The United Community Action Network of Metro Denver started as a response to what residents in our community were living with every day. The neighborhood sits at the edge of industrial corridors and major infrastructure projects, and for a long time, the people who called it home had too little say in decisions that directly affected their families, their air quality, and their financial futures. That is still what drives us.
UCAN brings together residents, property owners, and community partners to build a stronger, healthier, and more resilient neighborhood in North Denver. We work through grassroots organizing, climate advocacy, and economic empowerment to protect local families and ensure that everyone here has access to real opportunities to grow.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and registered neighborhood organization whose board has been made up, from the beginning, of people who have lived and worked here for years. Some of them for generations. We connect residents to resources, advocate at a city level, and work with local partners to make sure this community has the ability to shape its own future.
To volunteer or become a sustaining member, reach out:
Payan Realty
Coach B Partners
Rapid Services
Rapid Services
Associate Director, Trades Work Ready Program
CEO, Environmental Innovation Academic Learning Lab
CEO, National Western Center Authority
CEO, National Western Stock Show
UCAN's work touches many different areas of community life—housing, clean energy, transportation, workforce development, environmental health—and so does our partner network. These relationships are how UCAN is able to connect residents to resources that go well beyond what any single organization could provide on its own.
A lot has changed in this community since 2007, and UCAN has been in the middle of most of it. The timeline below traces our work: The organizing, the events, the advocacy battles, and the programs that grew out of what residents said they actually needed.
UCAN is established, rooted in a corner of North Denver that had long needed organized commmunity representation.
Community members, with support from the University of Denver, formalize UCAN's bylaws.
The IRS awards UCAN its 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt status.
As the I-70 rebuild moved forward, UCAN spent years working with residents and partner organizations to ensure the community had a voice in a process with serious consequences for people living nearby. Sustained advocacy helped carve out space for neighborhood input that might otherwise not have existed.
Three UCAN board members trained with Groundwork Denver and National Jewish Hospital to become certified Air Quality Community Experts. They produced bilingual educational materials on air quality, organized community events, and brought local research findings directly to residents throughout the neighborhood.
UCAN organized an open community forum at the Globeville Recreation Center, bringing candidates for state and city office to the neighborhood for a direct Q&A with residents.
In partnership with GlobeHall, UCAN co-hosted Latin Fest, a community celebration that drew representatives from more than ten local organizations.
UCAN received a PS U Are Here Public Art Grant from Denver Public Art, funding a project to transform a neglected public space with art made by local residents.
Partnering with NETC and the Stapleton Foundation, UCAN helped develop a community shuttle program to maintain transportation access for residents during the disruptions caused by the I-70 construction and COVID‑19.
UCAN led an Earth Day cleanup and community event at Garden Place Academy, supported by CDOT, KIEWIT, and the Sierra Club. Volunteers repainted the playground, added community artwork, and cleaned up the school garden.
With support from the Suncor Settlement and a partnership with PurpleAir, UCAN completed a deep clean of three neighborhood schools and the Valdez-Perry Library. Local residents were hired to carry out the work, and continuous air quality monitoring stations were installed at all four locations.
UCAN partnered with the Globeville Riverfront Art Center (GRACe) to support local artists and raise funds through a community event.
Latin Fest returned to GlobeHall with a focus on community feedback: presentations on developer proposals, resource tables from local organizations, and residents sharing updates on their own environmental initiatives.
UCAN hosted Environmental and Health Fiestas in partnership with CASR, combining community survey collection with education and resources for neighborhood residents.
Coming soon!
