Grant Newsletters

If you or someone you know would like to be added to our monthly grants newsletter, you can sign-up for the newsletter by clicking here. Below you can find previous months' grants newsletters.

March Monthly Grants Newsletter

Welcome to my March grants newsletter! I know that the Trump Administration’s attempt to freeze federal funding is still causing a great deal of anxiety and confusion as litigation continues to unfold in the courts. Please know that I am working hard every day to fight back and continue delivering for our constituents.

Due to the confusion and lack of clarity from the Trump Administration, I highly recommend that you follow relevant agency newsletters and the grants.gov webpage for your grants of interest to see which are canceled, paused, or may have changed eligibility criteria. If this has affected you or your organization, please share your information with me here.

I am 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 much 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 includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Upcoming Grants:

This month, there are some major federal grants open around funding for rural communities and fire and disaster mitigation. Below are some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by category and deadline. The following grants are still open and accepting applicants at the time of sending this newsletter.

Rural:

The Department of Health and Human Services has a Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development grant program for local governments, small businesses, and nonprofits to improve health care in rural areas for seniors. Interested parties should apply by April 17, 2025.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Connect Grant Program provides funding for broadband service that fosters economic growth and aids educational, health care, and public safety efforts. Applications are due April 21, 2025.

The Colorado State Forest Service is accepting applications for the new Rural Grant Navigator grant program. Non-governmental organizations that provide services to rural Colorado Communities applying for state or federal grants related to wildfire mitigation and preparedness are eligible. Applications will be accepted through May 2, 2025.

The Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program provides funding opportunities to develop community facilities in rural areas that provide essential services to local communities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Fire and Disaster Management:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the open Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program, which provides funding for local governments to invest in projects around hazard risk mitigation and preparing for disasters like flooding and wildfire. The deadline to apply is April 18, 2025, and interested parties can also request free technical assistance for the BRIC program here.

FEMA also has an open Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program for local and county governments to carry out risk and damage mitigation projects around flooding. Applicants should apply by April 18, 2025.

Behavioral Health:

The Center for Disease Control Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Support Program is open to non-profits, local governments, schools, and counties to establish and strengthen the efforts of community coalitions to prevent youth substance use. Applications are due May 5, 2025.

Education:

The Department of Health and Human Services Head Start and Early Head Start Grant Program is open to local public or private non-profit organizations that can provide Head Start and/or Early Head Start services to children and families. Applications are due no later than April 29, 2025.

The National Science Foundation has a Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which provides funding for elementary and secondary mathematics and science teachers in school districts experiencing teacher shortages in those fields. You can get more information on the grant posting here. The deadline for applications is August 26, 2025.

Energy:

The Department of Energy also has a Carbon Utilization Procurement Grant program open for local governments to reduce their energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Interested applicants should apply by April 30, 2025.

Arts, Culture, and the Humanities:

The National Endowment for the Humanities is accepting applications for projects that address significant challenges in preserving or providing access to humanities resources and collections. Applications are due May 20, 2025.

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 simply 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 provided by state and federal government agencies designed to help grant applicants here.

I often hear from groups who find a grant that interests them but aren’t sure when the grant application will reopen or 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.

Education:

The Department of Education funds the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, which offers a variety of free technical assistance resources for early childhood education and childcare providers.

Energy:

The Department of Energy provides a technical assistance program called Clean Energy to Communities Learning Cohorts for local governments, nonprofits, and electric utilities to form partnerships, have access to experts, and receive guidance on clean energy projects. Interested applicants can apply here.

Through funding from the Department of Energy, the Energy Ready organization provides free technical assistance to local governments wishing to implement solar and wind energy within their communities as well as electric vehicle charging stations. Interested parties can find more information here and apply for assistance here.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture will provide free technical assistance for Colorado rural businesses and agricultural producers for the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) program, including free assistance with technical reports and feasibility studies. REAP funding supports energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Grants on the Horizon:

The Department of Health and Human Services has a planned Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Centers Grant, which provides funding for non-profits, states, local governments, health facilities, and institutes of higher education to address the opioid epidemic. This funding opportunity is expected to open on May 1, 2025.

Application Tip of the Month:

In the midst of uncertainty at the federal level around federal funding opportunities and technical assistance resources, the State of Colorado continues to provide support and guidance for grant applicants. Here are some of the resources that the state government provides:

The Office of the Governor established 14 Regional Grant Navigator positions to help provide free technical assistance for local governments looking to apply to the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested local governments can find the contact information for their grant navigator and find more information on the program here.

The State of Colorado allocated a total of $10 million in aid for local match requirements (the portion of a project that a federal grant does not cover) to help smaller local governments with fewer resources to apply for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested parties can find more information here.

