I hope you all have had a restful and rejuvenating end to 2024. In addition to being with loved ones, I took time over the holiday season to step back and reflect. I am clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. Yet, I am encouraged. This encouragement is rooted in the strength and power I know exists in Colorado’s communities. Across the state, countless changemakers are tirelessly working to bring us closer to equity and justice. Their unwavering dedication and resilience inspire hope and fuel my belief that we can face and strategically address even the most daunting challenges together.
At The Colorado Health Foundation, our commitment to health equity and racial justice stands firm. Amid whatever challenges may come, our focus on the communities we exist to serve is not negotiable. We stand ready to harness strategic opportunities to address the obstacles that lie ahead.
We know that progress is not a solo journey. Nonprofit community organizations working to remove barriers to health and well-being across our state are integral to reaching a more equitable and just Colorado. We look forward to working alongside many of you in the upcoming year. Through our collective strength we can turn our vision for a more equitable and just Colorado into meaningful action. Our efforts can ensure Colorado progresses toward this shared vision in both the state’s urban areas and rural communities.
Connecting and Sharing
This year, The Colorado Health Foundation turns 30 years old and celebrates three decades of partnering with communities to ensure we all have what we need to live healthy lives. Throughout this year, our staff will continue collaborating with nonprofit partners and other community leaders to build the collective power needed to tackle pressing health issues. We know that our state’s immigrant and LGBTQ+ (particularly transgender) communities and the nonprofits who work with them will face significant challenges in the coming months, and we remain committed to strengthening them as they respond to these challenges.
In addition to ongoing engagement, the 2025 Colorado Health Symposium in Keystone will bring us together to explore actionable steps we can each take to strengthen and advance the health equity movement. We’re also planning our virtual At the Heart of the Matter. More details will be available in the coming months.
Accurate information is essential for building community power. That’s why, in addition to events and convenings, throughout 2025 we aim to share valuable insights to support your work and policymaking efforts. Some things to look out for include:
- This past year presented significant challenges for Colorado’s vital medical safety net as it faced the financial and operational impacts of Medicaid Unwinding. Stay tuned for a forthcoming report that will dive into the economic impacts of Medicaid disenrollments.
- In 2019, the Foundation began partnering with coalitions across the state of Colorado to advance changes to local food systems that reduce food insecurity and end hunger. Last year, we concluded our five-year commitment to this work. This year, we will share information and insights as we reflect on lessons learned.
- We will be sharing findings from our Good Neighbor messaging research. The goal of the Good Neighbor Guide is to equip housing advocates with messaging tools that will expand support for policies that improve housing affordability and to counter messages that stand in the way of housing progress.
- For the sixth year, we will begin releasing data from our annual Pulse Poll sometime in the summer.
Additionally, we will continue to advance our Economic Opportunity priority and our commitment to engaging thoughtfully with Spanish speakers. Also, keep an eye on the land across from the Foundation’s office over the next few years as The Tapestry, a multi-generational, family-centered community of affordable homes, is developed.
This is just a small list of what we have going on this year. I encourage you to follow our social media channels and periodically check out the news section on our website to keep in touch with what’s happening at the Foundation.
Strength in Connection
As I’ve been talking with folks from across the state, it’s clear to me that our collective work is about more than tackling isolated challenges—it’s about building a Colorado where everyone has what they need to live healthy lives. We stand together with our grantee partners across the state who are doing this work and who may face new and ongoing threats to their health, safety and well-being. That is our mission and our charge.
Each of us, whether as individuals, organizations or communities, plays a crucial role in building a state where health equity is more than just a vision—it’s a reality. By staying rooted in collaboration and determination, we can transform many of the obstacles we will inevitably face this new year into opportunities that ensure a brighter, healthier future for everyone in our state.
When we come together, our collective power becomes unstoppable. This is the moment to lean in, support one another and amplify the voices of those who have long been silenced or overlooked.
So, let’s step into 2025 with hope and optimism in our hearts and action on our minds. Let’s commit to standing together—shoulder to shoulder—in the face of challenges, knowing that progress toward health equity and racial justice is possible when we work together. Whether you join us at an event, share insights from our resources or lead efforts in your own community, know that you are a vital part of this movement. Together, we are building a healthier, more equitable Colorado!