The Colorado Health Foundation Invests $2 Million to Strengthen Local News and Advance Health Equity
Funding anchors new Public Media Innovation Fund and supports ecosystem resilience
DENVER — The Colorado Media Project announced today a $2 million investment from The Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) to support the sustainability and evolution of Colorado’s local news landscape. This commitment cements the Foundation’s position that a strong information infrastructure is a vital social determinant of health, essential for equity, civic engagement and community strength.
As a founding partner and longtime supporter of CMP, CHF has had the opportunity to participate in pooled funding opportunities that support Colorado’s media landscape and helped shape the organization’s strategy through its service on the CMP Executive Committee. This new investment deepens that collaboration and recognizes that access to accurate, trustworthy local information is as critical to community well-being as access to health care or healthy food.
“Healthy communities need reliable information to thrive. When people have access to trustworthy local news, they can make informed decisions about their health, hold systems accountable, and participate fully in civic life,” said Taryn Fort, senior director of communications and external influence at CHF. “This investment reflects our understanding that a resilient local news ecosystem isn’t separate from health equity work—it’s fundamental to it. By supporting both established public media institutions and emerging community voices led by and serving communities of color, we’re helping ensure that rural Coloradans and communities historically excluded from media power have the information and platforms they need to advance racial justice and shape healthier, more equitable futures.”
Strategic Investment in Two Key Areas
The funding is strategically divided to drive impact across Colorado’s news and information ecosystem:
$1 million for the Public Media Innovation Fund. This anchor investment establishes a dedicated fund to help Colorado’s public media institutions evolve their business models and adopt new technologies. The fund will provide essential bridge capital to ensure that the most at-risk public media outlets maintain operational stability while adapting to funding challenges. It will also support transformational projects that ensure communities, especially in rural and underserved areas of the state, continue to have access to high-quality local news and information.
$1 million for CMP’s pooled fund and strategic initiatives. This portion will expand CMP’s grantmaking to independent newsrooms, support statewide collaborations and fund programs that help local outlets achieve financial sustainability. By expanding the pooled fund, CHF ensures that resources reach a diverse array of community-centered news organizations across Colorado, strengthening the narrative change necessary to advance racial justice and health equity.
“We are deeply grateful for this visionary partnership with The Colorado Health Foundation,” said Kimberly Spencer, director of Colorado Media Project. “As a member of our Executive Committee, they have long understood that strong communities need strong local news. By seeding the Public Media Innovation Fund while simultaneously strengthening our pooled grantmaking capacity, this investment allows us to support both the transformation of legacy institutions and the growth of emerging community voices.”
About Colorado Media Project
Colorado Media Project is the leading funding collective dedicated to strengthening Colorado’s local news and information ecosystem and ensuring every Coloradan has access to trusted, locally relevant information. By uniting foundations, newsrooms and community partners, we align strategies to invest and advocate for sustainable solutions that expand access, ensure accountability and build stronger, more connected communities. Through strategic funding, thought leadership and advocacy, we help ensure Coloradans remain informed and engaged to shape the future of their communities.
About The Colorado Health Foundation
The Colorado Health Foundation is a statewide philanthropic organization that champions the overall health and well-being of every Coloradan. By advocating for and investing in solutions and policies that drive health equity and racial justice, CHF collaborates with organizations and communities to break down systemic inequities that hinder health and prosperity. Learn more about CHF.
Media Contact:
Kimberly A. Spencer, CFRE
Director
Colorado Media Project
720-213-6405
kimberly@coloradomediaproject.com
