The DCIS FOUNDATION helped make this trip to Africa possible for Ronika.
Our mission is to advocate for and financially support immersive student educational travel, whether local, national, or international.
We provide funding for focused activities including language learning, academic exchanges and school visits, peer-to-peer and community engagement, host family connections, and cultural learning experiences.
The PLATINUM Transparency award by Candid, which provides the most comprehensive philanthropic review process for nonprofits, is the highest level a nonprofit can achieve.
Since our founding in 1997, our foundation has transformed lives and inspired global change. We’ve provided access and equity for over 5,600 students, empowering them to explore their world. These students have visited 45 countries and national treasures, practiced seven languages, and immersed themselves in rich intercultural experiences. Through these journeys, they’ve discovered their purpose and recognized their true worth.
Our impact is fueled by the generosity of our donors and our board of directors team. Together, we’re building a legacy of learning and cultural exchange that continues to shape tomorrow’s leaders.
NEWS: We changed our name in September 2024 to broaden our student reach and refine our focus. You will see us referred to as both DCIS Foundation and Denver Center for Intercultural Scholars. Our website remains the same (dcisfoundation.org). For Q/A on this change, our focus, and recent DPS decisions, CLICK HERE.
Recent School Support.
These Morey Middle School students are celebrating their achievement as Intercultural Scholars and their trip to Guatemala to learn about the culture and practice their Spanish skills. The DCIS Foundation helped make this trip happen with a $4000 donation.
This group of SCHOLARS went to Japan. We donated $15,000 to help make this trip happen. The itinerary includes Tokyo, a local school visit, homestays with local families, cultural sites, and the bullet train. Japanese language skills will be practiced along this international journey.
This group of SCHOLARS went to Costa Rica. We donated $8,000 to help make this trip happen. The itinerary includes -San Jose, Arenal, and Monteverde: Arenal Volcano National Park, Hanging Bridges, Kayaking and horseback riding nature tour, Hot Springs, zip canopy zip line, Santa Elena Biological Reserve, "plant your own tree", beach excursion, Coastal Puntarenas, crocodile safari, Manuel Antonio National Park, Sarchi craft village, and a folklore event. Spanish language skills will be practiced along this memorable educational trip.
This group of SCHOLARS went to the Pacific Rim. We donated $13,000 to help make this trip happen. Mandarin Chinese language skills will be practiced along this remarkable student educational trip.
This DPS travel club of middle schoolers applied for funding for their NYC trip. They were interviewed by Dr. Matt Weimer, a DCIS Foundation Board member. He said afterward, “What an energetic, engaged, and smart group of young women”. They created and organized their entire trip with the guidance of then-Vice Principal Courtney Wickham. The DCIS Foundation helped them get there with a $3,500.00 donation.
The DCIS Foundation also took a giant $4,000 check over to DCIS Fairmont. Without these added funds, not all DCIS Fairmont students would be able to attend the cultural and educational trips that are vital to their international curriculum. Fun Fact: DCIS Fairmont has one of the most successful dual-language immersion programs in Denver Public Schools. This year's 5th-grade class has been in Spanish immersion since kindergarten. Many are now fluent in Spanish. Learning about other cultures and speaking another language is so important to our future. Sadly, only 1 in 5 students in the U.S. take a foreign language.
The DCIS Foundation helped send Kennah “Phoenix” Davis to Japan last summer for an immersive 3-week educational program to study Japanese pop culture, anime, manga, & gaming – and practice her Japanese language skills. Her educational journey was in July 2023.
DCIS Foundation helped fund this service trip to Guatemala for DCIS Baker students in June 2022. Our $12,234 donation made a difference.
Jack Virnich (DCIS Baker Alumnus) accepts a donation of guide books for the school travel library from long time donor Dianna Vigil.
![CLICK HERE to listen to the recorded live audio of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s critical “I HAVE A DREAM” speech, delivered in our nation’s capital on August 28, 1963 [16 minutes]. CLICK HERE for the transcript.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d93956209b4a349f26e9160/1610990811030-1QEWHOQKYVEWW2EVTORY/MLK+peace+at+the+Capital.JPG)
CLICK HERE to listen to the recorded live audio of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s critical “I HAVE A DREAM” speech, delivered in our nation’s capital on August 28, 1963 [16 minutes]. CLICK HERE for the transcript.
The University of Denver's Daniels College of Business students collaborated with the DCIS Foundation on a project that examined dual language schools and generated innovative marketing strategies to expand their reach and impact.
Watch this video to learn more about the mission and the impact of the DCIS Foundation. Join in. It’s a team effort. Many thanks to the students, teachers, administrators, and staff at DCIS for all you do each day.
School funding from the DCIS FOUNDATION help to support the FOUR DOMAINS OF GLOBAL COMPETENCE taught at DCIS schools.
READ THIS: Student travel may be on hold but not grants from DCIS Foundation (Winter 2020/2021).
READ THIS: 'I hope you feel proud': DCIS Baker DREAMER pens emotional thank-you to family after being accepted to Yale University.
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