Rooted in Community. Designed for Innovators.
We're a growing network of educators, leaders, and entrepreneurs who believe that the future of learning is local, learner-centered, and deeply human.
This is where you'll find your people.
Built by People Who've Been There
We've started schools, built programs from scratch, and navigated burnout, red tape, and what-comes-next moments, We know how lonely innovation can feel and how much better it gets with support.
You don't need a map. You need a guide.
Infrastructure for the Future of Education
Big ideas don't scale on inspiration alone. They need scaffolding- financial, operational, and emotional.
CultivatED exists to help models not only launch but also last.
You reimagine education. We'll reimagine what holds it.
About Us
Just as biodiversity strengthens ecosystems, diverse education models, research, and networks create a more resilient, adaptive learning landscape. Right now, education innovation exists in isolated pockets—brilliant, but fragile. Without infrastructure, visibility, and shared momentum, these models will continue to be fragmented, struggling to sustain themselves long-term.
That's where we come in...
CultivatED Colorado is an interconnected network of thinkers, builders, funders, and educators who aren’t waiting for permission to create something better. Who understands that education doesn’t change through policy tweaks or one-off projects—it changes when we build a system where innovation isn’t the exception, it’s the expectation.
CultivatED Resources
Support for the unseen work of innovation.
Running an innovative school often means wearing every hat- fundraising, tech, insurance, compliance, and more.
CultivatED Resources connects you with trusted partners you need to lighten the load and focus on what matters most: your learners.
We've got your back.
CultivatED Concierge
Custom support, just when you need it.
Big vision meets real-world backup. CultivatED Concierge pairs you with one-on-one, hands-on guidance, thought partnership, and strategic support from others who have been there. Whether you're launching, scaling, or evolving- we're in it with you.
You dream. We'll make it easier.
CultivatED Studio
A space to design what's next.
The Studio is where ideas take shape. Whether you're dreaming up a new school model, rethinking learner experience, or prototyping your next big leap, our Studio sessions offer guided design sprints and space to imagine boldly.
Bring your hunch. Leave with a blueprint.
CultivatED Space
A home for bold ideas in motion.
CultivatED Space is where innovation gets to live, breathe, and evolve. It's a physical and relational space for testing, learning, and growing models in real time, alongside others doing the same. Think of it as an R&D lab for the future of learning.
Try it here. Tweak it here. Grow it here.
CultivatED Ecosystem
Because no one transforms education alone.
We're not just supporting individual schools; we're cultivating a connected, regenerative ecosystem—one where innovative schools, nonprofits, community leaders, and bold educators can collaborate, share infrastructure, and grow together.
We build the conditions for innovation to take root, spread, and sustain across Colorado and beyond.
Meet The Team
Kelly Tenkely
Systems Thinker
School Designer
Innovation Instigator
Kelly's the founder of Anastasis Academy, The Learning Genome Project, and the 5Sigma Conference- basically, if education had a startup studio, she'd be running it. With two decades of dreaming big (and building even bigger), she helps educators turn bold ideas into learner-centered realities rooted in curiosity, identity, and joy.
Dr. Kyle Gamba
Ecosystem Builder
School Whisperer
Chief Joy Officer
From leading transformations in public schools to launching LaLuz, Kyle brings vision, heart, and humor to every table. He's a master of co-creation and handshake lessons, and he's always thinking a few systems ahead to help communities design learning that matters.
Shaina Belton
Strategic Connector
Impact Architect
Voice for the Visionary
Shaina is a powerhouse behind the scenes, driving meaningful change at scale. She has stewarded major investments from national philanthropic foundations, supported thousands of education entrepreneurs, and led public policy and government affairs solutions for mission-driven organizations across Colorado and beyond. Whether she’s helping education founders grow or launching innovative public-private partnerships, she brings equity, energy, and a knack for strategy that actually works.
Advisory Council
Sarah Johnson
Model Navigator
Learning Polyglot
Bridge Between Worlds
Sarah's done it all: led classrooms, built a Montessori microschool, supported charter networks, and even world-schooled her kids. She gets the nuance of every model and brings unmatched wisdom to the table. Now at Donnell-Kay, she helps CultivatED cultivate what's next in Colorado's education ecosystem.