Background Statement
In honor of our 40th year, we transitioned from the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence to Violence Free Colorado, a name that reflects the future we are dedicated to achieving.
Violence Free Colorado was established in 1977 as a membership based non-profit organization by twelve of the state's original domestic violence programs to eliminate incidents of battering and violence against women and children through statewide education, survivor-centered, woman-defined advocacy and action. The Piton Foundation awarded the organization its first grant of $15,000, which allowed the Board to pay the organization's first Executive Director, Mary Anne Ganey, a salary for her work. The Coalition's earliest efforts focused on community organizing and grassroots movement building, supporting the creation of and organizational development of domestic violence programs, legislative advocacy to establish state funding for anti-domestic violence work through the addition of the Domestic Abuse Fund on the state income tax check-off, and raising awareness.