I hope this message finds you well as you plan and look ahead to funding activities this year. As we get further into April, I want to share a brief update on federal grant opportunities that may be helpful for our communities, local governments, nonprofits, and small businesses.
This past year, our district was awarded over $164 million in federal grant funding. These resources have helped improve our community by funding projects around infrastructure, childcare, scientific research, health care, housing, and more. If you are interested in how federal funding from 2025 is being directed to projects in your community, you can view a new interactive map of grant awards in Colorado’s District 7 on my website here.
I know the Trump Administration’s attempts to freeze federal funding continue to cause us all difficulty and confusion as litigation unfolds in the courts. Please know that I am working hard every day to fight back and continue delivering for our constituents.
Due to the ongoing lack of clarity from the Trump Administration regarding many federal programs, I highly recommend you follow relevant agency newsletters and the grants.gov webpage for your grants of interest, in case they have been canceled, paused, or their eligibility criteria may have changed. If any of these changes have affected you or your organization, please feel free to share your perspective with my office here.
There have been many recent changes to grants.gov, so I recommend following@grantsdotgov on X(formerly Twitter) to help you navigate the federal grant application process. The grants.gov team also sends a regular newsletter designed to help you access grants, which you can find here.
Nonetheless, I remain excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.
You can find up-to-date information on open federal grants here. This spreadsheet will be updated throughout the month and includes a wide variety of grants related to agriculture, community development, disaster prevention and relief, food and nutrition, transportation, and more. The grants can be easily sorted and filtered by category to help find grants related to specific needs.
Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard features federal and state funding opportunities, which can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.
In addition to a list of open federal grants below, you can find a section on technical assistance resources for grant applicants, information on grants expected to open in the future, and a tip of the month for grant applicants.
Upcoming Grants:
This month, major federal grants are open for projects related to transportation safety, disaster mitigation, water, agriculture, energy, and more. Below are some available federal funding opportunities, listed by category and deadline. The following grants are currently open and accepting applications at the time of this newsletter's publication.
Transportation:
The last round of the popular Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All(SS4A) grant program has opened. Created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the SS4A program funds planning and construction projects for roadway improvements addressing pedestrian and motorist safety. Applicants have until May 26, 2026, to apply for either planning or implementation project categories.
The Department of Transportation has opened a round of funding for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) for rail carriers, public transportation agencies, university transportation centers, and non-profit labor organizations to pursue projects focused on railway technology and safety improvements. Interested parties should apply by June 22, 2026.
Wildfire and Disaster Response:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened the latest round of funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, with $1 billion in federal funding available to states to take preventive measures against disasters like fires, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. Local and county governments are eligible sub-applicants under the Colorado state government for this funding. Interested sub-applicants should send a draft application to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management byJune 1, 2026 and submit final applications by July 9, 2026. Interested parties can find more information here and submit a notice of intent to apply here.
Water:
The Department of the Interior is offering $13.5 million in funding from the WaterSMART Drought Response Program for irrigation and water districts, regional and local authorities, and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to carry out drought resiliency and water management projects. The application deadline isJuly 28, 2026.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants provide funding to rural local governments and nonprofit organizations to prepare for or recover from an emergency that threatens the availability of safe drinking water. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Arts and Humanities:
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is accepting nominations for the 2027 NEA National Heritage Fellowships, with two rounds of application materials due by May 11, 2026, and May 22, 2026. This program provides funding and support for artists within folk and traditional art forms.
Housing:
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has $45k inincentive funding available through the Local Planning Capacity grant program to eligible local governments that adopt or implement an expedited review or Fast Track process for affordable housing by June 30, 2026.
Food and Agriculture:
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is offering funding through the Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ACRE3)grant program for farmers and ranchers to reduce their energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Interested applicants should apply by May 29, 2026.
Energy:
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced its Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) Program. This program offers funding for projects by local governments, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, institutes of higher education, and entities involved in electricity generation and transmission to improve the reliability and affordability of the electric grid. Interested applicants should apply by May 20, 2026.
The Department of Transportation has opened its Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) Grant Program for special districts, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to carry out projects to prevent leaks and safety risks from existing natural gas pipelines. Interested applicants should apply by May 22, 2026.
The Colorado Energy Office has a Geothermal Energy Tax Credit Offering, which provides funding for private entities, local governments, and public-private partnerships to carry out geothermal energy projects. Applicants should apply by June 30, 2026.
