NWCCOG Economic Development District

Resources Bulletin

September 3, 2024

All Resources Bulletins are archived HERE.

Training Opportunities & Events

Heath Benefits Laws Compliance Assistance Webinar

September 4-5 | Register here. Offered by the SBA. Are you a small business owner looking for information about how to comply with health benefits laws? Join the Health Benefits Education Campaign of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration on September 4-5 for a two-part free webinar which will include helpful tips and clarification on federal health benefits laws. The webinar will also cover Affordable Care Act market reforms, mental health and substance use disorder parity, transparency in coverage, No Surprises Act, prescription drug reporting, prohibition on gag clauses and compliance tips and tools.

Regional Transit Coordinating Council (RTCC) Summit

September 12 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Summit County Community & Senior Center| Register here. Offered by NWCCOG RTCC. Speakers, panelists, and attendees in the transportation sector from around the state will be in attendance. Our purpose in holding this all-day Summit is to increase the communication between the transportation services in our different communities across the NWCCOG region and work to improve services for all those that live, work, and play in our area.

Fall High Country Tech Growth Challenge Accelerator

Start date: September 16 | Details here. This is a unique program designed for mid to late-stage companies that are tech-enabled and scalable. This program is a collaborative effort between Skill Distillery, Summit Economic Partnership, and the Yampa Valley Entrepreneurship Center. If your company has customers, revenue, and is actively seeking to raise money or grow operations, this accelerator is your next step.

Colorado Municipal League - District Meetings in NWCCOG Region

Details and register here. Each fall, CML staff and Executive Board members hit the road to visit our municipal members. These meetings are an opportunity for you to meet CML staff, contribute to CML policy, and network with colleagues from neighboring communities.

District 12: hosted by Town of Kremmling on September 25

District 15: hosted by Town of Breckenridge on September 19

Ask an Angel: Angel Investing Demystified

October 8 at EVO3 Workspace in Frisco | Details here. Offered by Summit Economic Partnership. Join us for an enlightening panel discussion featuring women investors from the Rockies Venture Club Women Investors Network (WIN). Whether you're an investor, an entrepreneur, or just curious about the world of angel investing, this event is for you.

Small Business Development Center - Upcoming Trainings

September 5 - Exit Planning | Register here

September 12 - 10 things to know before starting a business | Register here

September 19 - 6 questions to ask before starting a business |Register here

September 25 - Essential tax information for startups - Register here

Land Use Zoning & Individuals with Disabilities

Oct. 1 | 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. | Red Rocks Community College Arvada Campus | Register here. Presented by CML and the Colorado Agency for Recovery Residences, this fair housing training is specifically designed for municipalities to understand their legal obligations as they apply to housing for individuals with disabilities, including recovery residences. Topics will include a legal overview of the fair housing legal protections for individuals with disabilities, municipal land use and zoning compliance with the fair housing anti-discrimination protections, and the fair housing reasonable accommodation legal obligations of municipalities. 

Financing Talent in Colorado

Sept 25, 2024, 12 - 2 p.m. The CWDC is offering a series of virtual workshops on Talent Finance tools. These tools leverage public-private partnerships and align incentives to ensure broader access to workforce training, aiming to address inequities in Colorado’s labor market. Learn about talent finance tools, solution providers, and funding mixes.

Annual Seminar on Municipal Law

Sept. 20-21 in Colorado Springs | Details and register here. Offered by the Colorado Municipal League.

Colorado Governors Tourism Conference

Sept. 25-27 in Mt. Crested Butte | Register here. This is the state's premier travel industry event, bringing together hundreds of tourism leaders and partners for three days of insightful programming, educational sessions and valuable networking opportunities.

Economic Development Council of Colorado | Drive, Lead, Succeed Conference

Oct. 13 – 16 | Beaver Creek, CO | Details here. EDCC’s Annual Drive | Lead | Succeed Conferences aim to provide the knowledge, tools, and connections that are vital to foster a growing Colorado economy, gather the industry’s top influencers and thought leaders together to share knowledge and answer questions that no one else can, offer new and vital tools and solutions to pressing economic issues facing Colorado’s professional economic development community.

State Demography Office Annual Meeting

Nov. 1 at the Arvada Center - save the date!

Small Business Development Center

Full events and workshops calendar including webinars can be found HERE.

