The Women’s Foundation of Colorado (WFCO) plays an essential role at the Capitol as the only statewide community foundation focused on economic advancement for Colorado women and their families. Our team works with advocates, policy makers, and stakeholders to advance legislation that creates more pathways to women’s prosperity, while eradicating persistent barriers to women’s economic progress.

WomenGive’s annual grant to WFCO for our nonpartisan and data-driven policy advocacy work has fueled meaningful and long-term change for women in Larimer County and throughout the state. During the 2018 legislative session, the WomenGive and WFCO partnership resulted in several key wins for women in the workplace.

Six of the 11 bills that WFCO supported during the legislative session passed, including bills that increased access to job training and boosted the quality of child care while easing the cost burden of care for hardworking families. We are proud that our work with other advocates, policy makers and stakeholders also ensured continuation of the Colorado Civil Rights Division.

But Colorado missed on opportunities to boost equity and help women overcome barriers to workplace entry and stabilization. Measures that failed to pass would have supported and retained women in the workplace through a statewide, employee-paid family and medical leave insurance program, and also narrowed the pay gap for women by promoting pay transparency and preventing wage disparities.

The Colorado legislative session ended in May, but WomenGive and WFCO already are looking forward to driving important outcomes for women during the 2018 elections and the 2019 legislative session. WFCO is developing a nonpartisan voting guide for women based on our research and input from our statewide network. We look forward to sharing this resource with WomenGive supporters in September and continuing our decade-long partnership into 2019.

Lauren Y. Casteel is the President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. She is the first person in Colorado to lead three foundations and possesses more than 20 years of philanthropic leadership as well as a career-long dedication to inclusiveness. Lauren is an experienced and recognized advocate for women, children, youth and families in Colorado. To learn more visit www.wfco.org.