Focus Area

Building Youth-Centered Communities

Why We Care

We believe that equitable access to services, spaces, and systems that are youth-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed leads to greater health and well-being for young people.

Young people grow to adulthood within a complex web of family, peer, community, societal, and cultural influences that affect their present and future health and well-being. Advancing their health and well-being requires improving their daily lives within family, friend groups, and neighborhoods, as well as addressing risk and protective factors at the environmental and community levels. Young people are better able to achieve their full potential when individuals, organizations, and communities work together to support them.

Equitable access to high-quality health services is essential for young people to thrive. In many communities, health services for adolescents are fragmented and focused on the needs of adults. Young people benefit from having access to providers who understand adolescent development and are culturally competent. They also require services that are accessible, convenient, and confidential.

Young people need and want safe places to gather, enjoy social, athletic, and other recreational activities, be with their peers, and engage in civic and community pursuits. The actual or perceived physical and emotional safety of community spaces can influence how comfortable young people feel using them. This is an especially important consideration for supporting young people who face disproportionate risks associated with environmental hurdles like crime, violence, abuse, trauma, prejudice, and racism.

As they approach adulthood, young people face increasing pressure to manage their own health, finances, transportation, and housing. These expectations do not always come with corresponding increases in support. Many young people also lack opportunities to build needed skills to transition to adulthood and navigate complex systems. Adding to the challenge, systems that serve adolescents can be confusing and spread across government agencies, nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, businesses, and faith-based organizations.

When a community commits to building youth-centered communities and systems, a lack of funding to transform physical spaces, increase organizational capacity to serve young people, and staff collaborative and system-level change efforts can stifle progress. Increased investments in supporting communities as they approach this work are necessary for the optimal development of our young people. 

What We Fund

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

Application Timeline

This funding opportunity will re-open to applicants in August 2025. 

We Are Here To Help

The Youth Health and Well-Being Philanthropy Leads are available to answer questions to determine eligibility and prepare your Part 1 Application.

Philanthropy Leads are assigned to specific counties. Please refer to our regional map to determine your primary contact, and then schedule a meeting with Lauren Czajka, Sarah Dutcher, or Steph Perez-Carrillo.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can my organization apply for Youth Health and Well-Being funding?

The Youth Health and Well-Being funding opportunity typically opens in the second week of October, with a Part 1 Application deadline in the second week of November. We strongly recommend that you subscribe to our newsletter to receive the most up-to-date deadlines and information on all funding opportunities.

How do I know if my organization is eligible to apply?

In addition to Caring for Colorado’s general eligibility, applications must focus on cities or counties where 18% or more of young people under 18 are living at or below the federal poverty level or communities where CFC priority populations are experiencing significant health disparities, compared to the state average. Caring for Colorado’s priority populations.

Why does Caring for Colorado use 18% as the eligibility for building youth-centered communities?
The child poverty rate in Colorado is 11%. We used a 1.5 multiplier to differentiate between high- and low-poverty counties across the state.
How does Caring for Colorado define adolescence?
Adolescence is typically defined as the period when children begin puberty, marked by rapid physical and brain development until they reach adulthood, with a fully mature physique and brain. With young people beginning puberty earlier, we define adolescence as ranging from ages 9 to 25. Additionally, by concentrating on younger individuals, we aim to achieve key prevention goals.
What is the application process?

Caring for Colorado utilizes a two-part online application process. The Part 1 application is designed to provide grant-seekers with a quick, low-barrier opportunity to share basic information about the organization and proposed work. Staff reviews Part 1 applications to determine eligibility and alignment with the funding opportunity.

Organizations that submit a Part 1 application are notified about the status of their application within one month of the deadline. If an application is declined, the organization will receive an email from a Philanthropy Lead with a brief explanation of the decision.

Organizations that are invited to move forward in the review process will be asked to complete the Part 2 application, which is submitted via Caring for Colorado’s online grants portal. Part 2 applications will be reviewed within one month of the application deadline.

If an organization’s application does not move forward in the review process, a Philanthropy Lead will provide the opportunity to schedule a meeting to learn more about the decision. If an organization is asked to continue in the review process, a Philanthropy Lead will schedule a site visit.

Following a comprehensive team review process, Philanthropy Leads present grant recommendations to Caring for Colorado’s Board of Directors for consideration. Applicants are notified of grant decisions after the Board approves them.

Can I submit more than one application for the same funding opportunity?
No. Each organization can only submit one application per funding opportunity. We recommend that you select the focus area and strategies that most closely align with your core work.
Does my organization need to focus on all the strategies to be eligible?
No, your organization does not have to focus on all the strategies to apply. For each strategy chosen, you will be asked to create at least one outcome and a subsequent objective. So only select the strategies that align with your proposed work.
Can I request funding for strategies in multiple Youth Health and Well-Being Focus Areas?
You may request funding for strategies in the Supporting Young People and Strengthening Families Focus Areas. To do so, select the 2GEN Focus Area on the Part 1 Application. You cannot apply for strategies within Supporting Young People and Building Youth-Centered Communities.
If I receive a multi-year grant in one Focus Area, can I apply for funding in another Focus Area the following year?
Yes, you may submit one application per year. If you have an active grant in one Focus Area, you are not eligible to submit a new application in the same Focus Area, even if it is for different work.
Does Caring for Colorado require grantees to measure the desired result of the specific funding opportunity?
No. Each applicant will define their own metrics of success.
Can I apply for a capital grant?
Yes. We will consider capital, general operating, and program requests for the Building Youth-Centered Communities focus area.
What is the grant award range?

The annual grant range for this focus area is $25,000-$100,000. We expect the majority of grants in this focus area to have a term of 12 months.

Grant size depends on several factors, including but not limited to, the scale and scope of the proposal, other sources of funding available to support the work, and our available budget.

Does Caring for Colorado fund organizations they have not previously funded or are unfamiliar with?
Yes. We welcome and encourage applications from organizations that are new to Caring for Colorado.
Does Caring for Colorado consider collaborative applications from more than one organization?
Yes, one organization must serve as the primary applicant. We also recommend you clearly outline the responsibilities of each partner organization and describe how funding will be used for each partner’s work.
Will Caring for Colorado review an application early if it is submitted before the deadline?
No. All applications are reviewed after the deadline.
If our organization’s application is approved, what is the grant start date?
The grant start date for Youth Health and Well-Being grants is July 1.
Is it possible to schedule a meeting with a philanthropy lead to discuss alignment with Caring for Colorado’s focus areas before we apply?

Yes! If you would like to schedule a short meeting with a philanthropy lead, please email the staff member assigned to your region. View Regional Map.

The team also hosts office hours when a funding opportunity opens. Please feel free to email us with your specific questions or visit the Apply for a Grant page on our website for more information.

Other Youth Health and Well-Being Focus Areas

Strengthening Families

We believe that experiencing secure and supportive relationships with parents and caregivers leads to greater health and well-being for young people.

Learn More

Supporting Young People

We believe that developing a strong sense of belonging, identity, purpose, and agency leads to greater health and well-being for young people.

Learn More