Support will strengthen policy advocacy, capacity building, and tools that expand access to state grant funding, and bolster nonprofit-led census engagement

April 8, 2026

DENVER, CO – Communities Lead Communities Thrive (CLCT) today announced it has received a multi-year Advocacy and Justice with Communities of Color grant from The Colorado Health Foundation to support the organization’s work strengthening Colorado’s nonprofit ecosystem and advancing systems change in service of health equity across Colorado.

“Community-rooted nonprofits are on the frontlines of addressing Colorado’s most pressing challenges, yet too often they face unnecessary barriers to accessing public resources,” said Marco Dorado, Managing Director of CLCT. “This commitment from The Colorado Health Foundation allows us to continue working alongside nonprofits across the state to improve systems, build capacity, and ensure organizations have the tools they need to serve their communities.”

The five-year investment will help CLCT continue building the long-term infrastructure needed to ensure small, community-rooted nonprofits – especially those led by and serving BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and low-income Coloradans – can more equitably access public funding and shape the policy decisions that affect their communities. 

The Foundation’s commitment also sets the foundation for CLCT’s work to support robust nonprofit engagement as part of critical work to ensure historically undercounted communities participate in the 2030 Census.

“We’re seeing growing recognition that stronger nonprofit infrastructure is essential to healthier, stronger communities,” Dorado added. “Small, community-rooted nonprofits are trusted community messengers, and when they have better access to public funding and responsive partnerships with the state, they are better positioned to support housing stability, food access, youth development, mental health, economic opportunity, and other core drivers of well-being. We are grateful for The Colorado Health Foundation’s partnership and support, which positions us to catalyze the long-term work of building a more equitable nonprofit ecosystem in our state.”

The Foundation’s investment will support CLCT’s work across several interconnected areas:

• Policy Advocacy: Advance reforms informed by our Funding the Frontlines Policy Agenda to break down barriers in state grantmaking, improve administrative processes, and support reforms, including improving payment timelines for nonprofit partners and increasing transparency in grant opportunities.
• 2030 Census: Serve as a leader in preparing and supporting nonprofits statewide to engage in the 2030 Census, with a focus on education and outreach in hard-to-count communities to help ensure an accurate count that shapes resource distribution and political representation for the next decade.
• Coalition Growth: Strengthen a diverse, statewide coalition of nonprofit organizations advocating to improve systems and elevate community-informed solutions.
• Frontline Power Lab Program: Provide hands-on training and technical assistance to help CLCT Coalition members strengthen grant readiness, fundraising strategies, and organizational capacity.
• Colorado State Grant Database: Maintain and expand the State Grant Database for Nonprofits, a first-of-its-kind centralized, publicly-accessible, free database that helps nonprofits identify and track state funding opportunities.

This support comes at a pivotal moment for CLCT, following the coalition’s re-launch in early 2025 to advance a community-informed policy agenda for reforming how the State of Colorado partners with nonprofits, rooted in the lived experience of organizations closest to communities. It marks an important step in CLCT’s long-term effort to transform how public funding reaches community-rooted nonprofits and creates an opportunity to build broader philanthropic partnerships around a multi-year strategy that combines policy advocacy, nonprofit engagement and activation, and capacity building around civic participation and public funding access.

CLCT is the only organization in Colorado singularly focused on improving how the state funds and partners with small nonprofits serving historically excluded communities. Grounded in extensive listening and community engagement, CLCT has grown into a statewide coalition committed to ensuring public funding reaches historically underserved communities. Through a combined approach of policy change, capacity building, and responsive tools, CLCT works to deliver near-term impact while building long-term collective power, so nonprofits have both the resources and systems they need to thrive.

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About Communities Lead Communities Thrive

Communities Lead Communities Thrive (CLCT) is a statewide coalition working to strengthen Colorado’s nonprofit ecosystem by improving access to public funding, building organizational capacity, and advancing policy solutions that center community-rooted organizations serving historically excluded communities. Through policy advocacy, tools, and training, CLCT works to ensure systems support – rather than hinder – the organizations serving communities across the state.

About The Colorado Health Foundation

The Colorado Health Foundation is a statewide philanthropic organization that champions the overall health and well-being of every Coloradan by advocating for and investing in solutions and policies that drive health equity and racial justice. Every day, the Foundation collaborates with organizations and communities across the state to break down the many systemic inequities that stand in the way of health. Learn more at www.coloradohealth.org.