Community Impact

Impact Is Part of the Business Model

Colorado Foraging Company was built on a simple belief: access to wild food knowledge should not be a privilege. The Rocky Mountain landscape belongs to everyone, and the skills to read it — to identify, harvest, and respect it — should be available across income levels, backgrounds, and communities. That's why a portion of every eligible booking is allocated directly to scholarship access, community education, and partner programming. This isn't a donation bucket at checkout. It's structural. Impact is baked into how we price, partner, and operate.

Scholarship Access Promise

No one who genuinely wants to learn should be turned away because of cost. We reserve scholarship and hardship seats in every public tour. If the price of a tour is a barrier, reach out confidentially before booking — we will work with you. Requests are handled with full discretion. There is no application form, no income verification, and no judgment. Just a conversation. To request a scholarship seat, email us at coloradoforagingco@gmail.com with the subject line "Scholarship Seat."

Partner: Operation CAPS

Operation CAPS (Colorado Adaptive Paddling Society) works to get people with disabilities onto Colorado's rivers and into its wild spaces. We share a conviction that outdoor education and nature access are not optional — they are essential to wellbeing. Colorado Foraging Company supports Operation CAPS through co-sponsored scholarship seats, cross-promotion of accessible outdoor programming, and a commitment to designing tours that can accommodate participants with varying physical needs. If you are an Operation CAPS participant or affiliate, contact us about reserved access to upcoming public tours.

Partner: Colonizing Colorado

Colonizing Colorado is a community organization focused on connecting BIPOC communities with Colorado's outdoor spaces — dismantling the cultural and economic barriers that have historically excluded communities of color from public lands and nature education. Our partnership with Colonizing Colorado centers on co-hosted foraging events, dedicated scholarship seats for community members, and shared storytelling about the deep, cross-cultural roots of foraging as a practice. We believe mycology and wild food knowledge belong to everyone — and that reclaiming that knowledge is an act of cultural restoration.

Partner: UC Mycological Society

The UC Mycological Society connects us to the broader scientific and citizen-science community studying fungi across the region. Through this partnership, Colorado Foraging Company contributes field observations, specimen documentation, and educational programming that supports ongoing mycological research. We also collaborate on public identification events and spore print workshops that bridge recreational foraging with rigorous scientific inquiry. For students and researchers affiliated with the UC Mycological Society, we offer discounted access to select tours and are open to co-developing curriculum for field mycology education.

School and Youth Education

We offer tailored programming for K–12 schools, youth organizations, and university groups across Colorado. These sessions are designed to meet students where they are — from introductory nature walks that build ecological literacy, to advanced field mycology sessions for high school and college students pursuing environmental science. Our youth programs emphasize safety, scientific observation, and respect for ecosystems. We work with teachers and program coordinators to align sessions with curriculum goals. Group rates and scholarship pricing are available for Title I schools and qualifying youth organizations. To inquire about scheduling a school or youth program, contact us at coloradoforagingco@gmail.com.

Partner With Us or Sponsor a Scholarship Seat

There are two ways to get involved beyond booking a tour.

Organizational Partnerships: If your organization works in outdoor access, environmental education, food sovereignty, or community science, we want to hear from you. We are actively seeking partners for co-hosted events, curriculum development, and shared scholarship programming. Partnerships are built around mutual alignment — not transactional sponsorship. Reach out with a brief description of your organization and what collaboration might look like: coloradoforagingco@gmail.com.

Sponsor a Scholarship Seat: Individuals and businesses can sponsor scholarship seats directly. A single seat covers one participant's full tour cost and goes entirely toward access — no administrative overhead. Sponsorships can be made as a one-time gift or on a recurring basis tied to a specific tour series. To sponsor a seat, email us with the subject line "Sponsor a Seat" and we will confirm availability and send a simple invoice. All sponsors are acknowledged privately unless you request public recognition.