Investing in EMERGING LEADERS

About Dottie Lamm

Former First Lady of Colorado Dottie Lamm is a legendary leader and activist. She served as Colorado’s first lady for 12 years when she emerged as a leading advocate for women’s health, quality child care, and gender equality. She was also a founding mother of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, making her mark as the first board chair.

In 1987, The Foundation created the Dottie Lamm Award to honor her commitment to advancing and accelerating opportunities for women and their families throughout the state of Colorado, by recognizing women and their resilience on the path to economic security. The first Dottie Lamm Award was granted in 1988 and has been awarded annually since. Meet Athena Clemens, our 2018 Dottie Lamm Award winner.

We encourage women who believe in the mission and vision of WFCO and draw inspiration from the tremendous leadership of our first board chair to apply for this one-time award of $1,500. The award can be used at the sole discretion of the selected recipient. The application cycle for 2019 is closed. Please check back here in the summer of 2020 for the next application cycle. 

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible, candidates must:

• Be aged in your late-teens to mid-twenties
• Live in Colorado
• Identify as a woman
• Demonstrate that they have overcome challenges and are forging a path to economic security
• Identify a Colorado organization or community resource that made a significant difference in their journey
• Be available to attend and possibly speak at our Annual Luncheon in Denver on October 11th, 2019 (assistance with preparation will be provided by the WFCO team)
• Provide a valid social security number or taxpayer I.D. to accept the $1,500 award (if selected)

Questions?

If you have questions about applying for the Dottie Lamm Award or volunteering as an application reviewer, please contact Alison Friedman Phillips, director of programs, at alisonp@wfco.org or 303-285-2972

Programs for Girls & Young Women

For 10 years, WFCO's Girls' Leadership Council fostered future community leaders and philanthropists. Though the Girls' Leadership Council program ended in 2017, its 147 alumnae will be a part WFCO’s community forever and we commit to bringing youths’ voices into our work and elevating the unique needs and strengths of diverse young women in our state through the Dottie Lamm Leadership Award, internships, fellowships, and the work of our grantees.

Other recommended programs to consider

Our staff has curated a list of organizations that provide leadership, mentoring, afterschool, and summer programs for high-school age girls. We encourage contacting them to learn more. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County, Pueblo County
Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County,  Weld County
Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County, Larimer County
Buddy Program, Roaring Fork Valley
Building Bridges, Denver Metro
Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK), Denver Metro
Full Circle of Lake County, Lake County
Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, Denver Metro
Girls Scouts of Colorado, Statewide
LEAD: Learn, Educate, Achieve, Dare, Grand County
Partners of Delta, Montrose & Ouray, Delta, Montrose and Ouray counties
STAMP Leadership Camp, Denver Metro
Summer Science Scholars, Denver Metro
The Blossom Project, Denver Metro
The Pioneer Prep Leadership Institute, Denver Metro
Colorado Circles for Change (formerly VORP of Metro Denver), Denver Metro
Women's Resource Agency, El Paso County
YouthPower365, Vail Valley
YouthZone, Aspen to Parachute
Youth Celebrate Diversity, Denver Metro, Eagle County & Garfield County
YWCA Boulder County, Boulder County