pride, and has become a backbone of the Denver Jewish community.”