The Bell Policy Center was founded in 2000 to address the urgent need for a progressive, research-focused approach to public policy change in Colorado. The Bell is a non-profit, non-partisan research and advocacy organization that focuses on economic mobility.
With one of the strongest economies in the country, too many Coloradans are finding that their hard work is not enough to earn them the economic security they need and deserve. Many struggle to keep up with the high costs of living, and public funding for the key drivers of economic mobility has long been inadequate. As a result, fewer Coloradans are able to experience prosperity while more Coloradans experience a wide range of economic insecurities. Our goals are to develop understanding of the issues, increase public knowledge, influence policy, support partners and to center communities in our work.
Our mission is to ensure economic mobility for every Coloradan. In partnership with the communities most affected by barriers to economic mobility, we use policy research, analysis, advocacy, and communication to advance systems change and equity to help every family and community in Colorado thrive.
Our founding mothers — Merle Chambers, Jean Dubofsky, and Linda Shoemaker — create the Bell as a progressive response to the conservative think tanks that dominated public policy at the time.
The Bell is instrumental in a successful campaign to convince voters to pass Referendum C, which gave the state a reprieve from the chokehold that TABOR had — and still has — on the state budget.
The Bell works successfully with partners to convince voters to pass a $12 minimum wage.
The Bell, along with partners, successfully advocates to remove the limitation on Colorado EITC to only years when revenue exceeds the TABOR cap.
The Bell releases "Retirement at Risk" a report that highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by nearly 1 million Coloradans who did not have retirement plans through their workplace. It led to the development and eventual passage of Secure Savings, a retirement savings program created by the state of Colorado. It was also a harbinger of the work the Bell would do on a broader range of aging issues.
The Bell's research and advocacy on the pitfalls of payday lending culminates in the passage of Proposition 111, which curbed interest rates and predatory practices.
The Bell's publishes the Caring Workforce Primer, which was quickly followed by a series of reports that define the caring economy in Colorado and speak to the accessibility, quality, and affordability of care.
The Bell celebrates its 25th anniversary!
Our founding mothers — Merle Chambers, Jean Dubofsky, and Linda Shoemaker — created the Bell in the year 2000 as a progressive response to the conservative think tanks that dominated public policy at the time.