The State of Colorado set aside $1 million for grant writing and technical assistance for municipalities and state agencies applying for grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Interested parties can find more information here and apply for assistance here.

The Department of Local Affairs holds a call every other month for local governments with partner agencies on funding opportunities and resources. Interested parties can find more information and register here.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

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 email co07grants@mail.house.gov. Please allow at least one week of processing time and include your application materials and a draft letter of support. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letters of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

February Monthly Grants Newsletter

It has been a busy month in the federal grants space (to say the least!), and I know that actions by the Trump Administration to freeze federal funding have caused a great deal of anxiety in our communities. Please know that I am working hard every day to fight against these steps and continue delivering for our constituents.

As you know, this is a changing situation and there are various lawsuits ongoing related to the funding freeze. On February 3, a federal judge directed the administration to release the frozen funds, notify agencies of the court’s temporary restraining order, and file a status report on compliance by Feb. 7, 2025.

Due to the confusion and lack of clarity from the Trump Administration, I highly recommend that you follow relevant agency newsletters and grants.gov webpage for your work and grants of interest to see what grants are canceled, paused, or may have changed eligibility criteria. If this has had an effect on you or your organization, please share your information with me here. If you are receiving funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I recommend you check out this fact sheet on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds from the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

I am excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Upcoming Grants:

Rural:

The Department of Transportation has opened the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, a non-competitive grant program without a local match requirement for rural communities to provide technical, financial, and legal support for a transportation project. The grant is designed to be easier to apply to for smaller communities and can be used to hire staff to carry out a project or to hire a grant writer to apply for another transportation grant. The grant is awarded to all applicants who meet eligibility requirements on a first-come, first-served basis when applications open on March 4, 2025.

The Department of Health and Human Services has an open Rural Residency Planning and Development grant program for rural hospitals, rural community ambulatory patient care centers, and medical schools to develop rural residency programs for medical students. Applicants should apply by April 10, 2025.

The Department of Health and Human Services also has a Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development grant program for local governments, small businesses, and nonprofits to improve health care in rural areas for seniors. Interested parties should apply by April 17, 2025.

Fire and Disaster Management:

Behavioral Health:

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is opening its grant program application for the Rural Emergency Medical Services Program. This grant will provide money to recruit and train new EMS personnel with a focus on tackling substance use disorders. Interested rural emergency medical service agencies should apply by March 20, 2025.

Energy:

Arts, Culture, and the Humanities:

The National Endowment for the Arts has the open Research Grants program (deadline of March 24, 2025). This program provides funding for nonprofits and local governments to carry out arts projects.

Technical Assistance:

Energy:

Through funding from the Department of Energy, the Energy Ready organization provides free technical assistance to local governments wishing to implement solar and wind energy within their communities as well as electric vehicles charging stations. Interested parties can find more information here and apply for assistance here.

Grants on the Horizon:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs is planning to open a Housing Planning Grant for local governments to develop housing need assessments and housing action plans in April 2025. Interested parties can find more information on this planned funding program here.

Application Tip of the Month:

My office has heard from stakeholders who have started a grant application only to find out that the grant opportunity has been closed as part of the federal funding freeze when they go to apply. With all of the uncertainty around federal funding opportunities right now, I strongly recommend that you check the grants.gov webpage for the grant you are applying for throughout the application process to ensure that the grant fund you are applying to is still open. Please reach out to our office at co07grants@mail.house.gov if you have any questions about a federal grant opportunity.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here.

Please reach out with any questions, letters of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

January Monthly Grants Newsletter

I am excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Upcoming Grants:

This month, there are some major federal grants open around funding for rural communities, transportation, and fire and disaster mitigation. Below are some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by category and deadline.

Rural:

The Department of Energy has an open Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areasgrant to fund energy efficiency and system improvements in rural areas. Applicants should submit a concept paper by February 27, 2025 and a complete application by August 28, 2025. Interested parties can find technical assistance resources specific to this grant here.

The United States Department of Agriculture has an open High Energy Cost grant program for local governments, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses in rural communities experiencing extremely high home energy costs to improve energy infrastructure. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2025.

Fire and Disaster Management:

Colorado's Bureau of Land Management office has an open Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance grant, which provides funding for local and county governments, nonprofits, and special districts to carry out hazardous fuel reduction projects in high wildfire-risk areas. Interested parties should apply by February 17, 2025.

The Department of the Interior has a Wildland Fire Slip-on Tanker Units grant program which supports wildland firefighters by providing funding to acquire slip-on tanker units that can easily transform vehicles into fire engines. The deadline to apply for state and local governments or independent school districts is February 26, 2025.

