In Good Health

During this holiday season, and amidst this especially trying time, we’re grateful for Colorado’s nonprofits whose staff pour their hearts into making their community a healthier and more equitable place to live. Your efforts to bring health in reach for all Coloradans – despite the challenges you face – remain top of mind for us at the Foundation today and every day.

In honor of the giving season, Foundation staff select Colorado-based nonprofits each year to receive holiday donations – recognizing each for their commitment to improving the health of Coloradans. We are pleased to announce this year’s recipients, who have received a $10,000 donation on behalf of our Board and staff:

• 10 For 10 is a youth-led organization that aspires to

The major historical events that mark 2020 have created far too many obstacles for Coloradans, including those working tirelessly to keep their nonprofits afloat and their services intact. We’ve learned firsthand – alongside our families, friends, neighbors and community partners – what it’s like to live in the tight grip of an unforgiving pandemic. We’ve witnessed the disproportionate social, financial and health outcomes of the crisis among communities of color. We’ve watched civic demonstrations unfold across the nation, and we’ve heard loud and clear the call for us to upend the longstanding institutional and systemic racism of our country.

We understand many of our grantees, partners and nonprofits across the state have been deeply impacted by and responding to the

On the eve of last week’s election, I told our staff unequivocally: “Regardless of the outcomes of our national and state elections, our work, our intentions, our commitment to equity will not change. If that means we are fighting upstream, if that means we are alone in our effort, then so be it.”

What the Election Revealed

Getting through Election Day didn’t solve the challenges we’ve faced this year. The COVID-19 pandemic rages on with no end in sight, taking lives, threatening children’s learning and decimating the economy. The election affirmed rather than resolved deep divisions forcing us apart during a time when we should be holding tight and taking care of one another. And racial injustice – which for

A few months back a grantee shared with me the hard news that their property had been defaced with hateful speech. At the time, they were trying to figure out resources for staff who never turn off – in the midst of experiencing the pandemic from the frontlines, receiving an influx of funding resources and trying to keep their heads above water. While I found myself pining for in-person interaction, I recognized what they needed was someone to listen.

Complexities with the coronavirus and the ongoing racial injustice we’re experiencing as a nation present more obstacles than I can count. While I have my moments of being utterly overwhelmed by it all, we’re challenging ourselves – as individuals and as