Denver Urban Renewal Authority

Workforce development starts with access.

For many, the challenge isn’t the ability to learn a new skill. It’s the barriers that make it difficult to show up. Time away from work, the cost of transportation or the reality of unpaid training can stand in the way of opportunity.

For years, DURA has supported GRID Alternatives' installation training program, helping remove those barriers and make participation possible. Through stipends, transportation support and hands-on training, participants are able to fully engage, gain real experience and build pathways toward something more stable.

Trainees earn industry certifications, build confidence and take meaningful steps toward long-term careers, and the results speak for themselves. A majority of trainees transition into full-time careers with many entering the growing solar industry.

This is what investment in people looks like. Not just training but long-term opportunity.

Learn more about the program here:
https://gridalternatives.org/get-training/installation-training-programs/ibt-program

Creating space for community, healing and connection takes vision and support.

Through DURA C-STAND grant funding, Jamie Morgan of Little Bird Coaching & Consulting was able to expand her space, invest in long-term improvements and continue serving more people through her work centered on diversity, equity and inclusion. Natural light, updated gathering spaces, new windows and solar upgrades all helped bring the vision for the space to life.

Stories like this are why DURA remains committed to supporting projects that strengthen Denver’s neighborhoods, small businesses and community spaces.

Investing in community means investing in the spaces that hold it together.

With $50,000 in funding from DURA’s C-STAND grant, Moyo Nguvu Cultural Arts Center in Five Points has implemented key upgrades that enhance safety, improve functionality and expand accessibility.

Founded in 1990, Moyo Nguvu was the first Pan-African cultural and healing arts center in Colorado, creating a space rooted in diversity, inclusiveness and cultural expression. For more than three decades, it has provided African-centered cultural arts programs and workshops to low- and moderate-income communities, serving participants from a wide range of backgrounds across the state.

C-STAND supports projects that help community-serving organizations remain anchored in their neighborhoods while strengthening the existing community fabric.

At Moyo Nguvu, that investment is helping sustain a long-standing cultural institution and ensuring it continues to serve the Five Points community for generations to come

At the Hattie McDaniel Development in Five Points, DURA partnered with Shanahan Development and Elevation Community Land Trust to help deliver affordable, for-sale housing designed for Denver’s workforce.

Located along Welton Street and adjacent to light rail, this all-electric, mixed-use development transforms a former half-acre parking lot into a community-centered space with ground-floor activation, bike parking and homes built for long-term sustainability.

The project prioritizes two- and three-bedroom residences to support a range of household sizes, with homes designed for families earning below Area Median Income. Through thoughtful design, the building reflects the historic character of Five Points while introducing modern efficiency and livability.

By leveraging tax increment financing and collaborating with Denver Public Schools and the City and County of Denver, this development builds on past investments to create new pathways to homeownership.

A collaborative approach helping shape a more accessible and connected future for Five Points.

A historic property reimagined, now open and serving the community.

FiNO debuted March 22 inside the All Inn Hotel on East Colfax, bringing a coastal Mediterranean-inspired restaurant to the corridor. The kitchen, once a bare concrete interior, is now a fully built-out anchor for the space and a key part of the guest and neighborhood experience.

DURA supported a significant portion of the kitchen buildout to help bring this vision to life. This type of targeted investment helps ensure redevelopment projects are not only preserved, but positioned to succeed and contribute to the long-term vitality of East Colfax.

See how this investment is now activating East Colfax and experience Fino for yourself: https://www.finocolfax.com/