Working with communities across Colorado to improve health and well-being

Caring for Colorado is a statewide grantmaking foundation established in 1999 following the sale of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado, a nonprofit health insurer, to Anthem Insurance, one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States. To recoup the tax breaks provided to Blue Cross Blue Shield over its 61-year history, state law mandated that $155 million from the sale be dedicated to benefiting the public. This led to the creation of Caring for Colorado, with a founding mission to improve health and healthcare for the people of Colorado. The foundation awarded its first grants in 2001.

Before setting its initial funding priorities, the staff and Board of Directors spent a year engaging with Coloradans to understand the state’s most pressing health needs. Through town hall meetings, open surveys, and in-depth discussions with community leaders, significant gaps were identified in the state’s healthcare infrastructure, particularly affecting uninsured individuals, low-income families, people with disabilities, residents in rural or frontier areas, and non-English speakers. From this comprehensive assessment, the foundation’s initial funding priorities were established, focusing on improving healthcare access for underserved populations in Colorado.

Over the years, Caring for Colorado has maintained a strong commitment to engaging with communities across the state to stay attuned to evolving health needs. This ongoing dialogue has led to the continuous refinement of the foundation’s funding priorities, including a pivotal update in 2019 to its mission statement: “Creating equity in health, wellbeing, and opportunity for children and families in Colorado.”

Despite the foundation’s evolution, Caring for Colorado’s funding approach has remained steadfast:

• Listening to communities and providing grant funding based on their identified needs.
• Building long-term relationships and partnerships with people throughout Colorado.
• Ensuring that funding is distributed statewide, not just concentrated in major population centers.
• Prioritizing prevention, early intervention, system building, and policy development to achieve lasting change and improved health outcomes.
• Ensuring that funding is distributed statewide, not just concentrated in major population centers.
• Collaborating with other funders to expand and deepen investments in Colorado communities.

A fundamental value that has consistently guided Caring for Colorado is the importance of collaboration and partnership. Whenever possible, the foundation has joined forces with other funders, through collaboratives or special initiatives, to address complex health challenges. These partnerships have aimed to foster innovation, test new interventions, provide technical assistance, build systems, and shape policies. Typically, these efforts are designed as multi-year projects with clear objectives focused on reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes across Colorado.