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Funding & Technical Assistance Programs

Funding & Technical Assistance
Apply to host a Colorado Downtown Streets Workshop
Community Builders is teaming up with the Colorado Department of Transportation, Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Department of Local Affairs to offer FREE and INTERACTIVE workshops to downtowns seeking to strike a balance among these varying demands.
Attendance is free, but a limited number of workshops are available. Communities must apply to be a host and receive additional support from the training team. Applications are due March 1, 2019 and workshops will be held in April and May. Host communities are eligible to receive (1) a free technical assistance session to problem solve a key issue in their community (to follow the workshop), and (2) funds to help cover the cost of hosting. Click for more information & to apply now!
Peace Officer Mental Health Support Grants
Support grant program is available for local law enforcement agencies to engage mental health professionals who can provide on-scene response services to support peace officers’ handling of persons with mental health disorders, and counseling services to peace officers. Applications will be reviewed in the order of receipt with a date and time stamp on each application. Deadline: April 30. For more information on the program, Click Here.
USDA Rural Business Development Grants
Deadline: March 29. The technical assistance grants in Colorado average around $25,000, and a revolving loan fund request is $50,000. This program is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that will employ 50 or fewer new employees and have less than $1 million in gross revenue. For more information, visit USDA website here or contact P.J. Howe, business program specialist, at 970-329-3151 or p.j.howe@co.usda.gov.
U.S. Conference of Mayors: CommunityWINS Grant Program
The CommunityWINS (Working/Investing in Neighborhood Stabilization) Grant Program, administered by the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and funded by Wells Fargo, supports local nonprofits in promoting long-term economic prosperity and quality of life for their community. Recognizing Neighborhood Stabilization, Economic Development, and Job Creation. All programs must be initiated with the full support of the mayor to be eligible, including those developed and implemented in collaboration with the private sector, community groups, and other partners. The application deadline is March 22, 2019. Visit the USCM website to learn more about the program.
Grants Promote Innovative Pre-K-12 Projects
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation: Mini-Grant Program
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation offers mini-grants to public schools, public libraries, and public preschool and Head Start programs in the United States and its territories. The Foundation accepts proposals for creative, innovative projects that give teachers and librarians a unified, flexible way to meet Common Core goals as well as offer students a fun experience, a sense of achievement, and a source of pride. The application deadline is March 31, 2019. Visit the Foundations website to learn more about the application process.
Colorado Companies Invited to Apply for Grant Funding to attend Hannover Messe Trade Show in Hanover, Germany
Colorado companies interested in exporting industrial technologies such as energy efficiency, lightweight construction, and additive manufacturing technologies are encouraged to apply for the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) for the opportunity to attend the Hannover Messe Trade Show, April 1 – 5, 2019. The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) will sponsor a Colorado booth at Hannover Messe that will showcase up to eight companies to promote Colorado’s advanced manufacturing and energy industries. OEDIT’s support will allow companies to connect with foreign buyers and increase their presence in the European market, resulting in export sales and job creation and retention in Colorado. Awarded companies will receive a travel stipend of up to $3,500 and exhibit space in the Colorado booth.  The application is available online here. Applications are due February 25, 2019. This is a competitive grant process with limited opportunities for funding.
USDA Community Facilities Grant Program
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.  The Colorado Rural Development Office has changed the submission deadline for Community Facility Grant applications in Fiscal Year 2019 to February 28, 2019.  All grant applications must be received in either the State or Local Field Offices by COB, February 28, 2019 to be considered for Colorado Rural Development State funding.  Applications received after this deadline will compete for National Office funding. More info here
 
Community  Assistance offered by Community Builders

Every year, Community Builders offers a limited number of assistance opportunities to communities in Colorado. This is an opportunity for local leaders to acquire necessary tools and information to build prosperous, livable communities.  Assistance projects address a range of community and economic development issues intended to help build local livability. These include transportation and mobility, housing choices, land use and redevelopment, and local economic development.  Applicants are encouraged to contact Jillian Sutherland to discuss the proposed project and application process prior to submitting.

Contact Jillian at (970) 928-3411 or
. Deadline: March 1, 2019.
 
The Laura Jane Musser Fund Environmental Initiative Program
Deadline: March 19, 2019. Full details here. The purpose of the Environmental Initiative Program component is to support the initiation or implementation of projects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly owned open spaces, while encouraging compatible human activities. The ultimate goal of this component is to promote public use of open space that improves a community’s quality of life and public health, while also ensuring the protection of healthy, viable, and sustainable ecosystems by protecting or restoring habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species. Funding will be provided for either planning projects or implementation projects.
The Laura Jane Musser Fund Rural Arts General Operating Support Program
Deadline: March 12, 2019. Full details here. The purpose of the Rural Arts General Operating Support Program component is to assist nonprofit organizations in rural communities to develop, implement, or sustain exceptional artistic opportunities for adults and children in the areas of literary, visual, music, and performing arts. The goal of this program is to excite and encourage a wider population to appreciate, learn, and participate in the arts.