OurWork

The Kempe Foundation works with experts, advocates and community members to advance solutions that improve the lives of children and families.

At the Kempe Foundation, we believe children and families are resilient. When parents are provided with the resources they need to care for themselves and their families, children will live safer and healthier lives.

Oftentimes, families are unaware or unable to access the resources that would help them succeed. To solve this problem, the Kempe Foundation works alongside human services agencies, nonprofit organizations and other community partners to strengthen the systems that support children and families.

Policy areas of expertise and interest

Child abuse and neglect / prevention / training

Child and family mental and behavioral health

Child maltreatment / prevention / training

Child sex assault care / training / prevention

Child welfare / prevention / training

Family strengthening / training

Foster care / Foster parent training

Human Services workforce recruitment and retention

Policy areas of expertise and interest:

Youth and family mental health intervention programs

Youth criminal justice reform

Summer 2022 - Advocacy Efforts

On June 7th, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed bills into law to help Coloradans keep more of their hard-earned money, ensure all Coloradans can live and thrive in safe and healthy communities, and support cutting-edge technology to drive innovation in Colorado’s thriving agriculture industry. 

Read more here

Highlights

Supporting Legislation for Children’s Mental Health

In 2021, the Kempe Foundation actively supported the passage of several bills to expand mental and behavioral health services for children and youth in Colorado, including House Bill 1097 to establish the Behavioral Health Administration and Senate Bill 154 to implement the 988 national suicide prevention lifeline network in Colorado.

Establishing the CARE Network

The Kempe Foundation advocated for House Bill 1133 which became law in 2019. This created Colorado’s Child Abuse Response and Evaluation (CARE) Network, building local capacity to identify child trauma and provide quality medical and behavioral assessments for suspected victims of child abuse and neglect.

Securing Funding for Statewide Training & Prevention Programs

The Kempe Foundation led efforts to secure $6,797,102 in funding for the Child Welfare Training System in the FY 2020-21 State of Colorado budget, and $5,447,875 for the ongoing implementation of SafeCare in the FY 2016-17 State of Colorado budget.

Advocating for Marijuana Regulation

To protect children and youth from the unintended consequences of marijuana, the Kempe Foundation joined a coalition led by the Governor’s Office in 2017 to pass House Bill 1220, capping the number of marijuana plants allowed to be grown in a residential home. We also worked with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in 2016 to pass House Bill 1436 which prohibits edibles from being in the shape of animals, fruit or humans.