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Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity.

Program Summary

The purpose of this funding is to advance health and well-being for young people ages 9 to 25 in Colorado who experience health inequities due to economic injustice, racism, and discrimination through strategic investments designed to support young people, strengthen families, and build youth-centered communities.

We work to improve health outcomes for people experiencing the greatest inequities in health, well-being, and opportunity. Recognizing that economic injustice, racism, and discrimination are major drivers of health inequity, for our Youth Health and Well-Being funding priority, we prioritize:

• Young people and families living with low incomes, defined as living below 260% of the federal poverty level, 80% Area Median Income, or TANF eligible.
• Communities of color, including individuals from various racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds not identified as white.
• Young people who identify as 2SLGBTQAI+.
• Young people who are experiencing the child welfare system.
• Young people being raised by grandparents or other kinship caregivers.
• Young people who are experiencing housing insecurity.
• Young people who are experiencing the juvenile justice system.
• Young people who are pregnant or parenting.
• Young people who are experiencing interpersonal or family violence or abuse.
• Newly arrived immigrants or refugees.
• Young people who are experiencing family separation and/or instability due to parent involvement in the justice or immigration system.
• Young people living with visible or invisible disabilities, including physical or intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions that create barriers to education, healthcare, or employment.
• Young people who are pregnant or parenting.

Review the guidance under the Funding Resources tabÌý for full details.Ìý

Deadlines

• CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST October 13, 2025
• Sponsor Registration Deadline: November 4, 2025
• Sponsor Application Deadline: November 6, 2025

Internal Application Requirements

• Focus/Strategy Area (select 1-2 that most align with your project):
  • Supporting Young People
  • Strengthening Families
  • 2GEN: Supporting Young People and Strengthening Families
  • Building Youth-Centered Communities
• Project Summary (2 pages maximum): Detail the proposed work, beneficiary population, and tie to selected strategies; address what will be done, how, for whom, and outcomes sought.
• PI CV / Biosketch
• Budget Overview (up to 1 page): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:Ìý

Focus Area Eligibility

Supporting Young People and Strengthening Families: The proposed work serves a minimum of 75% of young people/families who live on low incomes (at or below 260% of the federal poverty level, 80% Area Median Income, or TANF eligible) OR the proposed work explicitly centers one of Caring for Colorado’s priority populations (at least 90% of the young people or families served identify with the population centered). We recognize that many young people hold multiple, intersecting identities and may experience overlapping forms of inequity. However, for eligibility purposes, this requirement is intended to support efforts that are intentionally designed by and for a specific priority population. Therefore, multiple priority populations cannot be combined to meet the 90% threshold.

Building Youth-Centered Communities: The proposed work serves one or more of the following counties: Alamosa, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Fremont, Garfield, Huerfano, Kit Carson, Lake, La Plata, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Grande, Saguache, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma OR the applicant is a School-based Health Center that provides comprehensive, equitable healthcare to young people (ages 9 to 25).

Limited Submission Guidelines

Organizations can only submit one application.

Award Information

The grant range from the last cycle was $60,000 (12-month period) to $300,000 (36-month period).

Rubric/Evaluation Criteria

• Is this project eligible?
  • Eligible projects focus on one Focus Area: Strengthening Families, Supporting Young People, or 2GEN strategies.
  • Caring for Colorado mandates that projects serve a minimum of 75% of low-income youth OR explicitly serve one of their priority populations, meaning that at least 90% of young people served identify with that population.
    • Please see the list of Youth Health and Well-Being priority populationsÌý
  • It’sÌýinsufficient for projects to ‘welcome’ people from all backgrounds; successful projects actively center their priority population(s) in their work. Phrased differently, these projects should be 'run by and for' their priority population. El Centro Amistad in Boulder County is a great example; El Centro Amistad’s programs are written specifically with, and for, their target population.
• How does this project reflect 1 - 2 of our funding strategies?
  • For the ’Supporting Young People’ focus area, projects shouldÌýfocus on 1 - 2 of the eligible funding strategies:
    • Cultivate healthy, supporting relationships and social networks with peers, near-peers, and trusted adults.
    • Explore their values, interests and goals.
    • Contribute in meaningful ways to others and to their community.
    • Make good decisions and establish positive health behaviors.
  • Individual mental health counseling/therapy is NOT an eligible funding strategy, but peer-to-peer mentoring qualifies.
  • For the ’Strengthening Families’ focus area, projects should focus on 1 -2 of the eligible funding strategies:
    • Strengthen family bonds and cultivate healthy parent/caregiver-adolescent relationships.
    • Deepen their knowledge of adolescent development and parenting strategies that support young people’s health and well-being.
    • Develop meaningful social connections with other parents, caregivers and advocates.
    • Access concrete support, especially in times of need (this strategy must accompany at least one another strategy from the focus area)
  • More is not better; selecting 2 -3 strategies doesn’t give applicants a competitive edge. Grantees must complete a learning and assessment report for each strategy, so Caring for Colorado actively discourages selecting more than 2 strategies. One is sufficient.
• Is the project in line with Caring for Colorado’s Guiding Principles?
  • Caring for Colorado lists its Guiding Principles inÌý.
• Is the project aligned with its community context?
  • Grassroots community partnerships and community buy-in as key factors in grant decision-making.
  • Caring for Colorado prefers to fund programs/initiatives in rural areas and/or communities with fewer resources. The have a ’statewide breadth, rural depth’ philosophy, which manifests as 70% of all Youth Health and Well-Being grants serving communities outside of the seven-county metro area (Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Boulder).Ìý