Focus Area

Strengthening Families

Why We Care

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

Supportive relationships with parents and caregivers are the cornerstone of healthy development for adolescents. The positive effects of a strong bond between a young person and their caregiver extend to adulthood. These healthy relationships are associated with lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of self-esteem, happiness, and life satisfaction.

While the role of parents and caregivers certainly changes in adolescence, their significance does not. Research confirms that parents continue to have more influence on their adolescent children than peers on many important outcomes. As young people grow, parenting shifts from making decisions for the younger child to helping adolescents make decisions on their own. Supportive caregivers can also minimize the chance that young people engage in high-risk behavior.

Parenting adolescents is a unique adventure. Conflict is common as young people begin to test authority, seek more independence, and negotiate more responsibility. Many parents rate this stage of a child’s life as the most difficult stage of parenting. Adverse childhood events experienced by parents and caregivers themselves, as well as economic stress, racial or identity-based discrimination, poor mental health, and other structural barriers, can create an even more challenging parenting experience. Add to this the evolving stressors young people face today and parenting can feel incredibly overwhelming and even isolating.  

But parenting was never meant to be a solo endeavor. Parents and caregivers benefit greatly from strong social connections, opportunities to practice parenting skills, access to concrete support, and communities and systems that prioritize whole-family health and well-being.

What We Fund

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

Funding Resources

Apply Now

Application Timeline

Part 1: Due on Thursday, November 14, 2024, by 5:00 p.m.

Part 2 (if invited to submit): Opens on Thursday, December 12, 2024
Due on Thursday, February 6, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.

Grant Start Date: July 1, 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, applicants must serve a minimum of 75% of young people living with low incomes OR explicitly serve at least 90% of young people who represent one or more of Caring for Colorado’s priority populations.

How does Caring for Colorado define living with low income?

Caring for Colorado defines living with low income as living at or below 260% of the federal poverty level, 80% of Area Median Income, and/or TANF eligible.

Why do organizations need to serve a minimum of 75% of young people living with low incomes OR explicitly serve at least 90% of young people who represent one or more of Caring for Colorado’s priority populations?

In alignment with our commitment to health equity, we prioritize populations who are experiencing the greatest inequities in health, well-being, and opportunity and who have historically faced the most barriers due to systemic inequity, racism, and discrimination. Learn more about our priority populations.

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.
Does our organization have to explicitly serve parents and caregivers of adolescents to apply?
Yes. This focus area is designed to support the parents and caregivers of young people ages 9 to 25. While we understand that many organizations serve families with children of all ages, applications in the Strengthening Families focus area must demonstrate programming and services that specifically target parents and caregivers of adolescents.
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.
Do programs need to be evidence-based?
We fund an array of programs, including evidence-based programs, promising practices, and local adaptations that center local youth voice and the science of adolescent development. We recognize that some evidence-based programs may not be culturally responsive and affirming or must evolve to address changing contexts and emerging issues.
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 general operating grant?
Yes. We will consider general operating and program requests for the Supporting Young People Focus Area.
What is the grant award range?

The annual grant range for this focus area is $50,000-$125,000. We will also consider multi-year requests, for up to 36 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

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

Building Youth-Centered Communities

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.

Learn More