DENVER - Tuesday is Colorado Gives Day and one of the many organizations accepting donations during the philanthropic annual event is the Women's Foundation of Colorado.
“Support from our community makes it possible for the Women's Foundation to push for policy changes that ensure women's rights are protected and women are treated fairly, and that we are all part of a future where all women and girls in our state have the opportunity to thrive and prosper,” Louise Myrland, the Women’s Foundation of Colorado Vice President of Programs told Denver7 Tuesday.
In 2019, the foundation took the lead on the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Myrland said recently the WFCO led efforts to strengthen the law.
“One of those most exciting changes we made recently is ensuring that if a woman was unfairly underpaid, she can receive up to six years of back pay, or the difference between what she was paid and what she should have been paid if she had been paid fairly,” Myrland said.
Myrland said the foundation is starting to see the huge impact the law has had at the University of Colorado Boulder, where faculty members just received a $4.5 million settlement.
“The university had done a pay equity analysis, as they were encouraged to by the equal pay for equal work act, and they've adjusted salaries so that men and women on faculty at University of Colorado are being paid equitably,” Myrland said. “More than 300 faculty members recently received a huge settlement to address those back pay inequities.”
You can learn more about the Women’s Foundation of Colorado and how to donate here.