Our mission at Early Milestones Colorado is clear: we aim to make our state the best place to be a child. One of many ways we improve early childhood is through collaborative funding that supports local solutions. Since 2015, we have disbursed more than $35 million to scale and spread change for all young children and their families in Colorado. Our Impact on Equity (IOE) Initiative was launched in 2024 to build on this success.
From 2024 – 26, IOE focused on powering collaborations to reduce inequities for families with children prenatal to three. These collaborations improved the lives of the people and places furthest from opportunity through policy and practice change. The initiative has concluded and will not be re-opened.
Our Grantees
Aspen Community Foundation – Passed a new Special Tax District for Early Childhood through The Confluence Early Childhood Education Coalition (CECE Coalition)
Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative – Brought together communities, peers, lived experience experts, providers, and policymakers to create an equitable and integrated perinatal behavioral health system
Hunger Free Colorado – Tracked experiences of families in accessing SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs and developing systems and policy recommendations to improve access
Immunize Colorado – Improved immunization rate equities in El Paso County and statewide
La Plata Food Equity Coalition – Advocated for early care and learning to serve Latine families with children 0-3 years
Mile High United Way – Removed barriers for Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers to achieve maximum uptake in claiming Colorado’s Care Worker Tax Credit
Triad Bright Futures – Supported Maternal Child Health Leaders for Equity (MCHLE) for Latine community members to explore careers in Maternal and Child Health
Impact on Equity grantees focused their efforts on the counties highlighted in dark blue in the map below.
Our Funding Partners
The IOE was seeded by a $2.5M donation from MacKenzie Scott to Early Milestones. We also had generous support from five additional visionary funding partners – one anonymous national funder and four highly respected local Colorado philanthropic leaders in Early Childhood, Kate Kennedy Reinemund, Chris Watney, the Carson Foundation, and the Chambers Initiative.
Impact on Equity Initiative Outcomes
Impact on Equity was guided by three pillars: strengthening and deepening collaborations, reducing inequities affecting children from the perinatal period through age three, and driving systems and policy change. Grantees final results demonstrate the impact of this approach:
- Dedicated early childhood funding secured. Aspen Community Foundation and the CECE Coalition passed Ballot 1A, creating a special tax district to fund early childhood education.
- Perinatal behavioral health systems strengthened. CPCQC expanded lived-experience integration and improved collaboration between the IMPACT BH and FIRST programs.
- New nutrition data collected. Hunger Free Colorado launched the BANANA Survey, gathering input from 129 respondents.
- Community trust and vaccine access increased. Immunize Colorado hosted three Community Baby Showers, serving 330 community members.
- Caregivers connected to critical supports. Mile High United Way and Lantern enrolled 450 family, friend, and neighbor caregivers into the FFN Channel and connected them to critical resources and state supports.
- Child care funding and community leadership expanded. La Plata Food Equity Coalition passed Ballot Measure 1A and strengthened grassroots leadership among Latine families.
- A new maternal and child health leadership pipeline launched. Triad Bright Futures enrolled Latina leaders in a 12-month Maternal Child Health Leaders for Equity cohort.
Early Milestones Colorado is honored to have worked alongside grantees whose commitment, innovation, and leadership are advancing equity for Colorado’s youngest children and their families.
Grantees, funders, and Early Milestones staff convene in March 2026 for the final cohort meeting and celebration
