To be considered for funding, clinics must meet the following criteria:

• Alignment with the Foundation’s cornerstones that advance our efforts to bring health in reach for all Coloradans.
• Serve at least 50% patients of color – defined as Arab/Middle Eastern, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous/Native American and multiracial communities. Clinics can demonstrate this through answering demongraphic data questions within the application.
  • For clinics that are not currently serving 50% patients of color but intend to expand access, we ask that you provide additional detail on your strategic intent to serve more patients of color as well as evidence on how you will reach them.
• At least 50% of patients served are living on low income. This can be demonstrated through Medicaid caseload, number of uninsured and/or individuals on the Children’s Health Plan Plus or the Colorado Indigent Care Program.
• Must be a nonprofit clinic or public agency that provides comprehensive primary care services to a significant population of patients who are living on low income as defined above. For-profit clinics will also be eligible to apply for the primary care capital funding, provided they meet the criteria and can also demonstrate at least 50% of patients are living with low income as described above.
• Provide integrated health care services through teams composed of behavioral, physical and/or oral health care providers.
• Ability to demonstrate clinic leadership commitment in executing the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Service (CLAS) Standards and support for team-based primary care.
• Ability to demonstrate improved health outcomes as a result of the expansion in access to team-based primary care.
• Ability to demonstrate need for expanding access to team-based primary care.

Preference will be given to clinics that can show patients receive necessary referrals to community and social services when needed.

• Facility acquisition, construction, renovation or expansion
• Medical and office equipment purchases
• Equipment and/or technology costs for patients who do not have the means to access telemedicine services. Funds can also support patient education on the use of telemedicine.
• Equipment and/or technology costs for providers to provide and/or improve telemedicine services for their patients
• Hardware, software, installation and technical assistance costs associated with health information technology systems
• Operating expenses associated with physical or information technology expansions and/or improvements

• Federally qualified health centers
• Rural health clinics
• Community safety net clinics
• School-based health centers
• Community mental health centers with integrated primary care services

The clinic will be expected to operate a health care facility serving individuals living with low income for at least five years after the completion of the building expansion or renovation. If the space is not used as a health care facility for five years from the date of the certificate of occupancy, the clinic will repay funds on a pro-rated basis. For example, if space is only used as a clinic for two and a half years, the clinic will repay one half of the grant funds received.

The clinic will be asked to submit an annual certification of use and an annual utilization report for a five-year period, describing the number of unduplicated patients served and the types of services provided at the site.

• If a project is estimated to cost more than $25,000, the applicant must either own the building or have a minimum of a three-year lease agreement.
• Ability to financially support some portion of the project through donations, in-kind support, cash or documented loans or lines of credit, and/or other state, local or grant funding.

When expanding clinic space, the clinic should demonstrate recruitment, hiring or staffing plans to expand provider capacity into the added space.

We ask clinics applying also submit the following as attachments to their proposal:

1. A letter of commitment from executive leadership that they strongly support the implementation of a team-based care model at their clinic.

Applicants will be asked to indicate how their work will increase the number of people accessing comprehensive primary care services within one year at the end of the capital enhancement.

Comprehensive Primary Care: The Foundation has adopted the Institute of Medicine’s definition, which is “primary care is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.” Furthermore, "integrated" refers to physical, behavioral and oral health. The Foundation’s definition also includes reproductive health services provided within the integrated setting.

Team-based Care: Defined by the National Academy of Medicine as “the provision of health services to individuals, families, and/or their communities by at least two health providers who work collaboratively with patients and their caregivers – to the extent preferred by each patient – to accomplish shared goals within and across settings to achieve, coordinated, high-quality care.” There are five core principles: shared goals, clear roles, mutual trust, effective communication and measurable processes and outcomes.

Telemedicine: Defined by the Institute of Medicine as “the use of electronic information and communications technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participants.”

Culturally-relevant Care: Using the Principal Standard under National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Standards: health care organizations, “provide effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy, and other communication needs.”