1600 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303.837.1200
Fax: 303.839.9034
Email: questions@coloradotrust.org
Website: www.coloradotrust.org
The Colorado Trust was established in 1985, when the nonprofit PSL Healthcare Corporation was sold to a for-profit organization. The proceeds of the sale were used to create The Colorado Trust, a statewide, private foundation that is dedicated exclusively to the health of the people of Colorado. For 31 years, the foundation has continued to fulfill its current mission of advancing the health and well-being of the people of Colorado. To that end, The Colorado Trust works across the state to end inequalities that affect racially and/or ethnically diverse, low-income, and other vulnerable populations, so that everyone will have fair and equal opportunities to achieve good health.
Program Information: The Colorado Trust believes all Coloradans should have fair and equal opportunities to lead healthy, productive lives regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or where one lives. The foundation uses a variety of grantmaking strategies and approaches in its work to advance health equity for all Coloradans. The Colorado Trust is committed to the values that lie at the core of its work. These include: stewardship, collaboration, respect, strategic learning, innovation, and ethics.
- Financial Information:
Total Assets: $458 million (FY 2014)
Amount Dedicated to Health-Related Grants: $13.1 million (FY 2014)
Special Initiatives and/or Representative Health and Human Services Grants:
- Community Partnerships – With a statewide staff of seven community partners, The Colorado Trust strives to support communities in their ability to organize groups and individuals to promote and address health equity. In partnership with communities, The Colorado Trust plans to fund a range of innovative, local, and resident-led solutions focusing on transportation, housing, education, employment, the natural environment, public safety, and much more. All of these issues have been shown to affect health and quality of life. Any such ideas to improve health equity in a community will be determined by community members themselves—not by The Colorado Trust, a nonprofit, or an elected official ($6.7 million over two years).
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Health Equity Advocacy – A cohort of 17 varied grantee organizations is advancing health equity solutions through a collaborative approach to advocacy and public policy. This provides a strong foundation for a long-term field of health equity grantees, building stability and adaptive capacity that can influence the policy landscape ($7.2 million over three years).
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Health Equity Learning Series – An educational program of The Colorado Trust, the Health Equity Learning Series increases knowledge and awareness of health equity through presentations from experts discussing factors that increase disparities and solutions that advance health equity. In addition to teaching hundreds of attendees in person, the talks are live-streamed online to dozens of viewing parties statewide, allowing for those outside the Denver metro area to participate and learn as well ($600,000 over 1.5 years).
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Health Data and Information – Reliable data-gathering and analysis is essential to The Colorado Trust’s work, particularly to monitor inequities in health status, outcomes, and social determinants of health statewide. Current grants support the Colorado Health Institute (CHI), a leading source of credible health information, data, and analysis; and the CHI-administered Colorado Health Access Survey, a biannual study of 10,000 Colorado households measuring health care coverage, access, and utilization patterns ($8.5 million over five years).
Strategic Changes
“Our community partners are the first remote staff in The Colorado Trust’s 31-year history. In order to have the most effective impact at the community level, you truly need a local perspective. We believe community residents across Colorado are in the best position to make decisions about how to improve their lives.”
Ned Calonge, M.D., M.P.H.
President & CEO