We had the good fortune of connecting with Ford Church and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ford, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first thought of starting Cottonwood Institute (CI), I reached out to a variety of people in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to get their advice. Many people took the time to meet me for coffee or chat on the phone and I was blown away by how people in Colorado made themselves accessible to speak with someone like me who just finished graduate school and who had no experience. CI could have been set up as a for profit or a nonprofit, but initially I thought it would be better as a nonprofit because we primarily contract with schools and youth serving organizations to deliver our programs. However, pretty much everyone I spoke with about my idea told me NOT to start a nonprofit. There were many reasons they shared, including the fact that there are so many nonprofits competing for limited resources, fundraising is hard, and there are easier paths. The common thread of advice I received early on was not to start a new nonprofit, but rather collaborate with existing nonprofits to pilot my program idea, test them out, and improve them. However, I made a list of 10-15 nonprofits in Boulder that I thought our programs would add value to their existing programs and not compete with them, but they all said no to collaborating. They said the timing wasn’t right, mission alignment was off, they had no funding, etc. So at that point, I had to make a decision about starting a nonprofit or to go sell insurance or something. I find inspiration in quotes and I had heard a quote that said: “Leap and the net will appear.” So I took the leap, started Cottonwood Institute as a 501(c)3 nonprofit back in 2004, and 16 years later, we are still writing our story and impacting the students we work with and the communities we serve. Now when people ask me if they should start a nonprofit, I tell them no, but that they should first try to collaborate with existing nonprofits. However, if they all say no, and if there is a need in the community that you can fill or do better or more efficiently, then go for it!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My name is Ford Church and I am the Founder and Executive Director of Cottonwood Institute (CI), a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit based in Denver, CO: https://www.cottonwoodinstitute.org CI’s vision is to transform the way we empower public school students to be leaders, problem-solvers, and changemakers in their communities. Our mission is to connect public school students to the outdoors and empower them to take action to improve their schools, the community, and the environment for future generations. CI was born out of my Master’s Thesis from Prescott College in 2003. I started piloting CI’s core program called CAP at New Vista High School in Boulder, CO in 2003 and then incorporated CI 1 year later in 2004. CI programs currentlyserve over 400 students per year and are now offered along the Colorado Front Range, including Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, Denver, and Aurora, CO.

A fun story that not many people know is how we got the name Cottonwood Institute. When I was conceiving the idea for CI, I needed a name for our Articles of Incorporation and 501(c)3 application. While on a hike outside of Boulder, I took a break in a grove of Cottonwood trees and loved the branding potential of the Cottonwood leaf. Cottonwood trees are also a go-to survival tree because they are usually a water indicator, you can make shelter from the sticks and leaves, you can make friction fire from the sticks and bark, and it has edible and medicinal properties. I knew there was an Aspen institute, but I googled it and there was no Cottonwood Institute, so I jumped on the name, registered our website domain, and incorporated CI. Cottonwood Institute is now a registered trademark!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since Cottonwood Institute is an outdoor/environmental/educational nonprofit, I would support local businesses that are committed to reducing their environmental footprint. I would start the day grabbing coffee at Fluid Coffee Bar, my favorite coffee shop in Denver, and breakfast at Snooze, the best breakfast joint in town. With a full belly, we would then head up to the mountains for a day hike sporting my Maroon Bell Outdoor threads at this little no named lake up near Allenspark. We would naturalize, look for animal tracks, identify local edible and medicinal plants, practice a few survival skills like building a natural shelter or friction fire, and spend the day un-plugging from the hustle and bustle of city life, watch the clouds, and just relax. We would head back to Denver for happy hour at Great Divide Brewing Company in RiNo, then grab dinner at Chook Charcoal Chicken with some Attimo Wine, and support other great local businesses at the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, CO.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow, there are so many people to thank for helping Cottonwood Institute (CI) get to where it is today! My wife, Jessica Church, has been incredibly patient and supportive over the years, she deserves a medal (and a long vacation on a beach somewhere when it is safe to travel). My family and friends have also been huge CI supporters and helped us come so far. My Graduate School Advisor, Rick Medrick, who has mentored me over the years and who has seen CI grow from an idea in papers and my thesis to an established nonprofit. And to all of our students, families, staff, instructors, volunteers, board members, advisory board members, donors, sponsors, supporters, program partners, and everyone else who has helped us thrive over the years — thank you all so much!

Website: https://www.cottonwoodinstitute.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cottonwoodinstitute/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cottonwood-institute/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cottonwoodinst
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CottonwoodInstitute
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CottonwoodinstituteOrg

Image Credits
Cottonwood Institute 2020

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