Every day, Coloradans make decisions that shape their families, neighborhoods and futures – yet too often, the systems that govern those decisions may feel out of their reach. Civic engagement initiatives and organizations can be a bridge between lived experience and leadership, ensuring community members have a voice in the direction of our region. And in a state like Colorado where so many important and complex issues appear on the ballot for voters to decide, access to high-quality non-partisan information to aid in decision-making is critical. When people are both informed and empowered to participate, communities are more likely to thrive.
In 2025, Rose Community Foundation awarded $270,000 to 11 organizations working to broaden civic engagement in the Greater Denver region. These nonprofits and initiatives are engaging youth, building leadership and removing barriers to participation in local policy and electoral processes.
One of these grantees, Colorado Polling Institute (CPI), conducted a statewide poll in November of more than 600 registered Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated voters, exploring Coloradans’ views on a range of issues. With a grant from Rose Community Foundation, CPI was able to expand the surveyed population to ensure strong representation of the growing number of Latino voters statewide, providing deeper insight into the perspectives of Colorado’s diverse communities. By including a wide range of voices from across the state, the survey provides vital insight into what is working well, where challenges remain and where new opportunities may exist.
“It’s critical for our leaders to understand how Coloradans view our state,” said CPI Founder and CEO David Carlson. “Our goal is to provide nonpartisan insights to help state leaders not only understand the challenges people are facing but also motivate them to find solutions.”
Participants weighed in on a variety of questions, including views of Colorado, the economy, immigration, healthcare, and where Coloradans access news and information.
Survey results revealed that immigration, the rising cost of living, affordability of housing and healthcare are top of mind for many Coloradans. Sixty-one percent reported cutting spending on non-essential items in the past year as financial pressures have increased, significantly higher than national poll results for the same question. In the area of public health, 83 percent of respondents said they support vaccine mandates for children attending public schools. You can view the complete poll here.
In addition to providing funding support, the Foundation partnered with CPI to host a polling briefing for its policy and advocacy grantees ahead of the public release, enabling local organizations working on a wide range of issues to ask questions directly of the pollsters Lori Weigel, principal of New Bridge Strategy, and Kevin Ingham, founder and principal of Aspect Strategic.
“We’re proud to play a small role in supporting Colorado Polling Institute’s work to capture and amplify the diverse voices, perspectives, and priorities of people across Colorado,” says Rose Community Foundation President and CEO Lindy Eichenbaum Lent. “Their research can help guide smarter strategies, inform public policy, and ultimately help all of us build stronger, more connected and resilient communities.”
Despite challenges identified in the poll, the findings also revealed a note of optimism: more than three-in-four Coloradans believe we have more in common than what divides us.
Colorado Polling Institute’s work is just one example of how our grantee partners are amplifying community voices, informing leaders and ensuring more people have proximity to the local and state policymaking shaping everyday life.
View the full list of 2025 civic engagement grantees below:
Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable | To support operations for grassroots civic engagement and advocacy efforts across Colorado. CCER equips its 40 nonprofit partners with skills and resources through trainings, coaching, leadership development and more.
Colorado Polling Institute | To conduct additional interviews with Latino voters in CPI’s fall 2025 statewide poll in order to gain insights from Colorado’s largest non-white voting demographic on key issues facing the state.
Colorado Youth Congress | To advance young peoples’ continued development in the Colorado Youth Congress as they build and use their own leadership as a means to advance public welfare and justice.
Common Cause Education Fund | To support Colorado’s ecosystem for nonpartisan election protection, democratic processes, voter engagement and ensure voting rights legislation is implemented fairly and effectively.
Community Resource Center | To support programs that increase the capacity of Colorado nonprofits and the communities they serve to enhance civic engagement and advance inclusive and community-centered policy.
Institute of Evidence-Based Policymaking | To equip voters, organizations and policymakers with thorough, evidence-based analysis of ballot measures so they can make informed decisions.
League of Women Voters of Colorado | To support nonpartisan efforts to protect free and fair elections and civil rights in Colorado.
RISE Colorado | To empower families most impacted by the opportunity gap to advocate for educational equity within their public school systems.
Teach Plus | To equip and empower teacher leaders to advocate for and implement better policies that support Colorado’s students furthest from opportunity.
Young Aspiring Americans for Social and Political Activism | To strengthen YAASPA’s capacity building programming, with a focus on empowering youth to break barriers that prohibit them from being civically engaged.
YouthRoots | To support the YouthScan project – engaging disenfranchised youth in providing authentic, real-time input on issues that impact their lives.