The Second Fund
More to come - launching in 2026; The Second Fund is a Fund for Denver single income households with children to have a second fund for items and bills costing between $60-600 and contribute to their ability to remain in Denver city and county.
After fundraising for health care and basic needs last year I learned more about how close many single parents are to needing to relocate from Denver, CO. In fact, I learned that 62% of single mothers in Colorado lack adequate income to meet their basic needs - putting them more at risk of displacement, chronic health conditions and life disadvantages. I felt lucky.
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis indicates that single-parent households accounted for approx 32% of all households with children in Denver County in 2023. While numbers for 24-2025 have not yet been released The Gathering Place has also highlighted that single mothers make up nearly 80% of those single-parent families in the US. If that national stat reflects Colorado, single moms are inequitably suffering in my state.
When I fundraised I knew I had a privilege of a wide network. So in 2025 I am building a fund for single parents who need cash assistance paying for bills, items and anything that presents as a barrier to keeping them as long term residents of Denver. This takes time, and having leaned on community in the past I deeply understand this gap and need. Follow along to watch us build on instagram where we will release applications and updates.
Cash Assistance helps families. Mutual aid saves lives, and single parents deserve a quick way to access what we don’t often have - another income or fund to lean on.
That’s why we are building what we call ‘A Second Fund’;
Applicants will be able to apply for cash assistance to pay for anything costing $60-600 that prevents their removal from Denver or need to relocate them & their family;
Our goal is to service 100 families in Denver in 2026 & learn more about the displacement factors impacting single income households;
We will work with local nonprofits to administer applications which include 10 questions and a 30 minute interview;
We will also announce the application on our instagram page;
There will be diverse opportunities to give including individual donors, monthly donations, community partners and organizational donation opportunities.
This fund will be managed by a volunteer advisory board of 3-5 single income households & they will decide on which applicants get processed first based on need & family composition. We expect wait lists.
We have seen temporary cash assistance programs in CO work but sometimes a specific small item needs to be covered by fast cash. Until systems can support our families, we become the innovators & the social impact entrepreneurs.