School Grants - Partner Schools & Spark Schools

Each winter, local Catholic schools (PreK-12) within the Archdiocese of Denver that are working to enroll students with disabilities and learning differences are invited to apply for a FIRE Denver grant.

Geographic Scope: Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado

Funding Focus: Grants fund:

• Staff salaries
• Professional development
• Adaptive technology/equipment

Award Structure: FIRE Denver grants are awarded directly to schools as a means of ensuring long-term, systemic support. Schools that receive monetary grants are known as Partner Schools, while Spark Schools are additional Catholic schools that do not receive a monetary grant from FIRE Denver but engage in meaningful professional development and community building alongside Partner Schools.

Long-Term Partnership: When local schools become Partner Schools of FIRE Denver, the organization makes a commitment to partner with that school indefinitely, so long as they remain committed to including children with disabilities and learning differences. Though the financial amount may change from year to year, a long-term partnership is the commitment and vision.

Organization: Though FIRE Denver is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, they work in deep partnership with the Archdiocese of Denver's Office of Catholic Schools.

Eligibility Criteria

The most successful applications for FIRE Denver grants will:

• Have been doing Office of Catholic Schools (OCS), FIRE Denver, or other professional development regarding inclusion prior to their application
• Have interfaced with the Director of Student Support Services at the Office of Catholic Schools regarding their application
• Have a plan to enroll specific students whom the school could not adequately support without FIRE Denver funding AND/OR have students already enrolled who have been diagnosed with moderate to severe needs which the school cannot continue adequately to support without FIRE Denver funding
• Be committed to inclusive education and to assuming financial responsibility for the costs of inclusion with the assistance of the FIRE Foundation of Denver
• Have engaged in fundraising to underwrite inclusion and/or have committed institutional funds for inclusion

Contact Information

Mailing Address: 6160 S Syracuse Way, Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Application Process

The 2026-2027 Application is available for download (referred to as "View the 2026-2027 Application" on the programs page). Specific step-by-step application instructions, required materials, submission format, and narrative questions are not detailed in the provided website content.

Next Steps:

1. Download the 2026-2027 Application from the FIRE Foundation of Denver website
2. Interface with the Director of Student Support Services at the Office of Catholic Schools regarding your application
3. Submit application by the winter deadline

Required Consideration:

• Schools must demonstrate prior engagement with professional development on inclusion
• Documentation of interfacing with Office of Catholic Schools Director of Student Support Services
• Plans for enrolling students with disabilities or documentation of current students with moderate to severe needs