The U.S. Forest Service has a Community Wildfire Defense grant program with funding to develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) and implement new wildfire mitigation projects. Communities with high wildfire risk, who are low income, or who have been impacted by a severe disaster within the last 10 years will be prioritized. The deadline to apply is February 29, 2025, and applicants are strongly encouraged to develop proposals in consultation with state or Forest Service regional cooperative fire contacts listed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity.

Transportation:

The Department of Transportation has an open Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) grant (deadline of February 24, 2025), which provides funding to enhance the resilience of existing infrastructure.

Behavioral Health:

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is opening its grant program application for the Children’s Mental Health Initiative. The funding is intended to expand mental health resources for young people up to age 21. Interested local governments should apply by February 14, 2025.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has an open
Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program for institutes of higher education and nonprofits to sponsor a fellow in addiction medicine. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2025.

Water:

The Bureau of Land Management’s Colorado Aquatic Resources Program will provide funding to help protect and restore riparian and wetland areas, aquatic habitats, and water resources. Interested entities should apply by February 28, 2025.

The Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Project is accepting applications from interested states, tribes, irrigation and water districts, or non-profit organizations that seek funding for water conservation and efficiency projects. The deadline is March 11, 2025.

The Department of the Interior is accepting applications for the Large-Scale Water Recycling Project, which will provide funding for the planning, design, and construction of large-scale water recycling projects. Sponsors of water recycling projects with a total project cost of greater than $500,000,000 are eligible to apply by April 7, 2025.

Energy:

The Department of Energy has the open Renew America's Schools program, which provides funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement projects by K-12 school districts. The deadline to apply is April 3, 2025.

Arts, Culture, and the Humanities:

The National Endowment for the Arts has several open grant programs, including the Grants for Art Projects (GAP) program (deadline of February 13, 2025), the Research Grantsprogram (deadline of March 24, 2025), and the Challenge America program (deadline of April 24, 2025). Each provides funding for nonprofits and local governments to carry out arts projects, with the GAP and Challenge America programs designed to be more accessible to apply to for smaller organizations.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has an open Museum Assessment Programdesigned to help small and medium-sized institutions carry out internal assessment and program improvement activities. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2025.

Technical Assistance:

Federal Grants Bootcamp:

The Health Resources and Services Administration is holding a free in-depth virtual bootcamp on applying for federal grants from February 3 - 7, 2025 for community-based organizations and universities. Interested parties can apply here.

Energy:

Application Tip of the Month:

For any federal grant you are applying to, ensure that you have active Grants.gov and SAM.gov accounts and an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). These are the platforms through which applicants apply for federal grants, and their account set-up can be a lengthy process. Additionally, SAM.gov will sometimes deactivate a UEI if it has not been active in the past year. Make sure everything on your account is ready to go well before the day you plan to submit your application and before the application deadline. If there is an issue with your account, it may take several days to resolve.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here.

Please reach out with any questions, letters of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

December Monthly Grants Newsletter

I am excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

As we near the end of the year, I want to take time to thank you for all you do for our communities. I look forward to our continued partnership as we work to deliver for our neighbors. In the past year, my office provided 26 letters of support for grant applicants, helping advocate for over $41 million in federal dollars awarded to in-district recipients and over $268 million for projects supporting the broader Colorado community. This work would not be possible without your continued support. I am proud of all that we have accomplished in 2024 and look forward to continuing this work in the coming year.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by category and deadline.

Fire and Disaster Management:

Environmental:

The EPA has opened another round of funding for their Clean School Bus Rebate Program, in which school districts can apply for anywhere from one to fifty buses in their fleet to be replaced with clean and zero-emission models. High-need, rural, and large Title I-funded public school districts are prioritized for selection. Interested school districts can check their prioritization status here and should apply by January 9, 2025.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Heat Resilient Communities grant is accepting applications from local governments to invest in heat resilience projects. The deadline is January 24, 2025.

Transportation:

The Department of Transportation is offering funding for the Local and Regional Project Assistance Grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. State, local, or tribal governments who are interested should apply by January 30, 2025.

Two major Department of Transportation infrastructure grants have opened up for the coming year: the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant (deadline of January 30, 2025) and the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) grant (deadline of February 24, 2025). The RAISE grant is a catch-all, flexible funding program for a variety of transportation infrastructure projects, whereas the PROTECT grant focuses on enhancing the reliance of existing infrastructure.

