Billionaire Phil Anschutz and his family have given so much money to the University of Colorado over the years — roughly $300 million and counting — that the university’s medical campus in Aurora bears the family’s name.
On Tuesday, the school announced a new contribution from The Anschutz Foundation: $50 million to help create a collaborative initiative to improve mental health care across the state. The money is being called a “challenge grant” because it is the first donation to seed an overall $200 million fundraising campaign for what will be known as the CU Anschutz Campus Mental Health Collaborative.
“For us, it’s one of the most exciting initiatives we’ve been involved with in a long time,” Don Elliman, the chancellor of CU Anschutz, said in an interview.
The collaborative will bring together experts from across the massive campus. That means it will merge the research side — via the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine and other institutions — with the clinical side — especially UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Elliman said half of the programs funded will be aimed at improving youth mental health, while the other half will focus on adult mental health.
Some of these programs are up and running now, and Elliman said the funding will help to improve and expand them. They include efforts to better integrate mental health care into primary care and other doctor’s visits. Programs that train specialized mental health first responders could also get a boost.
The money will also go to develop and try out new treatments and approaches. Elliman mentioned work on possible medical devices or phone apps that could be used in mental health care.
A lot of work is already underway scattered across the campus. But the collaborative will help pull it all together into a single, coordinated initiative.
“This gift positions us to take a bold step to unify our programs across campus into a powerful platform with a shared purpose for care and discovery,” Dr. John Sampson, the medical school’s dean, said in a statement. “By further integrating into communities, primary care, and specialty care, we can expand access and transform mental health care for generations to come.”
Added Elliman in the interview with The Sun: “We think it takes a village to address these issues, and we think we have the basis for form one.”
Tom Gronow, left, CEO, UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Don Elliman, right, chancellor, CU Anschutz, listen as U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper addresses the gathering of health industry experts and researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus on March 18, 2025 in Aurora, Colorado. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
To raise the remaining $150 million for the campaign, Elliman said the campus will look at state and federal funding — he specifically mentioned possible funding that would be tied to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on homelessness, drug use and mental health. The campus will also engage with other large foundations.
But Elliman said anybody is welcome to contribute, and the campus has set up a donor page for contributions specifically to the cause.
“We hope this gift will help attract additional funding to advance this vital work in Colorado and beyond,” Christian Anschutz, the president of The Anschutz Foundation, said in a statement. “While we are honored to take a leadership role, true progress requires many partners.”
Type of Story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
