Philanthropy drives creation of reconciliation center

Fort Lewis College is turning vision into reality through bold philanthropic partnerships that are helping redefine what reconciliation can look like in higher education. 

With support from the Denver Foundation’s Belonging Colorado initiative and a nearly $1 million capacity-building grant from the Educating Character Initiative, funded by the Lily Endowment through Wake Forest University, FLC is launching a new Reconciliation Center, a cross-campus hub for student fellowships, faculty learning communities, and justice-oriented programming. The center will also be home to the new Four Corners Bridging Institute, which will open its inaugural exhibition, Cartographies of Belonging, at the Center of Southwest Studies in January 2026. 

Much of FLC’s momentum in reconciliation has been sparked by students—including alumnus Matthew Schaeffer (Political Science, ’24), whose undergraduate research on reconciliation attitudes now informs campus-wide strategy. 

Now serving as FLC’s reconciliation coordinator, Schaeffer (Hopi) supports programming across departments and co-directs the Four Corners Bridging Institute. His work is both professional and personal. 

Thanks to The Colorado Health Foundation, FLC is also rolling out the Reconciliation, Advocacy, and Justice (RAJ) initiative, which includes a policy leadership institute, wellness programming, and efforts to reform institutional policies through an Indigenous lens. 

Philanthropy is powering innovation across campus—from expanding language through the Southwest Indigenous Language Development Institute with financial support from the Gates Family Foundation to the launch of a state-of-the-art Indigenous language recording studio in CIRCL, funded by Apple.