Giving Circle Invests $100,000 in Women’s Health Entrepreneurship and Innovation
We Pooled Our Money to Give Women Entrepreneurs Access to Capital
Jennifer Stapleton (she/her) is the founding partner of Fire & Bliss, a communications and marketing firm helping foundations and nonprofits ignite change. As a senior communications executive at national organizations and the founder of her own firm, Jennifer has spent more than three decades moving lawmakers, securing public support and engagement, and attracting new funding. Her work has enabled philanthropies and nonprofits to advance their missions and helped advocacy organizations achieve major legislative and policy wins at the international, national, state, and local levels. Follow Jennifer on LinkedIn.
Health care rights alone are not enough if there are no care providers
One of the extraordinary things about living in Colorado is that our state is a sanctuary for reproductive freedom and gender-affirming care. Reproductive health care is protected in the Colorado Constitution, and Colorado residents have the right to access it. People from surrounding states with more restrictive laws often travel here for care.
But rights alone are not enough if there is no one available to provide care. Even though Colorado’s state government recognizes and protects these rights, many people still cannot access the services they need because of a lack of providers.
Imagine a woman in Grand Junction seeking abortion care. Right now, she would have to travel 90 miles for a medical abortion or 250 miles to Denver for a procedural abortion. “Abortion deserts” like the one in Grand Junction exist across Colorado.
The same is true for gender-affirming care. Federal threats and political pressure have led many of the few providers in our state to limit services, especially for minors.
I immediately saw the value of investing collectively in women’s health entrepreneurship
When I was invited to join the most recent cohort of the Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle, I did not know these were the problems we would help address. But The Women’s Foundation of Colorado determined the focus for our investments in this cycle would be women’s health entrepreneurship and innovation. Women, especially women of color, face persistent barriers to accessing quality health care, participating in clinical research, and receiving funding to launch solutions that address their unique needs. I immediately saw the value of investing collectively with other women to support social enterprises improving health for women and nonbinary people in Colorado with low-interest loans.
The benefits of joining the Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle were clear:
- My giving impact would be multiplied by the investments of like-minded women.
- Our cohort would also direct capital created by repayments from loans made in previous years.
- I would learn about impact investing firsthand from the Women’s Foundation staff and the Impact Finance Center.
- Every two weeks over several months I would connect with and collaborate with more than a dozen changemaking women in the group.
- Women entrepreneurs, who already receive less than 2% of venture capital, would receive loans at below-market rates.
Addressing health care deserts became our priority
As we reviewed applications from ventures across the state, we focused on three criteria. Each business or social venture needed to be owned or operated by a woman or nonbinary person, primarily serve people in Colorado, and improve the health of women or nonbinary people.
Ultimately, addressing care deserts rose to the top of our list. We chose to invest in three ventures: a $50,000 loan to Rise Boulder Collective and $25,000 loans to Clinic Revenue Partners and Wellspring Health Access.
- Rise Boulder Collective is restoring and expanding access to all-trimester abortion care and gender-affirming care by raising critical funds to secure a permanent clinic space and provide safe, essential, and compassionate patient care. They are one of only a handful of clinics in the country, and very few west of the Mississippi River, providing abortion care after 25 weeks of pregnancy. For many people, abortion care after 25 weeks is out of reach, regardless of the health risks to the pregnant woman or fetus. That is why we felt it was so important to help fund their lifesaving work.
- Wellspring Health Access is expanding reproductive and gender-affirming care on the Western Slope by building a facility in Grand Junction. Because of their proven track record of operating a clinic in Jasper, Wyoming, we saw them as a strong investment in expanding access to care in rural Colorado.
- Our final investment, in Clinic Revenue Partners, addresses another critical part of the accessibility puzzle. Many reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare providers are excellent at delivering care, but they lack the financial infrastructure of large hospital systems. They do not have major billing and insurance departments to help them navigate a heavily regulated financial environment. Clinic Revenue Partners helps providers focus on their mission by strengthening their margins. They consult with health care organizations to transform revenue cycle management from a back-office function into a strategic driver of sustainability and growth. Their work helps clinics expand their reach while staying committed to accessible, affordable health care.
Your turn to invest in women’s entrepreneurship
I know my financial investment is already having an outsized impact on the health of women and nonbinary people in Colorado, while also building capital for future investments. As the next Women’s Impact Investing Circle opens this fall, I urge you to participate in this ongoing cycle of investing in women, nonbinary people, and social enterprise founders who are improving lives across Colorado.
With the fourth and most recent round of $100,000 in funding, the Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle has now invested a total of $380,000 into Colorado women entrepreneurs. You can read about the impact of the previous cycles of our Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle.
- 2023 giving circle invested $75,000 in Colorado Birth & Wellness and WOMAN IN THE NATION
- 2021 giving circle invested $125,000 in First Southwest Community Fund, JEKL Foundation, Ruby’s Market
- 2020 giving circle invested $80,000 in SistahBiz and The Village Institute
Please contact Vice President of Development Maggie Stoot for more information about how to get involved with the Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle.
