We invest in the power of community
Founded and funded by and for Denver, we turn our community’s desire to help into action to address Denver’s mental health and substance misuse needs.
News + Events
Take our 2022 Community Check In Survey!
Caring for Denver Foundation was founded and funded with overwhelming voter support to address Denver’s mental health and substance misuse needs. Guided by community input, the organization has funded more than $82.2 million in the areas of alternatives to jail, care...
18 Denver programs, many working to direct kids away from trouble with crime and substance misuse, share in $12M
Fueled by a city sales tax, the Caring for Denver fund, awardees this year included 5280 High School and Youth Advocate Programs, which specialize in drug recovery and child welfare for youth Colorado Sun Brammhi Balarajan 4:18 AM MDT on Aug 12, 2022 Students graduate...
Caring for Denver Invests $12.1M in Alternatives to Jail Grant
Out Front Magazine (OFM) AUGUST 9, 2022 Photo courtesy of Caring for Denver on Facebook A previous poll by The Colorado Health Foundation found that many people consider mental health and substance use serious problems for Coloradans. This is especially true for BIPOC...
What we’ve accomplished together so far
Without you there is no us. Since 2019, we’ve funded organizations that serve every City Council District and neighborhood in Denver to transform mental health and substance misuse care.
$83+
million granted to address mental health & substance misuse
70%
reduced substance misuse
(across grantees reporting)
83%
improved mental health
(across grantees reporting)
Where
we work
We listen to Denver’s communities, those with lived experience, and those doing the work to understand how mental health and substance misuse show up in our lives. Together, this knowledge, experience, and collaboration reveal what reports and metrics alone can’t, and guide our funding priorities.
Alternatives to Jail
Community-Centered Solutions & Care Provision
Youth
Denver’s Stories of Progress
Star Girlz Empowerment, Inc.
“As young women, we’re always taught to be strong women, and we’re always looked upon as superheroes. But the things that we go through, the trauma and stress of everyday life really weigh us down.”
Star Girlz Empowerment, Inc.
“As young women, we’re always taught to be strong women, and we’re always looked upon as superheroes. But the things that we go through, the trauma and stress of everyday life really weigh us down.”
Women’s Wilderness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLjmI08gFN0 Women’s Wilderness supports girls, women and LGBTQ+ people in accessing their power and improving their health through connections to the outdoors and community. Caring for Denver funded the Women’s Wilderness Outdoor...
Colorado Village Collaborative
“Something very powerful when you recover is you want to help other people going through the same thing.”
– Cuica Montoya, Colorado Village Collaborative
Make a Chess Move
At Make a Chess Move, an organization committed to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and teaching common sense education, the game of chess symbolizes real-life situations. This Caring for Denver grant recipient offers in-school and community-based programs in...
From grant opportunities to community listening sessions to sharing your stories of impact, let’s find a way to collaborate.
Meet
our team
