DENVER — Dec. 5, 2022 — Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading workers’ compensation insurer, awarded $425,750 in grants to 24 nonprofits in its annual grant-making cycle. Each year, grants are awarded to programs that reflect Pinnacol’s mission to keep Colorado employees safe and healthy on the job, help injured workers recover and get back to work, and promote a robust climate for all employers and a strong workforce statewide. The company prioritizes assistance for organizations that serve underrepresented communities.
“For over 100 years, Pinnacol has embraced the essential role we play as a partner to Colorado businesses, nonprofits, public agencies and their workers. This grant program is a powerful expression of our stewardship of Colorado,” said Wes Parham, Pinnacol’s vice president of public affairs. “It’s important to us to support initiatives that are foundational to helping our communities expand and thrive.”
The Colorado State University Pueblo Foundation received a Pinnacol grant for its CSU Pueblo Works: Support of BIPOC and Low-Income Nursing Students program. The program aims to recruit, matriculate and retain first-generation, minority and low-income students in the high-demand field of nursing. It addresses the financial barriers that stand between students and their attainment of a quality nursing degree that will help them serve their community. To help close the achievement gap, CSU Pueblo Works will send qualified nursing graduates into the workforce and minimize the shortage of nurses in Southern Colorado. In turn, graduates will be placed in high-paying jobs to advance their social and economic mobility.
The fall 2022 community grant recipients are:
Economic Vitality and Workforce Development
- Associated General Contractors of Colorado: Creating sustainable pathways toward great careers in construction for high school students through education, training programs and other developmental opportunities.
- Colorado Restaurant Association: Preparing young people and underserved populations for careers in food service and hospitality through certifications, apprenticeship programs and training.
- Colorado State University at Pueblo Foundation-CSU Pueblo Works: Reducing workforce shortages by awarding stipends for unpaid work practicums to BIPOC and low-income nursing students.
- Colorado Succeeds: Creating a statewide education, training and talent development system that ensures all Colorado’s kids acquire transferable competencies that prepare them for the future workforce.
- Delta Eta Boulé Foundation: Providing educational and professional support to young African American men through scholarships, mentorship and internships to develop the next generation of Black leaders.
- Denver Scholarship Foundation: Supporting Denver Public School students through college completion and, ultimately, toward meaningful employment by closing long-standing educational and economic opportunity gaps and providing workforce exposure and connectivity.
- Emily Griffith Foundation: Raising educational and charitable funding to support underserved populations at Emily Griffith Technical College in earning jobs and gaining economic mobility.
- Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges: Providing scholarships to students with financial needs in rural communities to ensure access to a quality education.
- Kids At Their Best, Inc.: Providing low-income youth on the Eastern Plains with opportunities for job shadowing, internships and apprenticeships.
- Latino Leadership Institute: Supporting the Latino Entrepreneurial Access Program, which provides leadership development, entrepreneurship support and a national professional network to Latino business owners in the Denver metro area.
- Mesa Youth Services: Providing mentor services to at-risk youth through the Western Colorado Conservation Corps, which allows young adults to work on public land improvement projects and earn certifications to support future employment.
- Mile High United Way: Serving young adults experiencing homelessness by providing them with stable housing, education, career opportunities and wellness support to help them build greater independence and economic stability.
- Open Door: Supporting students from less affluent and non-English-speaking homes with equitable education to help them attain a high school diploma, college preparation and better job opportunities.
- Second Chance Center: Offering education, job training, employment and housing to formerly incarcerated individuals to help them reestablish their lives and become successful members of the community.
- Senior Hub: Advancing the quality of life for older adults through a workforce development program for experienced health care workers aged 50 to 79 that provides telehealth services to an aging homebound population.
Employee Safety and Health
- Southern Colorado American Society of Safety Professionals: Providing education, standards development, advocacy and a professional community to support the advancement of safety professionals.
- The University of Colorado Foundation-Colorado School of Public Health: Reaching Latinx-owned businesses in Colorado to train them in health and safety guidance to improve worker health.
Rehabilitative Health
- Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado: Supporting social and recreation programs to enhance the quality of life and increase the independence of brain injury survivors.
- Craig Hospital Foundation: Rehabilitating individuals with brain and spinal cord injuries to support them in returning to work, pursuing academic goals and volunteering in their community.
- Easterseals Colorado: Providing increased and sustainable outpatient support for individuals with neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke, through its neurological rehabilitation adult day programs.
- HBA Foundation: Providing no-cost accessible home modifications to individuals with disabilities so they can access their home and community, regain independence and improve their quality of life.
Interested organizations can find more information at Pinnacol.com/community-relations. Applicants must be a nonprofit in Colorado; they do not need to be a Pinnacol policyholder.
