Make a donation

Our underlying thesis at Homegrown Pathways is that as a country, we do not suffer from a lack of good ideas. Our challenge is a deficit of empowered ideas. For ideas to be empowered, they need to be identified, encouraged and invested in. With your support, we have the opportunity to do just that.  

Homegrown Pathways is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people in rural Colorado by connecting them to meaningful career and entrepreneurial pathways. Through partnerships with schools, workforce centers, and community organizations, we connect homegrown talent to opportunities that drive regional success. 

Spark Lab is Homegrown Pathways’ youth pre-accelerator program that uses entrepreneurship as the vehicle to explore rural innovation, career pathways, and individual purpose. Spark Lab culminates in a pitch event at which all students receive seed funding through the newly established Homegrown Pathways Youth Venture Fund to take actionable steps to bring their ideas to life.

This year, we launched the Youth Venture Fund with the founding partnership of the Morgridge Family Foundation. The Youth Venture Fund provides seed capital in the form of micro-grants to students to bring their ideas to life through the Spark Lab experience. 

100% of your donation will go directly to rural youth entrepreneurs as microgrants.

These micro-grants range between $250-$1,200 per student and support expenses such as new equipment, inventory, professional development, career pathway exploration, marketing and product prototyping expenses. 

Seed funding to purchase needed equipment or pursue professional development can be the difference in whether a young person can begin building a viable business or take meaningful steps toward a future career pathway. Please keep in mind that our mission is to invest in our most rural and underinvested communities and families. 

Through the DonorBox on this page, you may contribute to a specific high school or give to the General Fund which will be deployed across communities. This is a unique giving opportunity that can directly move the needle for youth empowerment and actionable next steps on their ventures.

Olathe High School (above) and North Fork (below) students workshop innovations and ideas with their peers during a Spark Lab activity.

Example Contributions

• $25 - 🎨 Support with Marketing Materials!

• Your contribution helps a young innovator build the basics of their brand. This may include logo design tools, sample packaging, initial product photography supplies, or printed materials that help them share their idea with their community.

• $50 - 📝 Support a First Prototype!

• Support a student so they can purchase early materials to test their idea, such as supplies for a first product sample, ingredients for a trial batch, or tools to draft a workshop or creative project.

• $100 - 🗣️ Invest in expert guidance!

• Your donation can help provide a Spark Lab participant with access to personalized consultative services, including mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and business development experts.

• $250 - 🧪 Help Launch a Pilot!

• Your support allows a student to run a small-scale pilot of their idea, whether that’s offering a test class, preparing materials for a farmers market booth, creating sample curriculum, or trialing a first service.

• $500 - 💡 Support Career-Aligned Professional Development!

• This gift opens doors for students to pursue training that strengthens both their business and future career pathway. This may include leadership workshops, grant-writing courses, UI/UX design training, photography classes, or technical certifications.

• $1,000 - 💥 Boost their business directly!

• During our Pitch Event, innovators will present their ideas and make specific funding requests to advance their business. Your contribution will be added to our pool of seed funding to support the purchase of new equipment, services or tools that will empower Spark Lab participants to take their business ideas to the next level. 

We will be recognizing all donors of $100 and above, with tiered visibility based on donation level, on the Youth Venture Fund webpage.

Homegrown Pathways Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowable by U.S. law. No goods or services are provided by Homegrown Pathways Inc. in return for this contribution.