Where leaders turn community-rooted ideas into solutions for Colorado youth
Formerly The Moonshot Fellowship, The Moonshot Innovation Space is a 9 month experience where you grow as a leader, practice equity centered design, and co-create solutions that confront systemic inequities impacting youth.
Build your idea with clarity and community
The Innovation Space is for leaders shaping community-driven solutions for youth in Colorado. You strengthen an existing idea or create a new model while working inside a cohort rooted in equity, collaboration, and community voice.
Fellows come from many paths and build solutions shaped by their communities. These solutions include:
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Equity-centered programs or organizations shaped by community voice.
Example: A Fellow launching a mobile Montessori model designed with caregivers in their neighborhood.
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Redesigning or improving systems within an existing organization.
Example: A school leader creating a belonging initiative for migrant and newcomer youth.
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Developing tools, curricula, or resources that strengthen youth outcomes.
Example: A Fellow building a safety-focused transportation app co-designed with students and families.
Applications Are Closed
The next cohort is underway. If you want updates about future recruitment, deadlines, info sessions, and opportunities to prepare, join our newsletter below.
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![headshot of Karen Nuñez Sifuentes of convivir colorado]()
“Moonshot truly pushed me beyond my comfort zone and helped me build confidence in myself and my leadership. As someone who is still relatively new to program management and the nonprofit sector, I gained invaluable tools, strategies, and a supportive community that empower me to continue pursuing my passion for working with youth."
— Karen Nuñez Sifuentes (she/her), Cohort 7
Programs Consultant, Convivir Colorado -
![headshot of Gene Fashaw]()
“Moonshot has propelled me into a place where I deeply believe that I can make a change alongside my community so that all of our children have an opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed in whatever they choose to do.”
— Gene Fashaw (he/him), Cohort 6
8th Grade Math Teacher, High Point Academy-Aurora
What to expect
Fellows commit to a 9 month, part-time journey that includes:
Expect at least 5 hours of work per week outside of workshops.
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![A group of five people writing on a large whiteboard in a classroom or meeting room.]()
Liberatory and community driven design
Study root causes, identity, and power. Learn tools for understanding community needs. Begin early design work with youth and caregivers.
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![Group of five people, including children and adults, sitting on the floor around a table with puzzle pieces, in a room with brick walls and sofas.]()
Pilot design and community feedback
Outline stages of a pilot, gather input, run small tests, and strengthen your idea through reflection cycles.
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![People working at computers in an office with wooden bookshelves displaying colorful artwork in the background.]()
Strategic planning for equity
Develop an evaluation plan, build a budget, prepare partnerships, and understand governance needs that support long term growth.
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Leadership and operations
Grow as a leader. You learn how to plan strategically, raise resources, understand legal foundations, and manage teams in ways that reflect equity and care.
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Showcase preparation
Build your pitch, story, and materials. Present your idea to partners, funders, and community members. Click here to see what our community showcase entails.
What you gain
Our program centers four pillars that guide your growth
Squads
You join a cohort of leaders who share your values and your drive to build community solutions. You grow alongside a steady network of peers, mentors, and coaches who help you stay grounded while you test new ideas and strengthen your leadership.
Moonshot Fellow Miles Iton (Cohort 6) reflected, “My biggest takeaway from the Moonshot experience thus far would have to be embracing the transformative power of community when it comes to building your own thing.”
Skills
You build leadership skills that help you design, test, and refine solutions with community input.
You learn equity centered design, continuous improvement, strategy, and the operational skills needed to lead teams and guide long term change.
Leaders like Destiny Hardney (Cohort 5) use these tools to grow their vision. “Our team is excited to scale because we have so many opportunities coming our way,” she shared. “I’m excited to hire participants to facilitate throughout the community.”
Spaces
As a Moonshot Fellow, you'll access specially curated design spaces that serve as enabling environments, where you can build trust, deepen your political analysis, ideate, and take risks. These spaces, supported by strategic partnerships, provide the ideal setting for exercising creativity and passion, ensuring both your success as a leader and the impact of the community solutions you're designing.
Sustainability
Support continues after the fellowship. Alumni Services offer microgrants, mental health resources, coaching, and community events. You also join a network of Fellows across cohorts who share opportunities, ideas, and encouragement long after the program ends.
For example, Cristina Chacon (Cohort 2) entered Moonshot exploring an early idea. Today, she works at YEBO, an organization founded by another Fellow. These ongoing relationships help leaders stay steady and keep their solutions growing.
Voices and work from Moonshot Fellows
