|
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
Rural Business Development Grant
Deadline: February 28 | Details here. USDA Rural Development. This grant supports business opportunities or business enterprise projects in rural communities. Organizations eligible to receive funding include rural towns, communities, state agencies, authorities, nonprofits, public colleges and non-profit cooperatives. Projects must be consistent with local community and economic development strategic plans. Funds may be used to establish business support centers or to finance job training and leadership development in rural areas. They may also be used to repair or modernize buildings; finance feasibility studies or business plans; or purchase equipment to lease to small or emerging businesses.
Community Connect Grants
Deadline: Jan. 20 | Details here. USDA Rural Development. The Community Connect provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist.
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) - Deadline Feb 29
Deadline: Feb. 29, 2024 | Details here. Grant program for hazard mitigation activities. FEMA will extend financial assistance to eligible BRIC applicants for a range of activities, including capability and capacity-building initiatives to enhance workforce expertise, hazard mitigation projects that bolster public safety and resilience against a variety of natural hazards, and management costs, which help offset administrative expenses associated with mitigation measures and projects.
Reducing Indoor Air Risks Program
Deadline: Feb. 5 | Details here. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Program to conduct demonstration, technical assistance, training, education, or outreach projects that seek to reduce exposure to indoor air contaminants by advancing national policy and systems-level initiatives. Programs should address one or more of the EPA Indoor Air Program priority areas of radon, indoor environmental asthma triggers, or comprehensive indoor air risk reduction.
Grants for Arts Projects Program
Deadline: Feb. 15 | Details here. National Endowment for the Arts. Program supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector. The program funds arts projects in the following disciplines: artist communities, arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting and multidisciplinary arts, theater, and visual arts.
State Opportunities
Strong Communities Grant Program
Round 2 Opens mid-January. Grant program through Colorado Department of Local Affairs, in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office and Colorado Department of Transportation. This round will fund the adoption of land use best practices to support affordable housing and can also support the adoption of new and upgraded planning and zoning codes, housing needs assessments, water planning and conservation efforts, wildfire planning and mitigation policies, and short-term rental policies. Direct inquiries regarding initial program interest to your DOLA regional manager, https://tinyurl.com/2n4tm2sb.
Advanced Industries Export Grant
Deadline: Rolling | Details here including eligibility requirements. Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade. The Advanced Industries Export Grant offers support to Colorado-based advanced industries technology businesses that are interested in exporting or are currently exporting. This grant is for small- and medium-sized businesses. It reimburses for international business development and marketing costs. Businesses can apply for up to $15,000 and up to 50% of the approved expenses.
Community Business Preservation Program
Deadline: Jan 19, 2024 | For more information, contact Leslie Hylton-Hinga; leslie.hylton-hinga@state.co.us. Colorado Creative Industries. This program provides grants of $10,000-$50,000, as well as up to two years of training and consultation support, to groups of geographically proximate and culturally similar businesses that are facing displacement pressures and that hold cultural, social, or historical significance in Colorado.
Employee Ownership Tax Credit
Deadline: Rolling | Details here. Employee ownership models offer an alternative path to retirement that also preserves jobs, creating a win-win for business owners, employees and communities. The tax credit program was expanded and you could receive up to $150,000 to cover up to 50% of qualifying business conversion costs for use on state income taxes.
Destination Learning Lab
Deadline: Jan. 16 | Details here. Colorado Tourism Office. This program is a great opportunity to build a community of knowledgeable frontline workers who can help create a positive experience for visitors through free educational content. The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is selecting five destinations for this round of programming, which will run from the week of Jan. 22 to June 30, 2024. Selected destinations will work with a CTO consultant and receive one customized destination learning lab on the CTO learning labs platform, as well as 12 hours of CTO consultant support. This program is available to Destination Marketing/Management Organizations in the state of Colorado.
CTO’s Tourism Management Grant
Deadline: Jan. 30 | Details here. Colorado Tourism Office. The Tourism Management Grant benefits tourism-related projects that develop, enhance or manage visitor experience in Colorado. Applicants can request up to $20,000 and will receive a 4:1 match. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a brief Letter of Interest prior to completing an application so that CTO staff can learn more about the proposed project and deliverables.
Opportunity Next Colorado
Deadline: Jan. 21 | Details here. Enacted by SB23-205, Opportunity Next Colorado aims to increase enrollment in Colorado-based postsecondary education and training programs, and will prioritize learners who pursue an in-demand or high-priority pathway. To streamline scholarship distribution, we are asking Colorado-based public and private institutions of higher education to apply for block grants in the Phase 1 application cycle.
Vital Careers Training SLFRF Grant
Deadline: Jan. 31 | Details here. Colorado Workforce Development Council. The Vital Careers Training SLFRF Grant is now live. Grants from $30,000 and up to $300,000 are available for 501(c)3 organizations, tribal organizations, and trade associations to expand or launch training programs for workforce development.
Other Funding & Technical Assistance Opportunities
Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge
Deadline: Jan. 19 | Details here. This is an initiative of the Families and Workers Fund, a collaborative philanthropic effort to help create at least one million good jobs in the clean energy and infrastructure industries. Funding will be provided in two tracks: the Training and Career Pathways track, focused on scaling models to train, place, support, and retain a diverse workforce that meets the growing labor demand in clean energy, infrastructure, and related industries, and the Government Planning and Implementation track, focused on supporting government agencies and their community partners to plan for and implement good jobs and effective, inclusive workforce development.
Resources
Small Business Trends that Will Shape 2024
Read blog from the SBA here. Another year is in the books. For small business owners, that means the time to start planning for 2024 is now. While no one can predict exactly what the future will hold, there are plenty of trends entrepreneurs can monitor right now to stay prepared for challenges and opportunities in the days ahead. With potential impacts for both day-to-day operations and the long term picture, the following trends should inform your small business strategy in the new year.
Tips for Starting a Business in 2024
For aspiring entrepreneurs, there’s no better New Year’s resolution for 2024 than to make your business dreams a reality. Here are some tips from the Small Business Administration for opening up your shop.
| 
