The Legacy Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporation formed in October 2001 when the Yampa Valley Legacy Education Initiative and the Routt County Education Foundation merged their boards and combined financial resources.

The Yampa Valley Legacy Education Foundation, or YVLEI, was funded in 1998 by an Annenberg Rural Challenge Grant. The Initiative was developed by students, teachers and community members from each of the participating communities and was implemented in the five school districts of Hayden, Moffat, South Routt, Steamboat Springs and East Grand and the independent schools within those boundaries.

The purpose of YVLEI was to develop and bring into the schools a series of multi-disciplinary, experiential, interactive projects and activities centered on the Legacy of the Yampa Valley. These projects and activities both engendered in students a sense of place and respect for the area and its heritage and brought about systemic change in the schools that altered the models and methods used to prepare children for the future by involving them in their communities today.

The Articles of Incorporation for Routt County Education Foundation, Inc. were filed with the Colorado Secretary of State on July 14, 1993 and the first board meeting was held on July 29, 1993. RCEF received a favorable determination from the IRS as a qualified organization on 501 (c)(3) on May 11, 1994. The first revenue generating effort was to take over the Schwall Challenge and change the name to the Spirit Challenge. The purpose of the RCEF was to fund Routt County public school-based projects that were educationally sound but might not receive support from financially over-burdened districts.