Funding & Technical Assistance

NWCCOG Regional Grants Navigator

NWCCOG has a Regional Grants Navigator on staff to assist with identifying appropriate grant opportunities, reviewing grants prior to submission, or helping to gather letters of support. Feel free to reach out to him for assistance: Jonathan Godes, NWCCOG Regional Grants Navigator - jgodes@nwccog.org.

Federal Opportunities

U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Code Grant Program

Deadline: September 20 | Details here. $2.8 million in grants is available to support local governments with adoption, implementation, and enforcement of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. Individual local governments are eligible for grants of up to $125,000, and partnerships of local governments can receive up to $250,000. The program is supported by federal funds through the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Community Change Grants

Deadline: November 21 | Details here. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This funding is for environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input.

Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program

Deadline: Sept. 30 | Full details here. The Department of Transportation has released the 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 – 2026 funding. The goal of the program is to advance community-centered transportation connection projects that improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation, and foster equitable development and restoration. 

Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Funding

NOFA to be released soon | Details here. U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) for up to $400 million to spur innovative, community-focused clean energy solutions in rural and remote areas across the United States. The anticipated funding plans to support energy technologies that provide clean, resilient, reliable, affordable power, while also aiming to increase local economic development. 

State Opportunities

Wildfire Ready Watersheds

Deadline: September 30 | Details here. The Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Wildfire Ready Watersheds program funds the development of action plans and implementation of projects designed to mitigate post wildfire impacts.

Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program

Deadline: October 10 | Details here. The Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program supports community-level actions to reduce the risk of wildfire, promote forest health and forest restoration, and encourage the use of woody material.

Community Accelerated Mobility Project (CAMP) Grant Program

Deadline: October 8 | Details here. Through the Community Access Enterprise (CAE) and the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), the Community Accelerated Mobility Project (CAMP) grant program provides funding for community-driven projects with an electric mobility component.

Colorado Grid Resilience Grant Programs

Details here. The U.S. Department of Energy Grid Deployment Office has formally awarded the Colorado Energy Office and Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) electric grid resilience formula funding totaling $25.6 million to date. This federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will support three grant programs and one study focused on preventing outages and enhancing the resilience of the energy grid.

History Colorado State Historical Fund

Next Deadline: October 1 | Details here. History Colorado's State Historical Fund fosters heritage preservation through tangible and highly visible projects for direct and demonstrable public benefit. 

Local Planning Capacity Grants – Colorado Division of Local Government

Next round opens September 1 | Details here. DLG has awarded $1.7 million in its latest round of Local Planning Capacity grants, a new program established by Proposition 123, the State Affordable Housing Fund. These awards support local governments implementing Prop 123 goals including fast tracking review of affordable housing and achieving Prop 123 commitments.

The next round of funding opens September 1 - 30, 2024 with $4.8 million available. An informational webinar for prospective applicants is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31 at 2 p.m. - register here.

Tourism Marketing Grant

Deadline: September 10 | Details here. Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade Tourism Marketing Grant provides funding to eligible applicants to support tourism marketing campaigns and initiatives. Program updates this year include an increased maximum grant request amount and a tiered match requirement based on funding request. 

CHFA Direct Effect Awards

Deadline: Sept. 17 | Details here. CHFA is pleased to announce the dates for its 2024 Direct Effect Awards. Direct Effect Awards are an opportunity for CHFA to recognize and support Colorado nonprofits whose missions align with our work to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development. In 2024, CHFA is celebrating 50 years of strengthening Colorado. To help commemorate, CHFA will additionally award up to five $50,000 Direct Effect Awards in each round of 2024. 

Other Funding Opportunities

Community Heart & Soul Seed Grants

The Community Heart & Soul Seed Grant Program provides $10,000 in funding for resident-driven groups in small cities and towns to start the Community Heart & Soul model. Grant funding requires a $10,000 cash match from the participating municipality or a partnering organization.  

Rural Initiative and Intercultural Harmony Initiative - Laura Jane Musser Fund

Details here. The Rural Initiative supports collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities (population of 10,000 or less) that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education. The Intercultural Harmony Initiative supports projects that promote mutual understanding and cooperation between groups and citizens of different cultural backgrounds.

Military Heros Program - Penfed Foundation

Details here. Provides high impact grants that celebrate the leadership and selfless service of military members and support the transition from service to civilian life. Priority areas include Successful civilian employment for veterans, Job training and employment for military spouses, Community leadership, and Success and stability for military children.