The Solich Fund Invests $15M in Children’s Hospital Colorado

Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation is elated to announce a historic $15-million investment from The Solich Fund in support of Children’s Hospital Colorado’s strategic plan for “Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis: A Philanthropic Initiative to Advance a Healthier State of Care.” The Children’s Colorado strategic plan aims to create a coordinated system of mental health care across the state, one that is grounded in collaboration and partnership that will provide children with high-quality, evidence-based, youth- and family-centered care.

This is the largest donation that George and Carol Solich, founders of The Solich Fund, a private foundation, have ever given to any organization to date – and it is also the largest single gift that Children’s Colorado has ever received in its more than 100-year history. The gift will be used to advance Children’s Colorado’s mental health key initiatives with a focus on expanding and developing the organization’s mental health workforce. The Solich Fund gift will also support Children’s Colorado in its goal of raising $100 million in philanthropic support over the next five years to transform the standard of pediatric mental health care. This $100-million endeavor is part of a $400-million, 5-year, system-wide investment that will build and strengthen the Children’s Colorado mental health workforce; expand care environments across a continuum ranging from prevention to inpatient and crisis services; integrate best-in-class research into clinical practice; and support families with a wrap-around approach to care. To achieve this bold vision, Children’s Colorado will make focused investments where we are uniquely positioned for impact, while expanding and deepening state and community partnerships.

The Solich Fund investment is also intended to inspire additional major gifts from the community for pediatric mental health reform. The gift will serve as a catalyst for growing philanthropic support to address the pediatric mental health crisis, an emergency so large in magnitude that it will require sustained, ongoing support for decades to create a healthier state of care for kids in Colorado and beyond. Braided sources of funding, including federal and state resources, industry collaborations and payor reimbursements will help foster Children’s Colorado’s ability to steer funds dedicated to pediatric mental health to the right places at the right times so that kids can get the right care when they need it.

“The Solich family responded to our urgent declaration of a state of emergency for pediatric mental health, stepping in to be a part of the vision to address one of the biggest challenges of our time. The Solich family – and the fund they have built – have a reputation for philanthropy that not only makes a difference in the lives of the people it touches today, but also for changing lives for years to come,” said Jennifer Darling, President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation. “This will undoubtedly be the case with their significant investment in transforming pediatric mental health care in our state. The Solich family has witnessed firsthand the impact that their inspiring leadership and generosity can make in our hospital after chairing our Children’s Gala nearly a decade ago. Together, our partnership will continue to transform the lives of children.”

“Now is the time for Colorado to design and build an integrated system of care for the kids and families of this dynamic and beautiful state,” said K. Ron-Li Liaw, MD, Children’s Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-in-Chief, whose appointment was announced in January 2022. “I am impressed with the mission, vision, footprint and the depth of humble expertise I’ve found at Children’s Colorado, along with tremendous partners and philanthropists like the Solich family, who are all driving a movement of change for children’s health. This momentous investment from The Solich Fund will propel our ability to provide world-class care for kids’ mental health, just as we do for their physical health; after all, mental health is health. And we want Colorado to be an innovative and effective model when it comes to addressing kids’ mental health conditions, so it is with deep gratitude to the Solich family for their trust and belief in our vision as we tackle this crisis together.”

“Creating a new and better way to prevent and treat pediatric mental health conditions is this generation’s greatest obstacle, but no other organization could be better poised to take on this problem than Children’s Colorado,” said George Solich. “As the most comprehensive provider of pediatric mental health care services in the state and region, along with its reputation and expertise, our community looks to the hospital to lead the way – and we want to help provide them with the resources they need to do just that. Many families have experienced their own journeys with mental health challenges, so we want to ensure that all families have access to the tools they need to get through these issues.”