Center for Policy Entrepreneurship

Dear Friend,

We at CPE want to thank you for all the support and interest you have shown in our organization, issues and products over the past year. We have accomplished a lot and your help has been integral to our success.

It is with regret that I report to you that CPE is closing its doors effective Dec. 31st.

As you know, CPE is a private, non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization dedicated to identifying, developing and bringing to life creative and effective solutions to critical challenges facing Colorado. Since our inception in the fall of 2007, we have received most of our funding from entrepreneur, philanthropist and newly elected Congressman Jared Polis. Unfortunately, due to U.S. House ethics rules, we have decided we must dissolve.

While it is disappointing that we will not be moving forward as an organization, we can look back with pride on all that we accomplished in our 15 months of operations. Among those accomplishments are:

Helping to put reform of predatory payday lending at the forefront of the legislature through our work as co-founders of Coloradans for Payday Lending Reform;

Promoting tuition equity for undocumented high school graduates in Colorado and being a catalyst for the formation of the Higher Education Access Alliance;

o The payday lending industry and effective reform efforts across the nation;

o The link between education and health;

o The multiple benefits of arts education on children’s development;

o Green-collar workforce development; and,

o State and federal policy developments on tuition equity.

While CPE will no longer exist as an organization, our staff will continue to advance the issues we have championed. Matt Sundeen, director of policy and research, is transitioning to The Bell Policy Center, and Elise Keaton, policy and research analyst, is moving to Metro Organizations for People. Both Elise and Matt will continue their research and advocacy work on payday lending reform and tuition equity.

Although we may not exist in name, our commitment to progressive policy objectives, and in particular protecting working families from predatory lending products and expanding access to educational opportunity for all Coloradans, will continue through the great work of these partner organizations and the growing coalitions we were so honored to have been a part of.

Again, thank your for all your help and support. Have a wonderful 2009.

Sincerely,

Spiros Protopsaltis, Ph.D.
President

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