Twelve organizations in metro Denver are the first recipients of UCHealth’s new community grant program. The program was created to support nonprofit organizations working to address key health issues in the communities UCHealth serves.

“UCHealth is thrilled to launch this transformative grant program, partnering with a diverse group of impactful organizations across Colorado. Through these grants, UCHealth continues its unwavering commitment to enhancing community well-being and fostering a healthier Colorado,” said Christina Hixson, UCHealth’s senior director of partnerships and community programs.

Recipients were selected for their innovative approaches to improving mental and behavioral health, addressing food insecurity, offering solutions to improve economic stability, making health care more accessible and more.

Each organization received awards ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 to help fund the following programs:

• The Gathering Place’s Stability and Recovery program addresses economic instability by providing basic needs and wraparound services for unhoused individuals.
• City Year Denver’s implementation of a Social Work Fellows program and behavioral health certification program with the goal of scaling talent pathways in Colorado and across the nation.
• Food Bank of the Rockies’ Food for Health program provides weekly nutritious food deliveries to Coloradans who identify as food insecure and also have a chronic condition such as diabetes or hypertension.
• Center for Work Education and Employment (CWEE) offers a workforce development program including education, job support, child care, nutrition, transportation and housing to help low-income individuals achieve socio-economic advancement.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Colorado provides peer to peer behavioral health support programs to educate and advocate for families impacted by mental illness.
• Sister-to-Sister, Inc. offers a Black maternal wellness and mental health education program that includes workshops and resources to equip women of color with tools to advocate for their own health, including pairing with representative doulas.
• Aurora Health Alliance creates programming for residents of Aurora to have equitable access to health care.
• Colorado Black Health Collaborative’s Project Haircare is a community-based program that provides Black barbers and stylists with mental health training and education to support their clients in need.
• Colorado Health Institute for Metro Denver Partnership Health is creating a behavioral health workgroup advisory committee with a goal to create inclusive practices and ensure diverse voices are heard and integrated in MDPH’s initiatives.
• DSST Public Schools is expanding a summer CNA credentialing program and this grant supports costs for low-income families.
• Aurora Public Schools Foundation is expanding their Summer Bridge program, a work-based learning opportunity that includes health care career pathways.
• Food for Thought Denver is working to bridge the weekend hunger gap by delivering food to schools for students to take home on the weekends.

 Applications for next year’s round of UCHealth’s statewide grant funding will open in Spring 2025.

UCHealth is dedicated to improving the well-being and lives of Coloradans. Last year, UCHealth provided $1.2 billion in community benefits including $580 million in uncompensated care.