DANIELS FUND 

Denver 

News: You know the old saying about how it’s an honor just to be nominated? In the case of the Daniels Fund and its annual $250,000 Medal of Excellence Award, it wasn’t just an honor to be considered; it was also quite profitable. 

Only one organization – Excellent Schools New Mexico — would win the top prize, but the two runners-up — The Other Side Academy and Warren Village — didn’t go home empty-handed.  

As 2026 Salute to Excellence award recipients, they each received $100,000. 

Excellent Schools New Mexico was selected because of “Its impact on children and families through a network of schools that serve at-risk populations whose outcomes are outpacing state averages. New Mexico is perennially near the bottom of national measures of student performance and child poverty,” according to the Daniels Fund. 

Excellent Schools New Mexico provides grants to educators who launch, grow and reimagine transformational schools that put the needs of families and children first. The schools, which serve areas with predominantly Hispanic and Native American populations, have a history of raising student achievement among the state’s most at-risk students. 

On Jan. 29, nonprofit leaders from throughout the region gathered at Denver Museum of Nature and Science for the Daniels Fund’s annual Salute to Excellence to hear President and Chief Executive Officer Hanna Skandera describe Excellent Schools New Mexico as a “Sterling example of how vision, hard work, and a refusal to settle for the status quo can transform kids’ lives.  

“Scott Hindman and his amazing team have shown America that successful, rigorous options can be created in high-poverty areas of our country, and when families can choose great schools, their children can thrive,” Skandera said. 

A video about Excellent Schools New Mexico illustrated how some 14,000 kids “Who’ve not had access to a good education, now do,” thus proving that “Demographics don’t have to determine destiny.” 

Co-founder and executive director Scott Hindman received a standing ovation as he made his way to the front of the room to accept the Medal of Excellence and a $250,000 check.  

The last time he received such an enthusiastic greeting, Hindman joked, “Was when I gave the best man’s speech at my brother’s wedding.” 

On a serious note, he said that the work of Excellent Schools New Mexico is a “True team effort,” one dedicated to ensuring “Our kids get a fair shot, one person at a time.” 

The Other Side Academy, with locations in Denver and Salt Lake City, was given a $100,000 Salute to Excellence award for its transformational work in helping individuals overcome addiction, criminal behavior and chronic homelessness through a free, rigorous and peer-led 30-day residential program. 

Participants also work in self-sustaining businesses operated by the academy, including The Other Side Moving Company and The Other Side Furniture Boutique, to learn accountability and new skills with the goal of achieving long-term independence without government funding. 

In a video presentation, it was noted that The Other Side Academy “Pours new life into its clients; they don’t just teach it, they live it. They take people who are completely broken and help them rebuild their lives. Otherwise, they would be in jail or on the streets.” 

At its three Denver campuses, Warren Village, also a recipient of a $100,000 Salute to Excellence award, provides comprehensive support for low-income, single-parent families, helping them break the cycle of poverty by offering safe and affordable housing, life skills classes, education and career support and onsite early childhood learning centers. All residents are required to maintain a full-time schedule of work or education and attend life skills classes. 

One hundred percent of its residents come to Warren Village after experiencing homelessness or abusive situations. “One of the first things we notice is a sense of relief for having a safe place to land,” said Ethan Hemming, who has served as Warren Village’s president and chief executive officer since 2016. 

Margaret Kelly, former global chief executive officer for Re/MAX and chair of the Daniels Fund board, explained that the awards are given annually to nonprofit organizations in states the late cable pioneer Bill Daniels loved – Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah – with priority given to those focused on fields that include education, aging, amateur sports, disabilities, drug and alcohol addiction, early childhood education, the homeless and disadvantaged and youth development. 

She praised the 2026 honorees by saying, “Giving people help often starts with giving people hope. If Bill Daniels was here tonight, he’d say ‘Well done.’” 

About the organization: The Daniels Fund was established in 2000 by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels as a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah through its grants and scholarship programs. Since its founding, the Daniels Fund has awarded $1.2 billion in grants to nearly 6,000 nonprofit partners and higher education scholarships to some 5,400 students. In 2025 alone, the fund awarded $52 million in grants to “highly effective” nonprofit partners that are transforming their communities. 

Website: DanielsFund.org 

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