The mission of the Colorado Health Foundation is to improve the health of Coloradans. It operates on three cornerstones: serving Coloradans with less power, privilege, and income, especially prioritizing those of color; being informed by the community it aims to serve; and focusing all efforts towards creating health equity.
The grant, "Supporting Healthy Minds and Youth Resiliency," aims to support youth of color and LGBTQ youth in developing resilience through identity, agency, and belonging, in recognition of the challenges these groups face due to systemic oppression and discrimination. The program acknowledges the higher instances of anxiety, depression, and suicidality among these communities compared to their white, cisgender, and heterosexual peers and their limited access to culturally relevant support. The grant focuses on nurturing healthy minds by integrating identity, agency, and belonging into an array of youth programming, including but not limited to civic engagement, poetry and the arts, traditional cultural practices, outdoor adventure, apprenticeship or job skill training, and community service.