Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation (DDCOF) announced nearly $11 million in grants to more than 40 organizations working across the state to ensure all Coloradans have access to oral health care. The foundation awarded funds to organizations working within its three initiatives to address the root causes of oral health care inequity: prevention and preventive care, access to oral health care, and workforce development. DDCOF is amplifying the work of Colorado nonprofits dedicated to the belief that every person deserves a healthy mouth regardless of life circumstances. Within that total of more than 40 organizations receiving grants, there are four dental hygiene programs within the Workforce development category. The hope is to expand and diversify the programs at Front Range Community College — Larimer Campus Dental Hygiene program, Community College of Denver Dental Hygiene program, Colorado Mountain College Dental Hygiene program, Pikes Peak State College Dental Hygiene program.
“We are thrilled to award this year’s grants to organizations making an impact across the entire state,” said Adeeb Khan, executive director of Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation. “We believe that the work of these organizations is essential for accessible oral health care in Colorado. These investments represent a comprehensive approach to addressing the goals of our initiatives and to advance oral health equity across the state.”
The full list of grant recipients, broken down into their respective initiative areas along with the counties they operate in, is included below.
Prevention
- Center for African American Health (Denver Metro)
- Chaffee County Public Health (Chafee, Fremont, Lake, Saguache)
- Community Partnership for Child Development (El Paso)
- Family Resource Center Association
- Garfield County Public Health (Garfield)
- Montezuma County Public Health (Montezuma)
- Northeast Colorado Health Department (Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Yuma)
- Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute (Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin)
- Rocky Mountain Public Media (statewide)
- Healthy Childcare Colorado (statewide)
- Roots Family Center (Denver Metro)
- San Juan Basin Public Health (Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, Archuleta)
- Thriving Families (Denver Metro)
- Uncompahgre Medical Center (Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel)
Access to Quality Care
Sun Luis Valley
- Boys and Girls Club of San Luis Valley (Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande, Saguache)
- CO Association of School-based Health Care (Costilla, Rio Grande, Saguache)
- La Puente Home, Inc. (Alamosa, Costilla, Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache)
- Rio Grande Child Development & Family Service (Rio Grande)
- Saguache County (Saguache)
- Valley-Wide Health System, Inc. (Alamosa, Costilla, Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache)
Northeast Metro Denver
- Inner City Health Center (Denver, Aurora)
- Mile High Alliance (Denver)
- Ready to Work Aurora (Aurora)
- Soul 2 Soul (Aurora)
- Tepeyac Community Health Center (Denver)
- The GrowHaus (Denver)
- The Savings Collaborative (Aurora)
- Vive (Denver, Aurora)
- Vuela for Health (Denver)
Workforce Development
- I Have a Dream Foundation — CO (Denver)
- Aurora Public Schools (Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson)
- Denver Health & Hospitals Foundation (Arapahoe, Denver)
- Emily Griffith Foundation (Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson)
- Generation Schools Network (Adams, Arapahoe, Bent, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Las Animas, Morgan, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, Weld)
- Latin American Education Foundation (statewide)
- Mountain Family Health Centers (Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin)
- Southeastern Colorado AHEC (Baca, Bent, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo)
- Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning (statewide)
- Summit Community Care Clinic (Lake, Park, Summit)
For more information on the foundation and our work, go to https://deltadentalcofoundation.org/about-us/mission/.