Deadline: 15 June 2020
Amplifying Health Advocacy funding opportunity will support a range of advocacy tactics across the state of Colorado that will enable all Coloradans to live their healthiest lives. Through providing general operating support, technical assistance and opportunities for convening, the Foundation seeks to contribute to a stronger and more interconnected ecosystem of advocates across the state who are working to advance health equity in Colorado.
A strong ecosystem of diverse health advocates can support the adoption and implementation of policies that address health equity and work to bring health in reach for low-income Coloradans and communities of color. Organizations that represent a wide range of organizational sizes, areas of focus, and types of advocacy will be funded as part of this ecosystem. They will include grassroots organizations, those who work primarily at the state legislature, and other types of advocacy.
Funding Information
Typically, funding will range from $50,000 to $200,000 annually and will be available for two to three years. As a part of this funding opportunity, grantees will be asked to actively participate in and co-design grantee convenings twice a year.
Criteria
- Include each of the following features:
- Foundation Alignment: Aligns with and advances the Foundation’s cornerstones in service to the Foundation’s mission.
- Advocacy Focus: Focuses on advocacy related to public policies at the local, state and/or federal level. Activities that address changing individual behaviors or providing direct services will not receive consideration.
- Community Support: Reflects the interests of community members most impacted by health inequities; this should go beyond demonstrating support of the sponsoring organization or group and instead show authentic engagement of and/or with community members.
- Impact: Describes how the work will lead to the intended impact on public policy at the local, state and/or federal level related to the above priorities, as well as how activities undertaken will contribute to bringing health in reach for communities experiencing health inequities.
- Right Group: Reflects why your organization is the appropriate group to conduct the work, including expertise in the proposed approach to advocacy, understanding of the issues you seek to address, responsiveness to and connection with the community you are seeking to serve and trust from the community, other advocates and policymakers.
- Seeks to ensure low-income Coloradans’ interests and priorities are front and center in shaping public policy decisions that impact health. This will include one or more of the following:
- Advocating for public policy changes at the local, state and/or federal level
- Protecting existing local, state and/or federal policies that are contributing to health equity
- Improving or supporting equitable implementation of existing local, state or federal policies
- Building political will to support public policies that advance health equity
- Focuses on advocacy opportunities that align with one or more of the Foundation’s priorities:
- Primary Care: Creating equity in access to and use of high-quality, comprehensive primary care.
- Children Move More: Supporting children to move their bodies safely and conveniently on a daily basis.
- Early Childhood Social-Emotional Development: Enhancing services and supports that foster social-emotional development and resiliency of young children.
- Youth and Young Adult Resiliency: Ensuring teens and young adults have access to the resources they need to support healthy minds.
- Adult Recovery: Ensuring adults have access to local recovery resources that promote healthy minds and productive lives.
- Food Access and Security: Ensuring Coloradans have enough affordable, nutritious food.
- Affordable Housing: Supporting access to affordable, safe and high-quality housing options.
Note: Applicants should directly address each of the above criteria in their grant application and indicate how their advocacy work aims to advance health equity in Colorado.
Eligibility Criteria
- Grants from the Foundation can be used to support the full range of advocacy tactics that are legally permissible for 501(c)(3) organizations. These include, but are not limited to:
- Coalition building, management and facilitation
- Community organizing, base-building and mobilization
- Educating policymakers, people and groups who influence policy about policy issues and solutions
- Issue education, framing and communications
- Media advocacy
- Litigation and legal advocacy
- Policy and legal analysis
- Drafting model policy
- Policymaker accountability
- Engaging candidates for public office
- Regulatory advocacy
- Voter engagement
- The Foundation will not fund advocacy tactics that involve partisan political activities or any activities that are prohibited for 501(c)(3) organizations.
Note: Current advocacy grantees, whose grants are still active and are scheduled to end after Feb. 1, 2021, are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit https://coloradohealth.org/funding-opportunities/funding-opportunity-amplifying-health-advocacy