About Trailhead Institute

For over three decades, we’ve worked alongside community-based partners, public health agencies, universities, and funders working to improve health across Colorado.

Why We’re Called Trailhead

A trailhead marks the beginning of a journey. It is a place where people gather, prepare, and set out toward a destination. Here, ideas are shared, decisions are made, and the path ahead becomes clearer.

In Colorado’s public health ecosystem, we serve as a starting point, capacity builder, and convener for partners working to improve health in their communities. Our role is not to dictate the path forward. Instead, we make sure communities and partners across the public health system have the resources, knowledge, and relationships they need to improve health outcomes, and we support them along the way.

Group photo of young industrious people brainstorming ideas and putting sticky notes on glass window

Our Mission

To improve innovation and collaboration in public health.

Group photo of young industrious people brainstorming ideas and putting sticky notes on glass window

Our Vision

Everyone in Colorado has an opportunity to be healthy and live in a healthy environment.

Our Values Lay the Foundation for Our Work

We value the practice of listening and evolving together to support each other in achieving shared outcomes that lead to healthier communities. Through partnerships and teamwork, we honor individual strengths and collective wisdom to make meaningful change guided by many voices. We center those who have been historically excluded from partnerships and conversations in public health.

We value the ongoing practice of asking questions and listening with open minds and hearts. We take a genuine interest in the why, in root causes, and in understanding the experiences of others. We maintain a beginner’s mind and we commit to lifelong learning and unlearning.

We commit to the intentional act of creating a workplace where people feel welcome to come as they are. We recognize that we are interdependent and all play a role in supporting each other’s value, dignity, and uniqueness. We create a thriving workplace made stronger by varying perspectives and thoughtful decision-making.

We value fresh ideas that can impact healthy communities. We examine multiple perspectives and test new solutions and recommendations. We are open to new methods, approaches, and initiatives when taking mission-relevant risks. We elevate the optimism of trying new things and thinking creatively.

We commit to becoming more self-aware, recognizing our role in the groups, teams, organizations, and systems we participate in. We learn from the past, stay accountable to present impacts, and design and redesign a dynamic future based on both experience and possibility. We ask questions about our perspective, investigate our own assumptions, and continue learning and evolving.

We Live Out These Values Through Our Drivers

Capacity

Community leaders are best suited to identify and address their needs. We manage, build and grow resources needed to achieve community based goals because we believe that it is essential to offer a space for community members to address community challenges, and improve the places where they live, work and play.

Justice

For communities to thrive, there must be a recognition of the inequities that they face, and an awareness of our role in contributing to these racist and systemic barriers. With this awareness, we believe that we must support equitable practices to ensure communities are at the forefront of decision-making and resource distribution.

Collaboration

Collaboration is the only way to address the public health problems we face because no one partner or industry can solve them alone.

Three young children play in a field of grass

How We’re Achieving Our Mission

Our Theory of Change defines how we work together to advance innovation and collaboration in public health. This framework provides the foundation for our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.

Three young children play in a field of grass

Your Support Makes Community-Led Public Health Possible

Every donation we receive helps us invest time, energy, and resources in the people and places who need them most and ensure that community leaders have the support they need to drive lasting change.

Let’s Work Together.

Interested in partnering on a public health initiative? Let’s discuss how we can work together.