Updated June 24, 2022
After decades of supporting health equity through our grantmaking, Rose Community Foundation joined a coalition of organizations in 2020 to oppose Proposition 115’s proposed restriction on abortion access in Colorado. During the 2022 state legislative session, we joined a coalition of organizations supporting the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which was ultimately signed by the Governor on April 4, 2022.
In Colorado, support for privacy, women’s rights and abortion access transcends party lines, and our position is not borne of partisanship or politics. Regardless of the issue, we are consistently focused on how policies and systems impact children, families and individuals in our local community, and the Foundation’s commitment to advancing equity, inclusion and justice in Greater Denver includes ensuring that all people who can get pregnant have safe and legal access to a full range of reproductive health services. Historically marginalized communities have faced longstanding disparities in access to reproductive health care, and federal policies to limit health care access can strongly exacerbate these disparities.
Thanks to the tireless work of advocacy organizations, the donors who support them, and elected leaders, Colorado is a national model of reproductive health protections. While the blow the Supreme Court dealt to Roe v. Wade was not a surprise, it is no less devastating. Like so many in Colorado and around the country, we are channeling our emotion into action. Rose Community Foundation remains committed to the ongoing work in Colorado to further strengthen protections for reproductive rights and the local medical ecosystem that will likely experience an influx of patients seeking safe and legal abortion care.
Many of our donor-advised fundholders and philanthropic partners are looking for ways to advance health equity and protect reproductive rights and safe and legal access to abortion care. The following guide outlines some potential opportunities for donors’ financial support, and our team would be happy to discuss specific donor interests individually. We will continue to update this list as we learn of additional developments in this space.
Donor-advised funds are not able to grant to 501(c)4 organizations; however, there are several Colorado-based, advocacy-oriented nonprofits eligible for donor-advised and tax-deductible giving, provided the grant is made to the organization’s 501(c)3 arm:
- Cobalt – Colorado nonprofit dedicated to abortion access and reproductive rights.
- Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) – community-rooted Latinx advocacy organization focused on reproductive justice work and enabling Latinx individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy, self-determined lives.
- Elephant Circle – Colorado nonprofit bringing an intersectional, feminist, reproductive justice, design-thinking approach to birth justice.
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains – regional Planned Parenthood affiliate working to protect the right to access safe, legal abortion.
For donors who want to help ensure that Colorado organizations are prepared to provide abortion care under increased demands, consider supporting the following:
- Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center – offers a full range of gynecological and reproductive health care, including abortion services.
- Cobalt Abortion Fund – provides direct financial support to those seeking abortion care and the Cobalt Practical Support Fund covers expenses around transportation, lodging and childcare for those coming to Colorado from other states.
- Comprehensive Women’s Health Center at CU Anschutz – full-service abortion and contraception practice with all board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians.
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains – delivers reproductive and sexual health care including abortion and other health and wellness services.
For donors looking for national funding opportunities, the following organizations are working in other states or at the national level to ensure safe access to abortion:
- Abortion funds in other states – a comprehensive list of organizations funding procedures, abortion pills, transportation and lodging when travel is required, childcare, doula and emotional support, or other needs voiced by people seeking abortions.
- ACLU Foundation – providing legal defense and advocacy for reproductive freedom
- The Brigid Alliance – supports individuals who must travel to specific clinics across the country for abortion care later in pregnancy.
- Center for Reproductive Rights – a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health and well-being of every person.
- Indigenous Women Rising Abortion Fund – honors Native & Indigenous people’s right to equitable and culturally safe health options through accessible health education, resources and advocacy. (please note: contributions are not tax-deductible and donor-advised fund grants cannot be recommended to IWRAF).
- NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation – fights to preserve and expand reproductive freedom and abortion access (please note: donor-advised funds cannot be used to support NARAL’s primary organization, but its foundation is a tax-deductible organization).
- National Abortion Federation – the NAF Hotline Fund operates a national, toll-free, multi-lingual hotline for abortion referrals and financial assistance. You can also make a donation to support abortion providers across the country.
- National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice – fights for equal access to reproductive health for Latina/x communities.
- Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project – assists individuals who are financially unable to pay for safe, legal abortions or emergency contraceptives.
Photo: Rally at the Colorado State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (Eli Imadali for Denverite)