Donate today to #SaveOurScience
Did you know that outside of Washington D.C., Colorado has the most
federally funded research facilities?
Colorado is a powerhouse of scientific discovery, home to 30+ federally funded research facilities tackling global challenges like climate change, renewable energy, public health,and national security. These institutions drive innovation, fuel our economy, and inspire the next generation of scientists.
Because the facilities receive federal funding, they are restricted
from advocating for themselves.
Now more than ever, these institutions need us to advocate for and protect
their life-saving work, paid for by tax dollars.
The scientific research happening
in Colorado benefits people
across the globe.
One of the most impactful institutions in the state is the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), providing real-time monitoring of solar storms and their effects on Earth’s electrical grids, GPS systems, droughts & communications networks.
Colorado is also home to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s outpost at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of dozens of NASA spacecraft and instruments, LASP played a key role in The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) — NASA's first mission devoted to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has made major contributions to hurricane forecasting, air quality modeling, and severe weather prediction, leading to improved early warning systems that have saved lives and mitigated disaster impacts worldwide.
Colorado hosts the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, which works closely with the U.S. Space Force on advanced space technology, satellite communications
& space weather forecasting.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) conducts essential research on spectrum sharing and wireless communications, helping to shape policies that support national defense, public safety & commercial telecommunications.
This is just a few of the world-class scientific programs happening in Colorado.
The recent budget cuts and layoffs impact
all of these facilities and programs,
and threaten to halt critical work across all industries
Not only does the science happening in Colorado impact all of us,
we paid for these programs with our tax dollars.
The economic impact of the federally funded research facilities in Colorado
exceeds $2.5 billion annually.
While lab staff are prohibited by the current administration from sharing any information
(including total number of employees or layoffs), the economic losses would
devastate Colorado as well as the global scientific community.
The global impact of Colorado's scientific community cannot be overstated. According to a recent study conducted in house, activities at Colorado research facilities have spurred travel to and from more than 110 countries around the world in the past 4 years.
Science brings people together across languages and cultures. Colorado's scientific community plays a valuable role across global projects. Please help protect this important work by making a donation to CO-LABS today.
What can CO-LABS do about it?
CO-LABS, a 501(c)3 non profit based in Boulder, Colorado, was founded in 2008 in response to a similar crisis — the potential for some federal research labs to be moved out of the state by Congressional action. CO-LABS' members funded the first economic impact study focused on the labs, determining the ecosystem of federally funded research results in billions of dollars annually to the state's economy.
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Since our beginning CO-LABS has had the mission to nurture this ecosystem and promote the commercialization of scientitifc discoveries and research projects occurring in federal labs in Colorado.
For the first 18 years, we accomplished this by strengthening the connections
between researchers, businesses, policymakers, and the public to protect
and advance federally funded science in Colorado.
This has been largely through advocacy work in D.C. ensuring our reps know about the outputs of our tax dollars and benefit to constituents, lab tours, Annual Governor's Awards, informal happy hours, and panel discussions, among others.
Since the beginning, CO-LABS has covered the majority of its operating expenses
from revenue coming from private sector memberships.
That is, until January 20, 2025.
It was then CO-LABS small team realized that its up to us to leverage our deep roots cultivating Colorado's scientific community over the past 18 years to expand our advocacy work to include everyday citizens, not just scientists
and their private sector partners.
With the current Administration's all out attack on science and federally-funded scientific research activities, we know we need to step up our advocacy work and create pathways for everyday citizens to participate in this work as well.
This means more time, more projects, more coordination, and more staff.
Which means more money. Which means for the first time in 18 years, we are launching a fundraising campaign.
As a trusted advocate of Colorado's research facilities for more than 17 years, CO-LABS needs your support to step up to this challenge and grow our team and our grassroots activities to match the Administration's actions.
Please consider making a 100% tax deductible donation today, sharing your ideas and expertise with the team as a lead volunteer, and following us on LinkedIn.
What can you do about it?
7 Ways You Can #SaveOurScience:
1. Contact Your Congresspeople
​Read our Official Statement to Rep. Joe Negeuse re: Lab Budget Cuts and Layoffs
If you live in Colorado, please take a look at the following resources:
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Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse (CD-2) is taking comments from people affected by federal budget and layoff impact
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Colorado Senator Michael Bennet has a webpage with Resources for Federal Workers
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Statement Demanding Investigation into NOAA layoffs from Colorado Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse.
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The following resources are relevant to everyone, in or outside of Colorado:
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The House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Democratic Staff is surveying the impact of firings of federal employees from science agencies.
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If your reps aren't listed above, you can find Your Representative here.
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2. Donate to CO-LABS
Please make a 100% tax deductible donation today. All donation amounts are welcome and will help us expand our staff capacity and advocacy activities.
If you are able, please consider making a recurring monthly donation.
[Add donation button & form here]
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3. Start Your Own Fundraiser
Publish your own fundraiser today! It's fast and easy with the template we have developed. You can choose an amount as big or small as you like, and personalize the contents so that your network understands why #SaveOurScience matters to you.
We are here to help, so if you have any challenges starting your own #SaveOurScience fundraiser, reach out to Alexis@CO-LABS.org for support.
4. Share Your Anonymous Stories With Us
CO-LABS is collecting information about the threatened or actual budget cuts, staff layoffs, and confusing or contradictory directives affecting federally funded research labs in Colorado. We are working to provide insight on the negative impacts of these swirling policy issues to our federal elected officials to help mitigate and halt the destruction of our national research ecosystem.
Fill out and share this CO-LABS survey with your networks.
Your contact information is only provided if you decide to include it. All information collected will be used for advocacy and planning efforts, and will be kept strictly confidential and internal at all times now and in the future.
5. Follow us on LinkedIn
We are working to make our response rapid enough to be relevant, but intentional enough to be meaningful. While we haven't quite decided on what all of our next steps are, we plan to share as much as possible on our LinkedIn, including recurring "fireside chats" with our Executive Director and Special Guests, Blog Posts, Updates to our Representatives' reactions, and more.
The best way to stay up-to-date with important updates and activities is by following us on LinkedIn. If you'd like to support with a specific project, please submit your contact information via form at the bottom of this page.
6. Ask Your Networks to Get Involved
Above all, the most valuable way you can contribute is by sharing this page and asking for your friends, family and colleagues to share it with their networks. Together, we are strong.
Feel free to include #SaveOurScience #ScienceMatters #CO-LABS #WhyIGive
7. Sign up below to Volunteer with CO-LABS
We are always seeking professional volunteers, such as marketers, graphic designers, accountants, etc. to support our work. Do you have an idea for a campaign or a project? Or perhaps a skill not mentioned above?
Please submit the form below and we'll be in touch as we are able.
Make a Tax-Deductible Donation Today
​Support CO-LABS to expand its focus to meet current challenges, expand advocacy efforts, and protect the future of our nation's scientific investments
Get in Touch with the CO-LABS team
Do you have an idea for a campaign or a project? Or perhaps you would like to volunteer?
Please submit the form below with your message and we'll be in touch as we are able. We are a small team and might now get back to you right away, but we'll do our best.
