SILVER2023

BOOTSTRAPS INC

Helping mountain-area students reach their educational dreams since 1945.

Evergreen, CO   |  www.bootstrapsinc.org

Mission

The mission of Bootstraps, in partnership with the community, is to support the continuing education of promising students in the mountain area, with an emphasis on financial need.

Ruling year info

1980

Principal Officer

Susan Henry

Main address

PO Box 253

Evergreen, CO 80437 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Evergreen Scholarship/Bootstraps, Inc.

Evergreen Scholarship Association

EIN

84-0800861

NTEE code info

Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

It's almost impossible to find a job that does not require some sort of education beyond high school, yet for many high school graduates, college or technical school is out of reach due to limited finances. Families struggle to assist their children in reaching their educational dreams and often incur significant debt.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Scholarships

Bootstraps awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors from the Conifer/Evergreen, CO area. Scholarships are based on a combination of merit and financial need. The value of the scholarships range from $1,000 for one year to $24,000 for four years.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Bootstraps awards interest-free loans for one year up to four years. The value of the loans is between $1,000 and $3,500 for one year. Students make monthly payments upon graduation to repay the loans. The repaid loans are then "recycled" to other students.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Bootstraps makes interest-free loans to students who received a Bootstraps award upon graduation from high school. These loans average $1,000 and can be renewed for a total of four years. Upon graduation from college, recipients make monthly payments. Once the loan is paid in full, the funds are "recycled" as loans to other students.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

National Scholarship Providers Association 2023

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Bootstraps' want to eliminate financial barriers to continuing education for students of the Evergreen and Conifer, CO area.

Bootstraps awards last dollar scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Evergreen and Conifer, CO as well as interest-free educational loans.

Since 1945, Bootstraps has awarded $4 million dollars in scholarships and loans. Through our programs, students who did not have financial means are able to receive a continuing education. Bootstraps has strong support from the community that we serve, ensuring that we can help students who are the most in need.

Since 1945, Bootstraps has awarded $4 million dollars in scholarships and loans. Through our programs, students who did not have financial means are able to receive a continuing education.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome

Financials

BOOTSTRAPS INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

BOOTSTRAPS INC

Board of directors
as of 06/07/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Ms. Kelsey Smith

No Affiliation

Term: 2020 - 2023


Board co-chair

Ms John Kelly

Samson Eberhart

FirstBank of Colorado

Jean Kelly

Red Rocks Community College

Jennifer Gann

State Farm Insurance

Angie Brekke

Evergreen Country Day School

Steve Sumner

Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance

Christina Ambrose

Julie Branstrom

Travis Clark

Citywide Bank

Kaitlynn Hemm

Deloitte

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/7/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/07/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.