Colorado Latino Age Wave Announces Planning Grant Awards and Project Fellows

Denver, CO – Colorado Latino Age Wave today announced their Innovative Planning Grant awards totaling $50,000 to ten nonprofit organizations in Metro Denver and named three Fellows who will further promote the work of Colorado Latino Age Wave in the community in 2012-2013.

A community assessment conducted earlier this year by Colorado Latino Age Wave confirmed that aging Latino populations in the Metro Denver region do not have access to adequate human services. As such, awards for the 2012 Innovative Planning Grants will be used by community organizations to help assess their readiness and capacity to develop programs that serve the interest of the Latino aging population.

Recipients of Colorado Latino Age Wave grants for 2012:

  • Catholic Charities
  • Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO)
  • Colorado Center for Law and Policy
  • Colorado Gerontological Society
  • Hunger Free Colorado
  • Latino Task Force/Mental Health Partners
  • Mi Casa Resource Center
  • Rebuilding Together Metro Denver
  • Sisters of Color United for Education
  • Denver Office on Aging

A future, second round of implementation grants will be made available to provide funding to launch services, advocacy and outreach to the Latino aging population.The Colorado Latino Age Wave Fellows Program intends to mobilize and train highly skilled Latino adults to be ambassadors and advocates on issues and services relevant to the Latino aging population. Fellows will support the development of new programs, coalitions and advocacy efforts that address the unique issues facing Latino seniors.

Latino Fellows Program Participants for 2012-2013:

José Aguayo, a U.S. Army veteran and retired founding executive of Museo de las Americas, will work with veterans in the community.

Mike Cortés, a part-time public policy instructor at University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, will work on public policy issues.

Maria Dolores Young, currently works part time at Via Mobility Services and will focus on transportation issues.

Launched in October 2011, Colorado Latino Age Wave was developed in response to research by a partnering organization, Hispanics in Philanthropy, that projected a rising “wave” of Latinos entering la tercera edad (third stage of life), and identified a unique set of needs for this growing population. Colorado Latino Age Wave raises awareness and support for Latino aging issues in the Metro Denver community, increases philanthropic dollars focusing on Latino aging issues, advocates for increased access to community services, and engages Latino adults 50+ to participate as leaders and activists to improve the economic health and vitality of Latino elders.

Colorado Latino Age Wave is a multi-year partnership project of the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado, Rose Community Foundation and Hispanics in Philanthropy with generous support from The Colorado Health Foundation and Community First Foundation. For more information on Colorado Latino Age Wave, please visit rcfdenver.org/content/colorado-latino-age-wave.

More about Colorado Latino Age Wave supporting organizations:

Established in 2007, the Latino Community Foundation of Colorado (LCFC) is an organization dedicated to developing and leveraging resources and leadership to strengthen Colorado’s Latino families and communities. Since its inception, the LCFC has provided 60 grants totaling more than $875,000 to Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofit organizations throughout Colorado. The LCFC is an initiative of Rose Community Foundation launched in partnership with Hispanics in Philanthropy, The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation, Western Union Foundation and individual LCFC Founders to be a resource in the community and a catalyst for positive change.

The Colorado Health Foundation’s vision is to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation. To achieve this vision, The Colorado Health Foundation invests in grants and initiatives to health related nonprofits that encourage healthy living and increase the number of Coloradans with health insurance. They also work to ensure that Coloradans have access to quality, coordinated care as well as operating medical education programs to increase the health care workforce. For more information, visit coloradohealth.org.

Rose Community Foundation supports efforts to improve the quality of life throughout the Greater Denver community through its endowed grantmaking programs, and by advising and assisting donors who wish to make thoughtful charitable investments to better the community. The Foundation has granted more than $187 million since it was founded in 1995. For more information, visit rcfdenver.org.

Community First Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life in the seven-county metropolitan Denver community by using their resources to fund vital community initiatives, support nonprofit organizations, and assist individuals with charitable giving. Community First Foundation helps donors support charitable causes through planned giving and Donor Advised Funds, and offers grants, fund management and fund-raising education to nonprofits. They have been serving the community since their founding in 1975. Learn more at communityfirstfoundation.org.

The mission of Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) is to strengthen Latino communities by increasing resources for the Latino and Latin American civil sector by increasing Latino participation and leadership throughout the field of philanthropy; and to foster change to enhance equity and inclusiveness. For more information, visit hiponline.org.