By Kristy Bassuener
The Colorado Safe Futures Fund (CSFF) announced $770,000 in inaugural grants to 18 Colorado organizations working to prevent firearm-related injuries and deaths – a leading cause of preventable harm statewide.
Firearms are the third leading cause of injury-related death among Colorado adults and the leading cause of death for youth ages 1-17, making firearm harm one of Colorado’s most urgent public health challenges.
Firearms are the leading cause of death associated with suicide, community violence, domestic violence and targeted and mass shootings. (Trailhead Institute)
In 2024, Colorado recorded 958 firearm deaths statewide across all ages; 710 (74 percent) were suicides. (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Firearm Data Dashboard)
Suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people statewide, with one in five teens reporting access to a loaded firearm; firearm access is a major cause of suicide risk due to their lethality. (Colorado School of Public Health)
In 2024, there were 72 domestic violence fatalities in Colorado; 75 percent involved firearms. (Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board)
In response to these alarming trends, in 2023 Rose Community Foundation and Colorado Health Foundation launched the Colorado Safe Futures Fund, a statewide philanthropic partnership dedicated to powering community-led initiatives to prevent firearm harm. Formally launched in November 2024 with investment from 11 foundations and broad partner support,the partnership centered its grantmaking goals around strengthening community safety statewide and providing actionable data, resources and capacity to drive meaningful change.
“The Colorado Safe Futures Fund supports public health approaches to preventing firearm injuries and deaths,” says Rose Community Foundation President and CEO Lindy Eichenbaum Lent. “Investing in trusted local nonprofit organizations that deeply understand and reflect their communities can help prevent tragedies and strengthen well-being while simultaneously respecting the rights of those who choose to responsibly own firearms.”
The 18 grantees span Colorado and represent rural, urban and suburban communities leading locally-driven approaches to prevent suicide, partner violence, mass shootings, community violence and accidental firearm injuries and deaths. Initial grants support practical, evidence-based public health strategies that aim to make Colorado communities safer and more resilient.
A Collaborative Approach
Colorado Safe Futures Fund partners include The Colorado Health Foundation, Caring for Colorado Foundation, Colorado Access Foundation, The Colorado Trust, The Denver Foundation, Johnson Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Foundation, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Rose Community Foundation, and the Craig Scheckman Family Foundation.
Firearm harm touches every community, regardless of race, gender, geography, age or socioeconomics. A collaborative approach to this complex and widespread issue allows for community-centered, locally informed strategies to promote safer futures for all Coloradans.
CSFF 2025 grantees and initiatives include:
Rise Above Violence | (Archuleta County) To support Rise Above Violence’s Firearms Relinquishment Program through system coordination and policy improvement, ultimately improving victim safety and offender accountability.
San Miguel Resource Center | (San Miguel and Montrose Counties) To reduce gun violence risk by supporting domestic and sexual violence victims through advocacy, crisis intervention, safety planning, financial assistance, outreach and education, while preventing future violence through a youth prevention program.
Spark the Change Colorado | (Southwest Colorado) To expand suicide prevention, post-vention and firearm safety initiatives through existing programs to reduce the rate of firearm violence of all types.
Tri-County Health Network | (Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties) To support their Lethal Means Safety efforts where firearms are the leading means of suicide and expanding the We Are The Ones campaign to partner with gun owners as trusted voices, deliver trainings and promote safe storage.
American Academy of Pediatrics Colorado | (statewide) To support the AAPC’s Secure Their Future program, a pediatrician-led campaign promoting secure firearm storage among patients and families.
Colorado Ceasefire, a grantee of the Fund, equips students and teachers with tools to lead prevention efforts, engage in firearm-violence-prevention dialogues and build resilience in their own communities.
“Support from Colorado Safe Futures Fund has enabled us to expand our school-based internship and classroom program, partnering with schools around the state with high exposure to gun violence,” says Colorado Ceasefire Executive Director Laney Sheffel. “Also, thanks to the Fund, we are now able to offer modest stipends to high-risk students who intern with us, giving young people a professional development opportunity, engaging them in a topic that’s relevant to them and helping to build the next generation of gun-violence-prevention leaders.”
Together, the 18 inaugural grantees showcase the depth and diversity of Colorado’s firearm-injury prevention efforts – centering community voices while advancing the priority areas of suicide prevention, community violence prevention, intimate partner violence prevention, mass violence prevention and accidental injury or death.
“We are thrilled to get dollars out into the communities doing the work on the ground,” says Michaelle Smith, executive director of the Grand Junction-based Rocky Mountain Health Foundation, a CSFF partner. “By coming together as a collaborative, we’re able to support creative, community-led solutions that reflect what residents believe will make their communities safer.”
To learn more about Colorado Safe Futures Fund or donate, visit www.cosafefuturesfund.org.
Kristy Bassuener is Vice President of Communications and Outreach, Rose Community Foundation.