Rose Community Foundation, in collaboration with peer funders across Colorado, is proud to announce the launch of the Colorado Safe Futures Fund. This initiative is dedicated to preventing firearm-related injury and death throughout the state using a public health approach.
Preventable injuries and deaths from firearms impact Coloradans every day. Firearms are the third leading cause of death from injury among adults and the leading cause of death for young people in our state. There are countless alarming statistics about firearm harm, underscoring the urgent need for meaningful change.
In 2023, Rose Community Foundation and the Colorado Health Foundation launched a statewide philanthropic partnership aimed at preventing firearm injury and death using a public health approach. To date, the Fund has secured nearly $1 million in commitments from additional funding partners who are helping to advance this critical work.
The Fund’s primary objective is to invest in and advocate for efforts that reduce and prevent firearm-related injury and death in Colorado. We plan to do this by:
- Investing in local interventions – rural, urban, and suburban – in partnership with local governments and community-based organizations.
- Supporting statewide initiatives that build momentum, attracting additional federal and national funding.
- Establishing a central philanthropic hub to foster learning and networking opportunities, ensure alignment, and increase investments.
The Colorado Safe Futures Fund is proud to be the initial seed funder for Trailhead Institute’s Firearm-Related Harm and Violence Prevention (FHVP) Program Office, which shares our vision of addressing this issue with a public health approach. The Fund has supported Trailhead’s FHVP Program Office to serve as a strategic partner, host a statewide roundtable, and convene community-based conversations to understand the needs and opportunities for evidence-based work to reduce firearm injury and death.
The Colorado Safe Futures Fund and the FHVP Program Office are creating a framework to help communities develop their own approach based on each community’s local needs, risk factors and potential intervention strategies.
The Fund is not yet accepting grant applications, as we are currently focused on fundraising and defining our collective priorities and processes. To stay informed about future grant opportunities, please sign up for updates at cosafefuturesfund.org.
Those interested in supporting the work can donate to the Colorado Safe Futures Fund here.