Our Work:
Economic Self-Sufficiency

"Why is economic self-sufficiency of primary importance to women? Health care is only a crisis when women can't afford insurance. Childcare is only a crisis when women can't afford it. Women need jobs that pay a decent wage, so they can buy their way out of a lot of the problems that they face."

Ambassador Swanee Hunt
Director, Public Policy Program,
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
Honorary Trustee, The Women's Foundation of Colorado

The Women's Foundation's funding, initiatives, and community outreach focus on the need for each woman to be able to achieve economic self-sufficiency through:

• Granting to support different approaches to achieving economic self-sufficiency.
• Identifying trends and needs through research and convening.
• Creating awareness through research and outreach activities.
• Strengthening the capacity of our grantee organizations through training, resource development, and peer-to-peer learning.
• Empowering organizations by and for women and girls to affect social systems change through activism, legislation, and advocacy.

Our work is accomplished through two complementary strategies:

• Granting. Direct grants and technical support to organizations working to improve the lives of Colorado's women and girls. The Foundation supports programs offering strategic solutions to the challenge of economic self-sufficiency and activities with potential to trigger systemic change.
• The REACH Program. Proactive initiatives enable us to understand the environment in which Colorado women live. Research allows the Foundation and partner organizations to identify emerging problems as well as accomplishments to celebrate. Collaborations with organizations and communities provide opportunities to learn and share findings.