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Funding & Technical Assistance

Employer-Based Child Care Facility Grants
Deadline: June 15 by 11 a.m. | More info here. These grants are intended to enable employers to construct, remodel, renovate, or retrofit a child care center on the site or near to the site of the eligible employer's property to provide licensed child care services to the eligible entity's employees. Through this RFP (request for proposals), the Colorado Department of Human Services will distribute the remaining amount of funding they have for this activity. Summary of the Grant: Up to $500,000 award; Contract period is one year: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.  

Colorado State Outdoor Recreation Grant Program is Open
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with quarterly review deadlines of March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, and December 31st of each year through 2025 or until all funding is allocated. OEDIT's Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office (OREC) Colorado State Outdoor Recreation Grant program – funds are made available through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) as a part of the American Rescue Plan Act. OREC will be accepting applications for roughly $4 million in competitive funding for projects related to economic development and recovery in the outdoor recreation sector. Eligible entities include government bodies, nonprofits, colleges/universities, economic development organizations. More info here.
Eligible projects include:
  • Infrastructure improvements and upgrades
  • Marketing and event/asset promotion
  • Technical assistance and strategic planning
  • Other projects of high economic impact, particularly related to job creation and retention

Innovative Affordable Housing Strategies Planning Grant Program Round 6
Deadline: June 27 | More info here. DOLA received stimulus funds from HB21-1271 to promote innovative solutions to the development of affordable housing across the state. This program can fund housing needs assessments to help local governments guide their policy and regulatory approach to reducing barriers to affordable housing development, but the application for funding must also include work to adopt a qualifying strategy (from the options listed in the bill). Eligible Organizations: Colorado municipalities and counties. Award Amount: Individual awards expected to be ~$50,000-$200,000 (no set max). Local Match: 25% local match of the total project cost required, with option to request a reduced match after consulting with your DOLA Regional Manager. If you have any questions about DOLA's 1271 program, please contact the 1271 Program Manager, Mitch Hendrick, at mitch.hendrick@state.co.us.

Tourism Recovery Marketing Grant
Deadline: August 1. The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) Tourism Recovery Marketing Grant, funded through an EDA American Rescue Plan Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation State Grant, provides funding to eligible applicants to support the economic recovery of the travel and tourism industry in Colorado through the execution of tourism marketing and promotional campaigns.

EDA Build to Scale Funding Opportunity
Applications for the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) “Build to Scale” (B2S) program are due June 13, 2022. The funding opportunity is designed to build capacity in regional innovation economies so that innovative technology companies can start and grow. Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). EDA offers five tips for applicants:
  1. Get started early. Applicants need an identifier for federal awards. In April 2022, that identifier changed from the DUNS number to the Unique Entity ID (UEI). It can take 3-4 weeks to set up and verify an account.
  2. Ask questions. Applicants can direct questions to OIE@eda.gov. Questions submitted before May 20 will be answered in EDA’s webinar in late May.
  3. Collaborate. Engage stakeholders and map your ecosystem to ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive project. See past grantee projects for the Venture Challenge and Capital Challenge.
  4. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Competitive project applications will address the unique needs of underserved and underrepresented populations and measure those population’s participation.
  5. Utilize EDA resources. Start on the Build to Scale webpage, where you can find frequently asked questions, a one-pager, a webinar recording, and other resources. 

The Colorado Energy Office’s Charge Ahead Program
Deadline: June 24. CEO is opening another round of grant funding for electric vehicle charging stations. Grants cover the cost of purchasing and installing electric vehicle charging stations in workplaces, housing complexes, government buildings and other sites that offer public or visitor parking. Recipients can receive up to 80% of project costs or a maximum of $9,000 for Level 2 chargers and up to $50,000 for Level 3 chargers. They can also receive free technical advice and grant support from Carbondale-based Clean Energy Economy for the Region, which is the energy office’s coach for Western Slope counties. Grant applications can be submitted through the website CleanAirFleets.org.

Early Childhood Local Coordinating Organizations (LCOs) Funding Opportunity
Deadline: June 20 | More info here. Department of Early Childhood has opened applications for Local Coordinating Organizations (LCOs). LCOs will coordinate the early childhood system in their community, including the mixed delivery system of Universal Preschool. The transition team will be offering virtual office hours to answer applicant questions Mondays at 12:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. To download the application and catchment area map, click here.

US Department of Energy RACER Fund
Deadline: July 25. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience (RACER) funding opportunity, which will award $25 million in funding for projects to enable communities to utilize solar and solar-plus-storage to prevent disruptions in power caused by extreme weather and other events, and to rapidly restore electricity if it goes down. Projects will foster engagement and ongoing communication among multiple stakeholders such as utilities, municipal planners, emergency responders, community groups, and others, especially in underserved communities located in areas vulnerable to extreme events causing frequent energy and power service disruptions. 

Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund Grant (EIAF)
Deadline for next round: September 1 | More info here. Colorado Dept. of Local Affairs. The purpose of the EIAF Program is to assist political subdivisions that are socially and/or economically impacted by the development, processing, or energy conversion of minerals and mineral fuels. Funds come from the state severance tax on energy and mineral production and from a portion of the state's share of royalties paid to the federal government for mining and drilling of minerals and mineral fuels on federally-owned land.
Training Opportunities & Events
 
Trainings Offered by NW Small Business Development Center & Colorado Workforce Center
  • June 15 |10 am - 11 am | How to use Labor Market Information (LMI) Data | Register here
  • June 28 | 9:30 am - 11 am | Northwest Workforce Area - Employment Law Update | Register here

Basic Economic Development Course
June 13 - 17 | Hilton Garden Inn – Olde Town Arvada | More info and register here.
Offered by Economic Development Council of Colorado (EDCC), the BEDC course provides a substantial introduction to the theory and fundamentals of comprehensive economic development. The formal instruction emphasizes beneficial development that can result from the constructive actions of local leaders and revolves around five major themes: innovative community development concepts; regional economics; basic factors in development; techniques of economic development and trends in economic development.

Rockies Playground Outdoor Industry Strategy Summit
August 22 | Register Here. Tickets are complimentary, but registration is required.
This summit is presented by CU Boulder Office of Outdoor Recreation Economy and Vail Valley Partnership, and will feature discussion of strategies to balance outdoor recreation and conservation of natural resources, ways to grow and sustain the outdoor industry in the Rockies Playground region, as well as panel and tabletop discussions on key topics facing the outdoor recreation industry. 

Colorado Municipal League Annual Conference
June 21-24 in Breckenridge | REGISTER HERE. CML's 100th Annual Conference is sure to be one to remember. With over 40 sessions, two keynotes, and a 100th Conference celebrations on Wednesday, you won't want to miss it. See you there!

Mountain Town 2030 Conference in Breckenridge
September 20-22 | More info here. Mountain Towns 2030 is an annual gathering where mountain and outdoor community stakeholders convene and collaborate on climate solutions as an effort between mountain towns moving toward a goal of having zero net carbon emissions by 2030.
Northwest Colorado Council of Governments
Economic Development District | www.nwccog.org/edd