The Colorado Health Foundation

The Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) is a private foundation with $2.9B in assets that awards approximately $100 million per year in grants across Colorado. CHF operates with an explicit equity and racial justice lens, centering communities of color and those with less power and income. The foundation takes a multifaceted approach combining grantmaking, policy advocacy, learning/evaluation, and capacity building.

CHF uses a defined 10-priority framework: Adult Recovery, Advocacy, Affordable Housing, Capacity Building, Community Solutions, Economic Opportunity, Food Access & Security, Locally Focused Work, Primary Care, and Thriving Young People. All grantees must align with these priorities and CHF equity/racial justice cornerstones.

Grant cycles run three times per year (February, June, October deadlines) plus ongoing rolling funding with no deadline. CHF funds projects, general operating support, capacity building, and capital improvements. Program-related investments (below-market loans) are also available for nonprofits and mission-aligned private sector partners.

CHF awards about $100M/year across 677 documented grants, with awards ranging from $30 to $3.9M. Median grant is $75K; average is $168K. The foundation prioritizes health equity and racial justice work in Colorado, with a strong focus on direct service organizations, policy advocacy organizations, and capacity builders.

The foundation tracks locally focused work for specific rural and underserved counties: Alamosa, Crowley, Pueblo, Eagle, East Colfax Corridor (Denver), Montrose, Morgan, Otero, and Rio Grande. Organizations serving these geographies are encouraged to connect with locally-assigned program officers.

CHF uses rolling funding for ongoing work and deadline-based cycles for project-specific grants. Annual grantmaking expenses were $136.8M in 2024 and $156.5M in 2023.

With $2.9B in assets and ~$100M/year in grantmaking, CHF is the largest health-focused private foundation in Colorado, comparable in scale to state-level health conversion foundations nationwide. CHF is significantly larger than most Colorado-focused foundations.

CHF explicit racial equity framework puts it in the vanguard of equity-centered foundations. The 10-priority area model with locally assigned program officers offers high accessibility and early relationship-building opportunities compared to foundations that only review unsolicited applications. CHF publishes its grant awards, evaluation reports, and Pulse Poll results publicly, reflecting a strong accountability posture.

In 2024, CHF disbursed $136.8M in charitable grants and contributions. Total assets stood at $2.89B. The foundation updated its priority area framework to a 10-priority model and published its 2025 Pulse Poll results.

Recent thematic emphasis includes Adult Recovery, Affordable Housing as a social determinant, and Thriving Young People. CHF also launched a Local Ballot Measure Tracker to support its policy advocacy work. The foundation continues its Nonprofit Sabbatical Program and the Dr. Virgilio Licona Community Health Leadership Award annually.

1. Connect with a program officer early. CHF explicitly encourages this before submitting. Call 303-953-3600 or use the online form. Program officers can confirm alignment and advise on proposal framing.

2. Align with at least one of the 10 priority areas AND the equity/racial justice cornerstones. Generic health proposals without explicit connection to equity and communities of color are unlikely to be funded.

3. Understand the three cycles. February, June, and October deadlines map to different programs. Rolling funding is available year-round for ongoing work.

4. Create a grantee portal account at least one week before the deadline. Use Google Chrome for full portal functionality.

5. Fiscal sponsorship is accepted. New or emerging organizations without 501(c)(3) status may apply through a qualifying fiscal sponsor with board approval.

6. Hard exclusions: for-profits, scholarship funds, organizations with religious participation requirements, endowments (except sustainability-focused), debt retirement.