OUR Projects

Social Justice & Equity Action Project

MANAUS’ dedication to build racial equity across the Roaring Fork Valley and Colorado Rivers Region through a collaborative and consultative process, and in partnership with GRID Impact, the Aspen Community Foundation, Valley Settlement and others. Our goal is to collectively build the capacity of interested non-profit leaders and other community organizers and stakeholders.

Utilizing the principles of human-centered design and the expertise of GRID Impact and Race, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion experts, like Full Circle Strategies, MANAUS is committed to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion practices within our community towards a more just and equitable world.

Housing Innovation Project

The housing innovation project began in partnership with GRID Impact as a way to have the community name the housing issues they face and together with that community find solutions to our regional housing crisis. Manaus and GRID have partnered to develop two prototypes, including a resident owned community initiative and supporting a regional housing partnership.

RESIDENT OWNED COMMUNITIES:​ supporting the conversion of our regions mobile home parks into cooperatives that are collectively owned and managed. MANAUS is currently partnering with Thistle-ROC, based in Boulder, to convert a mobile home park in our community into a resident owned community as a model for preservation of existing affordable housing stock.

REGIONAL HOUSING PARTNERSHIP: ​developing a partnership that would include local government, community members and business leaders to serve as a regional housing umbrella. With the goals of attracting federal and state funding and partnering with regional, larger-scale businesses to create and preserve existing housing, creating affordable solutions to our local workforce’s housing crisis.

OUR launched Projects

LaMedichi

MANAUS piloted a digital-financial literacy and savings platform, lead by Barbara Freeman, Ph.D, for 5 years. Today, LaMedichi is an independent nonprofit, designed to be bi-cultural and bi-lingual, providing a safe place to save money, build a habit of savings, and in the event of an emergency, access loans at reasonable rates. 

Valley Settlement

Valley Settlement began as a MANAUS project; today it is an independent, self-sustaining non-profit of national recognition. Valley Settlement works with immigrant families in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys to promote early childhood development, advance opportunity and reduce barriers to accessing vital community resources.

Mountain Voices Project

MANAUS, true to our social justice roots, launched Mountain Voices Project. MVP is an independent, membership-funded organization comprised of local institutions, non-profits and neighborhood organizations who share a concern for families and a tradition of faith and passion for democracy.

Third Street Center

The Third Street Center is an invaluable multi-tenant, mixed-use facility that models sustainability in its design and practice. It serves both as a community center and professional work space in Carbondale. A collaborative effort between of the Town of Carbondale, local sustainability experts, Alpine Bank and MANAUS, formed to finance the renovation of the Carbondale Elementary School and develop the nonprofit structure that is the Third Street Center. It is now home to 42 organizations: nonprofits, artists, and small businesses, including ours.

Community Schools Initiative

MANAUS is piloting a community organizing initiative with the Roaring Fork School District and Two Rivers Community Charter School. Both are implementing strategies to demonstrate the power and potential of the community school model in a rural setting.

By providing these schools with a sustainable plan and supportive Community Organizer, each school can better reflect their community and better serve them as well.