GettingAheadCircles.CIF (2)
HRC Community Impact Fund (
cover sheet)
Agency/Organization
Community Action Development Corporation
Street Address
3482 N. Broadway
CityZip Code
Boulder 80304
Telephone Fax Website
3/441-3972 3/441-1541 www.bouldercountycircles.org
Project Name
The Circles Campaign
Contact Person
Ms./Mr./Dr.
(circle one)
Ms. Janet Heimer
E-Mail Address
jheimer@bouldercounty.org
Project Description
(please do not exceed space provided)
Organizational History:
Community Action Development Corporation (CADC) is 501(C) (3) organization established in
1984 to fundraise for Boulder County Community Action Programs (CAP). CADC/CAP focus is on
creating opportunities for empowerment and self-reliance for low-income residents of Boulder
County. CADC/CAP empowers low-income people to develop programs that will benefit their
communities.
Boulder County Community Action Programs began in 1965 addressing the needs of low-income
Boulder County residents, specifically nutrition, housing and the aging population.
populations and people living in poverty.
The Community Action Development Corporation has a four-member board and Community
Action Programs has a fifteen member Board. Community Action Programs provides staff support for
CADC, reducing administrative costs so that CADC funds are targeted directly to program needs.
The goals of Community Action are to:
Advocate for programs that foster the self-sufficiency of low-income Boulder County residents
and collaborate with agencies so as not to duplicate services
Assist low-income individuals in developing assets, homeownership, and economic self
sufficiency
Empower people of color to engage in community leadership.
From 2000 to 2009 Boulder County residents living in poverty increased from 9.5 percent to 14
percent, with most of the increase occurring from 2008 to 2009. According to the recent research from
100% of poverty threshold and 4 in 10 (39.3%)are below 200% of poverty. One in three families in
poverty is Latino. The same research also showed Boulder is becoming an increasingly have/have not
community with a shrinking middle. The medium income of Latino families was less than 60% of the
income needed for self-sufficiency for one adult and one child. 43.6% of City of Boulder female-
headed families were below 185% of poverty. The caseload at Boulder County Housing and Human
Services increased 50 percent from 2009 to 2010, with income dependent programs such as food
stamps and Medicaid seeing increases of 88 % and 33% respectively. The self-sufficiency wage in
Boulder County is $66,528, yet 18% of households live on less than $25,000 per year. In order to
1
break the cycle of poverty, it is necessary to implement a comprehensive research- and community-
based strategy to move people out of poverty.
Summary of Getting Ahead:
Getting Ahead is a life-planning workbook/curriculum for individuals
in poverty and is one component of a broader model, Bridges Out of Poverty and the Circles
Campaign. Bridges is designed for businesses, agencies, and organizations to better support work
toward self-sufficiency and systemically addresses community issues that create barriers to success.
Getting Ahead works directly with individuals who are caught in the day-to-day survival mode of
poverty. Getting Ahead classes are for low-income participants in the City of Boulder. Motivated
Getting Ahead graduates will be accepted into the Circles Campaign in Boulder which is an 18 month
Key activities of the Getting Ahead program are
program to support their plans for self-sufficiency.
as follows:
Work groups of 10-12 low-
on themselves and their communities, investigate economic class norms and race issues, complete
a selfassessment of their resources/social capital, evaluate their communities, and, using their
problem solving skills develop concrete work plans to break the cycle of poverty.
Getting Ahead graduates and Circles participants provide feedback to non-profit and govt. entities
about how their services could better serve low-income participants.
Getting Ahead graduates will continue the momentum of their work-plans with volunteer allies from
the Circles Campaign. Allies are members of the business, human service and service
organizations and faith communities and are matched 2 to 1 with Circles participants.
Getting Ahead Outcomes:
KďũĞĐƚŝǀĞϭ͗Participants will show an 85% completion rate of the Getting Ahead curriculum
KďũĞĐƚŝǀĞϮ͗ Assessments completed by participants will demonstrate knowledge of economic class
and how it impacts poverty
KďũĞĐƚŝǀĞϯ͗ -sufficient
KďũĞĐƚŝǀĞϰ: 80% of Getting Ahead graduates will become Circles participants
1Retrieved from Boulder County Trends Report www.commfound.org/nonprof/civicforum/index.html.
Currently, there are eleven (11) Circles participants in Boulder and an additional Getting Ahead class
would add 10 12 people to the Boulder Circles Campaign. All participants in the program are below
200% of poverty and 50% will be from the Latino community. The Circles Coordinator will recruit
and train 20
Circles Campaign.
Both Getting Ahead participants and volunteers are trained in the concepts of Bridges Out of Poverty
standing of poverty in Boulder. It is
important for community members to understand there are many factors that influence poverty and in
This year, Circles participants have met with elected officials to provide feedback on what it is like to
live in poverty and what institutional changes would assist people in moving out of poverty. Learning,
understanding and accepting our differences is another theme of Getting Ahead and Circles. People
can learn from each ot
much they have learned from Circles participants.
Community Action will work in partnership with City of Boulder Family Resource Center, Workforce
Boulder County, Parenting Place and the YWCA for recruitment of participants in Getting Ahead.
Assessments are completed when participants begin the Getting Ahead class, when they enter Circles
and at six month intervals after that for 18 months. Results from the current Circles Campaign
55%; public assistance benefits have gone down by 12%; assets have increased by 36% and people
they can count on in their lives has gone up by 77%.
CIF ProposalBudget Table
Budget Item Projected Expense
Getting Ahead Facilitators $3000
Childcare
$800
Food for GA
$1500
Food /
Office Supplies
$200
(Please specify)
1) Supplies For Getting Ahead classes
2)
3)
4)
Total
Office Supply
Space Rental $600
Stipends for GA participants
$4,500
Getting Ahead Workbooks ($15 each X 12 people)
$185
Circles Coordinator $5000
Total Expenses $ 15,785
Revenue Sources Revenue Amount
Amount Requested from HRC $8300
Other Sources of Revenue
1)Community Action Programs
$6885
2) YWCA
$600
3)
4)
$600
Total Revenue$15,785