GALA 2024: Tickets on sale now. CLICK HERE for more information on SPONSOR LEVELS and BENEFITS, MENU, PROGRAM, and AWARDS


Donors to the DCIS FOUNDATION helped make this trip to Africa possible for Ronika.Established in 1997, our scholarships and grants have made a big impact: more than 5200 students (K-12) traveled, 7 languages practiced, 45 countries visited, countles…

Donors to DCIS FOUNDATION helped make this trip to Africa possible for Ronika.

It’s simple. Our mission is to raise money for K-12 Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS) schools to increase frequency and equity for student intercultural education and integrated travel experiences. We have been helping create global citizens since 1997.

Our funding goes directly to the schools and significantly enhances DCIS’s international curriculum (K-12) in the Denver Public School district. These public schools have a diverse and valued socio-economic and multicultural environment that makes them unique and thrive. Our funding supports a holistic approach to intercultural learning and it includes student travel and exchanges (local, national, and international), educational excursions (zoos, museums, and nature), cultural immersion, and multi-lingual language education. DCIS Foundation. Our funding alters stereotypes and transforms lives.

Established in 1997, our foundation has made a big impact and ushered in needed reform: more than 5200 students (K-12) traveled, 7 languages practiced, 45 countries visited, countless intercultural and learning moments experienced, and student purpose and worth realized. Our donors have contributed $600K+, and our volunteers and board members have given over 83,000 hours of service.

In 2023, we again received the coveted GOLD TRANSPARENCY SEAL from CANDID/Guidestar - the most respected nonprofit review provider. This site is used by countless philanthropists and grant-giving organizations.

What’s our IMPACT on students and our community? CLICK HERE. Upcoming trips to Japan, China, Italy, LA, and Costa Rica…


DCIS Foundation donates $25,000 to DCIS Schools.

The DCIS Foundation Board of Directors held their GLOBAL SCHOLARS CELEBRATION on Thursday, February 15, 2024, at DCIS Baker. What a day. Each GLOBAL SCHOLAR got a certificate, pin, and luggage tag to honor them individually and wish them well on their upcoming educational trips. To see more pictures and itinerary information: https://conta.cc/3wpL3Aj Gracias!

This group of GLOBAL SCHOLARS will go to China on June 5, 2024. We donated $13,000 to help make this trip happen. The itinerary includes - Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City visit, Jingshan Mountain, Summer Palace, National Stadium (Bird's Nest), National Aquatic Center (Water Cube),  jade/pearl factory visit, local tea house visit, Kung Fu show, Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Sacred Road, Temple of Heaven Bullet Train, Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, West Lake Cruise, Gondola Ride, Local Shopkeepers, farmers, and Chinese students and cultural food. Mandarin Chinese language skills will be practiced along this remarkable international journey.

This group of GLOBAL SCHOLARS will go to Costa Rica on June 10, 2024. 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.

The DCIS Foundation also took a giant $4,000 check over to DCIS Fairmont. This check is $1000 more than last year's donation. Why? Because this school deserves it and needs it. Brady Efting, long-time board member and past DCIS Baker educator, took time out of his growing real estate business to give Assistant Principal Meg Zimmerman and this 2nd-grade class a surprise visit and this check. P.S. It was pajama day. So fun!

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.

Some of the DCIS Baker Travel Club (middle schoolers) who applied for funding for their NYC trip, met on December 15, 2022, to be 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 help of educators/chaperones Vice Principal Courtney Wickham and Brenda Sanchez. Their trip was over spring break in 2023. DCIS Foundation donors will help them get there. Our $3,500.00 donation made a difference.



Welcome Jack Virnich (DCIS Baker Alumni) as the new Travel Director/Advisor.

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.

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, Daniels College of Business students worked with DCIS Fairmont Principal Alex Wenzel on a project that looked at competition and developed fresh ideas for marketing strategies to grow 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.


Scholarships and grants from the DCIS FOUNDATION help to support the FOUR DOMAINS OF GLOBAL COMPETENCE taught at DCIS schools.

School funding from the DCIS FOUNDATION help to support the FOUR DOMAINS OF GLOBAL COMPETENCE taught at DCIS schools.

READ THIS: 'I hope you feel proud': DCIS Baker DREAMER pens emotional thank-you to family after being accepted to Yale University.

READ THIS: 'I hope you feel proud': DCIS Baker DREAMER pens emotional thank-you to family after being accepted to Yale University.

CLICK HERE to read our latest newsletter and updates.

CLICK HERE to read our latest newsletter and updates.


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