Education:
The National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program provides funding to universities, colleges, and nonprofit organizations to support programs that recruit, train, and retain K-12 STEM teachers. The application deadline is August 25, 2026.
Environmental:
The Department of Commerce is offering local governments, institutions of higher education, non-profit and for-profit organizations grant funding for technologies to prevent and mitigate harmful algal blooms. Interested parties should apply by May 14, 2026.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife is offering grant funding for communities working to reduce attacks by bears on humans. Interested local governments, park and recreation departments, nonprofits, and other eligible organizations should apply by May 29, 2026.
Technical Assistance:
Something I often hear when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but do not have the capacity to submit a competitive application. Thankfully, you don't have to go through this process alone. My office has compiled a list of resources from state and federal government agencies to help grant applicants here.
I often hear from groups that find a grant that interests them, but they aren’t sure when the grant application will reopen, or they feel the deadline is too soon for them to write a competitive application. To help groups plan for upcoming grants, my office has compiled a list of past opening and closing dates for major grants here.
Agriculture:
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is offering free energy audits and technical reports for projects that increase operational resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for agricultural producers. Interested applicants should apply by May 15th, 2026.
Water:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering free technical assistance for water stakeholders, such as drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities to work to prepare for natural disasters through their Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT)initiative. Interested applicants can apply for assistance as well as view other forms of free water-related technical assistance here, with requests being taken on a rolling basis.
The EPA also provides free technical assistance for organizations ensuring compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act. Interested parties can request assistance here, with requests being taken on a rolling basis.
Community Development:
The Department of the Treasury offers monthly webinars for organizations applying to be certified as Community Development Financial Institutions. Interested parties can find more informationhere.
Local Governments:
Through state funding and in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise is providing technical assistance under theSTEPS programto local governments and school districts looking to implement recycling and zero-waste programs. Parties interested in either their “light-touch” or “in-depth” technical assistance should fill out the online formhere, with applications being taken on arolling basis.
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs is continuing to provide free technical assistance for local governments through their Regional Planning Roundtable Commission. Interested parties can applyhere, with applications being accepted on arolling basis.
Disability Access:
Disabled individuals and organizations serving the disabled community can accessfreetechnical assistance around workforce participation and professional development from the LEAD Center, through funding from the Department of Labor. Interested parties can find more informationhereand request assistancehere.
Rural Hospitals:
Through funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Rural Health Information Hub provides free technical assistance for rural hospitals here. HRSA also provides and funds the following free technical assistance programs for rural health care institutions: the Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program (TTAP)(interested parties can apply here), the Rural Hospital Stabilization Program, the Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center, and the Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project(interested applicants can apply here).
Environmental:
The Internal Revenue Service is offering monthly virtual office hours to help entities with the pre-filing registration process on the IRA/CHIPS Pre-filing Registration Tool. Pre-filing registration is a required step for applicable entities and eligible taxpayers to take advantage of the elective payments or credit transfers available under the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act. These office hours will continue throughout the year past Tax Day, and are also intended for applicants who requested a filing extension or are looking ahead to next year’s taxes. Interested individuals can find more information here.
Grants on the Horizon:
The Colorado Broadband Office plans to open its Advance-Local grant program for broadband infrastructure for local internet service providers, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and nonprofit organizations onApril 30, 2026.
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a plan to re-open the popular Clean School Bus Program, and has issued a Request for Information in preparation for another round of funding becoming availablelater this year.
The National Endowment for the Arts’ next cycle of Grants for Arts Projects funding is set to reopen in mid-May with an application deadline of July 9, 2026. This program provides funding for nonprofit organizations and local governments to carry out arts projects.
Application Tip of the Month:
When asking for tips on how organizations can make their applications more competitive, Department of Transportation grant program officers stressed the importance of making sure your project narrative is clear and easy to follow. Additionally, they advised applicants to make sure any key supporting data that supports the need for a project is included in the main sections of the application rather than being less visible in appendix sections.
Reminders from last month's newsletter:
You can always find a full list of resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website.
If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here.
If you would like to request a letter of support from my office, please fill out a letter request form here and email any questions to co07grants@mail.house.gov. Please allow at least one week of processing time. Letter of support requests received within a week of the deadline may not be processed in time.
Please reach out with any questions, requests for letters of support, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.
Thanks for reading,
