About Awards for Excellence
In 1989, El Pomar created our first program, Awards for Excellence, to celebrate outstanding nonprofit organizations and individuals in Colorado for their contributions. Each year, these awards are presented at our Night of Excellence ceremony, where honorees are spotlighted for their work and receive grant dollars to continue the extraordinary impact they make across the state.
2023 Awards for Excellence Honorees
Jason Janz co-founded CrossPurpose in 2012, influenced greatly by spending his childhood and adolescence in poverty. Jason’s passion for social entrepreneurship and serving the poor is lived out through his role as CEO where he builds the staff team, sets the organizational culture, and raises funds. Jason desires to help spark a neighbor-loving movement in and through the church of Jesus Christ. After pastoring for eleven years, Jason moved to a diverse, low-income neighborhood to start a church and to walk with the poor. Five years ago, his church began a poverty abolition program that helps families exit poverty and become self-sufficient. Jason and his wife Jen have four boys and live in inner-city Denver.
The Honorable Bob Rankin is a native Mississippian whose Colorado adventures began when his work in the Defense Industry provided an opportunity to relocate to Colorado Springs in 1980. In Colorado, he helped found two new businesses, a nonprofit organization, and was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2012. He moved to the Senate where he served until 2022. In addition to his direct legislative duties, Senator Rankin served as co-chairman of the Education Leadership Council and was a board member of the Colorado Tourism Board. He was also a member of El Pomar’s Northwest Regional Council.
The Honorable Joyce Rankin grew up in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Elementary Education and went on to teach fifth grade in the San Francisco Bay area. She received her master’s degree in Elementary Education and an administrative credential from California State University. At this time, Joyce met and married Bob Rankin, AKA Senator Bob Rankin. Joyce was elected to and served on the Colorado State Board of Education from 2016 until 2023, where she strongly advocated for literacy in elementary school.
By prioritizing a patient-centered environment, the organization is committed to sharing how they work to provide safety and care to their patients to ensure customer satisfaction and quality care. Some ongoing initiatives include the Hospital Transformation program which focuses on developing infrastructure, delivery system integration, and care interventions as well as the Scopes of Care initiative which focuses on follow up care practices and social needs screenings. Their commitment to patient quality care is highlighted through their recognition in 2021 by The Chartis Center of Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health with a Performance Leadership Award in Quality and Patient Perspective as well as being announced as a 2022 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital.
Founded in 1997, Early Connections implements nationally accredited early care and education for children ages 6 weeks to 14 years old through programs that include a literacy-focused curriculum, family support activities, nutritious meals and snacks, and physical and behavioral health support. The organization is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Colorado Office of Early Childhood, and is a member of Colorado Shines, GuideStar Platinum Transparency, and Pikes Peak United Way. As the oldest non-profit childcare organization in Colorado, Early Connections Learning Centers has helped thousands of families in the Pikes Peak region over the past 25 years.
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) cultivates systems of improvement and equity in K-12 education by helping teachers, school leaders, and district stakeholders catalyze comprehensive changes in the system. Through a team of educators and system leaders, CEI mobilizes design initiatives in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Family and Community Partnership; Social Emotional Development; Youth Activation; Leadership; and Change Management. With these six redesign commitments at the core of their projects, CEI has supported public education system improvement since 2007 in more than 150 urban, suburban, and rural school districts. CEI is motivated by the long-term vision that every student in Colorado will be equipped to succeed fearlessly in school, work, and life.
Explore our Awards
At our Night of Excellence ceremony each year, we honor organizations and individuals with a series of awards. Explore the categories below.
This award honors an individual(s) who embodies the spirit of service and giving by going above and beyond to make an unprecedented impact through philanthropy.
This award honors an organization headquartered in either the Metro or Pikes Peak regions of Colorado.
This award honors an organization of excellence headquartered in one of our nine rural regions: Central Peaks, High Country, North, Northeast, Northwest, San Juan, San Luis Valley, Southeast, and Southwest.
This award honors a Colorado Nonprofit Executive Director or Board Chair. The award recognizes individuals across the state. Nominations will rotate annually between the Pikes Peak and Metro Regions and our nine rural regions. This year we will be recognizing an individual from the Pikes Peak or Metro regions.
This award honors an organization working within one of El Pomar's priority funding areas: Arts and Culture, Civic and Community, Education, Health and Human Services. Nominations rotate annually between the Foundation's five focus areas, with this year's focus on Education. The organization improves its community with direct involvement from its members or focuses on volunteerism, recreation, public affairs, or bettering the environment.
Learn more about El Pomar's work
Over thirty years ago, El Pomar’s Trustees realized we could contribute more than grant dollars to support the success and vitality of communities and nonprofits throughout Colorado. Discover more of El Pomar’s grant making process and programs.Â
Julie Penrose Award
Our co-founder, Julie Penrose, was a trailblazing woman in Colorado through her dedication to community and leadership of the state’s philanthropic sector. In honor of what would have been her 150th birthday, El Pomar created the Julie Penrose Award to celebrate outstanding women who, like Julie, are making or have made significant contributions through their leadership and dedication to their communities.
Grant Making
Rooting into our deep legacy in Colorado, we make grants all over the state and invest in organizations, people, and partnerships that help people live better lives. Following in the footsteps of our founders, Spencer and Julie Penrose, we have a broad grant making scope with greatest focus in the areas of arts & culture, civic and community initiatives, education, health, and human services.
Community Engagement Programs
When grant dollars alone can’t solve the issues facing the people of Colorado, sometimes bringing people together to learn and dialogue about them can unlock possibility. Our community engagement programming convenes Coloradans to learn about, connect and tackle each community’s challenges head-on.