Regional Wellbeing Metrics & Reports

Research insights strengthen regional support networks and voices for advocacy

The Client: Community Foundation of Northern Colorado (NoCo Foundation) and Colorado State University Office of Engagement and Extension (CSU OEE)

The Challenge: The NoCo Foundation—a philanthropic organization that supports community health, wellbeing, and prosperity—wanted to better use data to prioritize strategic investments and spark regional alignment. With its related focus on community wellbeing, CSU’s OEE was also interested in better understanding what contributes to wellbeing across the regions it serves. Together, the two organizations sought systems-level regional perspective and a platform to strengthen the existing network of support and voices for advocacy locally, regionally, and state-wide.

Our Approach: IBE partnered with the NoCo Foundation, departments across Colorado State University, and the communities of northern Colorado to co-create a participatory, data-driven process that reveals the stories behind the numbers. Our efforts focused in north central (Larimer and Weld counties) and northeastern Colorado (Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma counties). We used living systems frameworks in workshops, data collection, and reporting to identify the challenges and opportunities facing these communities and to pinpoint the intersections, interventions, and collaborations that can best support regional wellbeing. IBE has continued to facilitate regional conversations and stakeholder convenings to offer insights into how regional pressures and collaborative capabilities are shifting over time.

The Outcomes: This effort has culminated in region-specific reports that reveal and elevate systems-level understanding, helping stakeholders see greater potential in their roles and contributions to regional health and wellbeing. Our work has identified and cultivated new collaborations and opportunities. Continued engagement will inform updated reports to measure how the system shifts over time, helping collaborators refine priorities to meet the moment’s greatest needs and opportunities.

• The 2024 Northern Colorado Intersections report offers a regional view of Larimer and Weld counties as a whole living place with its own unique identity, challenges, and potential.
• The 2026 Northeast Colorado Intersections report, developed in collaboration with CSU’s Division of Marketing and Communications and Geospatial Centroid, offers a regional view of Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma counties.

IBE is supporting other organizations in other regions across Colorado, including the Aspen-to-Parachute corridor, in similar efforts. Learn more about our Living Regions Lab initiative here.