Funding Priority

Youth Health and Well-Being

Purpose

Advancing health and well-being for young people ages 9 to 25 in Colorado who experience health inequities due to economic injustice, racism, and discrimination through strategic investments designed to support young people, strengthen families, and build youth-centered communities.

Why We Care

Adolescence is a time of remarkable opportunity. Between the onset of puberty and the mid-20s, young people discover, learn from, and adapt to the world around them. They forge a sense of who they are and who they aspire to be. They learn to make decisions, manage their emotions, create deeper interpersonal connections, and develop meaningful goals that shape their adult lives.

Because the adolescent brain is incredibly sensitive to environmental influences, experiences during this period are particularly formative and can have significant and lasting effects. This makes adolescence a key window for learning and discovery and offers a unique opportunity to mitigate the effects of earlier adversity.

When the programs, people, and systems that serve adolescents and their families are aligned to meet the developmental needs of this period, young people can fulfill the promise and potential of who they are and what they are meant to contribute to our world.

Our Approach

Guided by local youth and community voices, and informed by the science of adolescent development, we believe that young people will experience greater health and well-being if they:

Develop a strong sense of belonging, identity, purpose, and agency
Experience secure and supportive relationships with parents and caregivers
Have equitable access to services, spaces, and systems that are youth-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed

Annual funding opportunities are available in three focus areas to advance the health and well-being of Colorado’s young people. We believe that strategic investments in these focus areas have the power to yield a triple benefit: increased health and well-being for young people today, into adulthood, and for the next generation.

Funding opportunities are designed to be flexible, leverage local community assets, and support grantee partners as they work to improve conditions for young people and their families. Grant decisions will be made in alignment with our Guiding Principles .

Youth Health and Well-Being Priority Populations

At Caring for Colorado, we work to improve health outcomes for people experiencing the greatest inequities in health, well-being, and opportunity. For our Youth Health and Well-Being funding priority, we seek to remove health disparities and build a more equitable future for:

Young people furthest from opportunity and experiencing the greatest health inequities

We seek to build a more equitable future for young people and their families. Recognizing economic injustice, racism, and discrimination are major drivers of health inequity, we prioritize:

Young people and families living with low incomes, defined as living below 260% of the federal poverty level, 80% Area Median Income, or TANF eligible.
Communities with high rates of poverty, defined as a county or municipality where 18% or more of children under 18 live at or below the federal poverty level.
Communities of color, including individuals from various racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds not identified as white.
Young people who identify as 2SLGBTQAI+.
Young people who are experiencing the child welfare system.
Young people being raised by grandparents or other kinship caregivers.
Young people who are experiencing housing insecurity.
Young who are experiencing the juvenile justice system.
Young people who are experiencing interpersonal or family violence or abuse.
Newly arrived immigrants or refugees.
Young people who are experiencing family separation and/or instability due to parent involvement in the justice or immigration system.
Young people living with visible or invisible disabilities, including physical or intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions that create barriers to education, healthcare, or employment.
Young people who are pregnant or parenting.

Our Focus Areas

Review the focus areas to learn more about you how to submit a Part 1 Application.

Supporting Young People

To support young people in developing a strong sense of belonging, identity, purpose, and agency, we will fund organizations that create the conditions young people need to:

Cultivate healthy, supportive relationships and social networks with peers, near-peers, and trusted adults
Explore their values, interests, and goals
Contribute in meaningful ways to others and their community
Make good decisions and establish positive health behaviors (for example, manage stress in healthy ways, stay active, eat a nutritious diet, get an adequate amount of sleep, refrain from substance misuse, delay early sexual activity, and prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancy)

Learn More and Apply

Strengthening Families

To support parents and caregivers in developing secure and supportive relationships with their adolescent child(ren), we will fund organizations that create the conditions parents and caregivers need to:

Strengthen family bonds and cultivate healthy parent/caregiver-adolescent relationships
Deepen knowledge of adolescent development and parenting strategies that support young people’s health and well-being
Develop meaningful social connections with other parents, caregivers, and advocates
Access concrete support, especially in times of need

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Building Youth-Centered Communities

To support communities in creating equitable access to services, spaces, and systems that are youth-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed, we will fund organizations that create the conditions young people need to:

Receive youth-centered physical and behavioral healthcare
Experience safe, inclusive spaces designed to foster social connections and promote positive health outcomes
Successfully transition into adulthood
Experience coordinated systems of care — especially for those with complex needs who seek services across multiple systems — that are informed by young people and their families

Learn More and Apply