DMCI History

Denver Metro Community Impact began its work as Park Hill Collective Impact, initially as an initiative organized by the efforts of former Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston. In 2015, the then-senator brought together a collective of community leaders to form a Founding Steering Committee to address the challenges of inequity in Northeast Denver by utilizing the Collective Impact Framework. The framework is structured to coordinate more cohesive and collaborative solutions guided by shared measurement of success and continuous communication for programmatic nonprofit partners, educators, local government, and the community.

In 2015 and 2016, the Founding Steering Committee studied various uses of the Collective Impact Framework around the country, taking note of how the framework could apply in Denver. During this time, the initiative earned a $1.2 million start-up grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, presenting the opportunity for immediate scaling. The group also benefitted from the guidance and fiscal sponsorship from The Civic Canopy, an aligned organization whose mission is to create conditions where ‘the many work as one for the good of all.’

In February 2017, the initiative's Founding Steering Committee hired James Roy II as the future organization's first Executive Director, tasked with operationalizing the foundation forged by the original group. Then in January 2018, Park Hill Collective Impact (PHCI) was established, and its 501c3 nonprofit status was obtained as it worked to unite Denver’s Northeast Park Hill Community in cultivating a healthy community that thrives for children from birth to career.

In July 2020, PHCI made a brand and geography shift, becoming Denver Metro Community Impact (DMCI). It kept PHCI's original mission intact as a project for the neighborhood while allowing other areas in Denver to benefit from the critical model. In connecting neighborhood projects around the metro area, DMCI leverages more community power for more significant opportunities to change policy and create systemic change.