Giving back to the communities most in need is an essential part of our strategy and we must invest in education to help develop the future leaders of tomorrow. From grants and philanthropic programmes sponsored by the Janus Henderson Foundation to grass-roots volunteerism spearheaded by employees, Janus Henderson has, and continues, to make a significant impact in North America by investing in organisations like the Young Americans Center for Financial Education, Denver Scholarship Foundation and Junior Achievement.
Denver Public Schools Foundation
The Foundation has funded innovative, ground-breaking work at Denver Public Schools Foundation (DPS) that allows us to act locally, but influence education nationally. The Foundation awarded a $3 million, three-year grant to Denver Public Schools in 2008 and another $2.1 million, three-year grant to the district in 2012. Denver Public Schools has invested this money in the development of programmes designed to increase teacher effectiveness, improve student outcomes, and create unique learning environments for students that utilise today's most innovative technologies. We have also partnered with DPS to create Growth through Connections, a programme focused on student-teacher relationships, as well as the EdConnect programme, which is designed to expose students to educational careers. In 2023, we were an early adapter of their CLASS initiative, designed to provide wrap-around services for a local school. Last year, we continued to support students through employee volunteering, back-to-school initiatives, and food drives. We are proud to build on this long history of supporting critical education initiatives by investing in the futures of our most valuable resource—our youth.
Denver Scholarship Foundation
To ensure students have access to a college education, the Janus Henderson Foundation partnered with the Denver Scholarship Foundation to create the Janus Henderson Scholarship for Denver Public School students. The Denver Scholarship Foundation awarded the Janus Henderson Scholarship to 23 unique scholars in 2024. Since its inception in 2020, Janus Henderson has invested $160,000 into the needs-based scholarship, and has made college possible by supporting 105 scholarships for over 45 first-generation students who are pursuing a degree or certificate in STEM, business, economics, accounting, marketing, communications, and/or journalism.
Chapter One
We are proud to support the Chapter One Programme which enables volunteers to remotely tutor first graders in core reading skills every week. Further, the programme expanded internationally into the UK in 2018 because of the strategic support of the Janus Henderson Foundation. Grounded in the belief that learning to read is a basic right with the power to transform lives, the Chapter One programme and services fuse technology, corporate volunteerism, and intensive support to enable meaningful human interaction.
In 2023, Janus Henderson and Chapter One partnered to develop a story-writing competition for Janus Henderson’s colleagues based on the theme of financial literacy. The competition allowed our people an opportunity to engage in Innovations for Learning’s mission-driven literacy work and develop a creative children’s story. Three employees were selected to have their books published on the virtual platform. They worked closely with the editor to ensure the content was appropriate for the reading level and partnered with the illustrator to ensure the images in the virtual book reflected the rich diversity of our communities.
Junior Achievement
In 2019, the Janus Henderson Foundation announced a grant of $1,585,000 to Junior Achievement (JA) for the redevelopment of the JA Titan® programme. Currently in year six of a six-year partnership, Junior Achievement (JA) has made progress with the JA Titan® project by enabling youth to test their skills at running a company in a virtual business simulation, where participants compete as managers amid ever-changing economic conditions. Additionally, the in-classroom programme includes a comprehensive curriculum that allows teachers and volunteers to help students understand essential economic, business management, and financial concepts.
The Foundation’s support resulted in more dynamic gamification of the programme while incorporating technology that’s more engaging for students, but also allows for a more educational and impactful experience.
In addition to supporting the redevelopment of JA Titan®, Janus Henderson employees serve as Junior Achievement volunteers in several communities where Janus Henderson has offices, including but not limited to, Denver, New York, and Singapore. Junior Achievement serves more than 10.7 million students around the globe in every major geographic location where Janus Henderson has offices, making this a truly global Foundation initiative.
Young Americans Center for Financial Education
Our Foundation has been a valued partner of the Young Americans Center for Financial Education since 2001. Through our partnership, we have contributed more than $619,000 to youth financial literacy programmes. Over the last few years, the Foundation has partnered with the Young Americans Center for Financial Education with a multi-year commitment. Our grant allows us to be the exclusive sponsor of the AmeriTowne Centers located in Denver and Lakewood, Colorado. This sponsorship allows us to support over 25,000 children and 5,000 parents and teachers who participate in the AmeriTowne curriculum each year. This curriculum builds financial self-sufficiency, smart money management habits, solid business sense, and an entrepreneurial spirit.