More equitable and inclusive policymaking in Colorado is possible.

When The Colorado Health Foundation’s (CHF) policy team listened to over 60 individuals representing perspectives from advocacy organizations, legislators and legislative staff, and executive branch officials about how they have experienced the policymaking process in Colorado, these terms and more came up repeatedly:

• Difficult to understand
• Confusing
• Intimidating
• Insiders' game

Public policy plays a critical role in shaping the lives of individuals and communities. All Coloradans should have the tools and opportunities to be healthy where they live and should have a voice in the decisions that impact them.

Can we imagine a better way of doing things? What could it look like for our state government to operate differently, to shift its policymaking practices and procedures toward systems that welcome and support the inclusion of more voices? What’s standing in the way of making public policy decisions more equitable and inclusive?

These questions are at the heart of this research. 

In 2021, CHF policy staff began exploring not just what specific policies become law in Colorado, but also the underlying how. How do Colorado’s state government institutions operate? What are the pain points where people feel excluded, confused or unwelcome in how policy is currently made in our state? Exactly what is it about the procedures of introducing, crafting and implementing policy decisions that influence who participates in the process? We wanted to better understand where and how these “rules of the game” affect which voices have the greatest influence on policy decisions in our state.

Because of CHF’s commitment to being informed by the communities we exist to serve, we looked to other organizations and individuals with experience in Colorado policymaking to help us deepen our perspective on how state government could operate differently to make the processes and procedures more inclusive, equitable and racially just. We completed key informant interviews with over 60 organizations and individuals that engage in policymaking spaces in Colorado to listen to varying perspectives on what works well and where there could be opportunities to change processes to be more inclusive and equitable. While this sample is by no means exhaustive, it represents a range of perspectives on Colorado policymaking activity that can be a starting point for further exploration and inquiry.

CHF staff analyzed what we heard in these conversations for key themes and recommendations. To promote transparency and accountability throughout each phase of the research process, all themes from these interviews are presented in aggregate form in the reports below without any additional interpretation by CHF.

These reports reflect the interviewees' viewpoints and experiences and are not to be taken as a recommendation, opinion or viewpoint from CHF. Nevertheless, CHF is eager to work with communities across the state to advance meaningful reforms to our state’s approach to making public policy in the legislative and executive branches of government.

Interested in learning more about our work?

Explore Frequently Asked Questions

For all inquiries, please contact the CHF Policy team at [email protected].