Behavioral Health:

The Colorado Opioid Abatement Council and the Colorado Attorney General's office opened their Opioid Response Infrastructure Share program, which provides funding for eligible local governments and Regional Opioid Abatement Councils to carry out opioid abatement projects. The deadline to apply is February 3, 2024.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is opening its grant program application for Rural Emergency Medical Services Program. This grant will provide money to recruit and train new EMS personnel with a focus on tackling substance use disorders. Interested rural emergency medical service agencies should apply by March 20, 2025.

Water:

The Bureau of Reclamation recently announced that they secured $4,000,000,000 for theUpper Basin Environmental Drought Mitigation Program (B2E2). Interested public entities and tribes should apply by January 10, 2025.

The Department of the Interior’s WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Project is accepting applications from interested states, tribes, irrigation and water districts, or non-profit organizations who seek funding for water conservation and efficiency projects. The deadline is March 11, 2025.

Rural Energy:

The Department of Energy is accepting applications for its Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas program. The goal of funded projects should be to support rural and remote communities to build clean energy projects that benefit their communities of 10,000 people or fewer. Interested governments, organizations, and academic institutions should apply by February 2, 2025.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is providing free technical assistance for Colorado rural businesses and agricultural producers for the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) program, including free assistance with technical reports and feasibility studies. REAP funding supports energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Tourism:

The Department of the Interior’s FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Colorado Recreation and Visitor Services grant has funding to help build healthy communities and provide safe and equitable access to outdoor recreation. The deadline is February 3, 2025.

Grants on the Horizon:

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (expected to open in late December). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

Technical Assistance:

I often hear from groups who find a grant that interests them, but either aren’t sure when the grant application will reopen or 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.

Application Tip of the Month:

Before you invest your time in applying for a specific grant, think about your organizational capacity and plan to implement the grant if you are awarded. How are you and your organization going to comply with the reporting requirements and strings that come with a federal grant award? Will you need to hire another role in order to implement a grant? Having a clear plan for what it will take for you and your organization to carry out your grant project if awarded will save you headaches in the long run and help show grant reviewers that your project is well thought through.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

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 send an email to co07grants@mail.house.gov. We ask that those requesting letters of support send their application materials and a draft letter of support and that applicants allow at least a week to process the request. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letters of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

November Monthly Grants Newsletter

I am excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by category and deadline. As we approach the end of the year, several major grants funding firefighting, infrastructure, and environmental justice projects have opened.

Firefighting:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened up the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, one of the main federal funding sources for fire departments and districts to purchase equipment, vehicles, and more. The deadline to apply is December 12, 2024.

Environmental:

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and has opened up sub-awardee grant applications through December 12, 2024. This opportunity allows smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to address environmental and public health efforts and is specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply for federal grants.

The EPA has allocated $58 million for its Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling program, which offers funds for local governments and community organizations to improve recycling and materials management infrastructure. Applications are due by December 20, 2024.

The EPA is now accepting applications to the Consumer Recycling Education and Outreach (REO) Grant Program, which aims to fund projects that will reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in recycling. Interested local governments and nonprofit organizations should apply by December 20, 2024, in order to be considered.

Transportation:

Arts, Humanities, and Historical Preservation:

The National Park Service has opened the Save America's Treasures grant program, which provides funding for the preservation of historic sites and collections of national significance. Interested parties should apply by December 12, 2024.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is now accepting applications to the Public Humanities Projects grant program. The Public Humanities Projects program supports projects that bring the ideas of the humanities to life for general audiences through public programming. Entities interested in applying should submit their application before January 8, 2025.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is accepting applications for the Digital Humanities Advancement Grants. This program supports innovative and experimental work that contributes to scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanities. Local Governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions interested in applying must do so before January 9, 2025.

Behavioral Health:

The Colorado Opioid Abatement Council and the Colorado Attorney General's office recently opened their Opioid Response Infrastructure Share program, which provides funding for eligible local governments and Regional Opioid Abatement Councils to carry out opioid abatement projects. The deadline to apply is February 3, 2024, with an encouraged but optional Notice of Intent to apply deadline of December 10, 2024.

Food Access:

The United States Department of Agriculture recently opened its 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants program for school districts and community organizations to carry out Farm to School programs that give students access to fresh produce. Interested applicants should apply by January 10, 2025.

Grants on the Horizon:

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (expected to open in December). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

Technical Assistance:

Application Tip of the Month:

Technical assistance is not just for groups who are currently working on finding or applying to a grant - it's for organizations in all points of the process! Many technical assistance centers provide a variety of non-grant related trainings and resources that can aid with day-to-day operations and common issues faced by nonprofits in addition to assistance with grants. For example, the newly opened EPA Region 8 Technical Assistance Center can help with capacity-building trainings, partnership-building with aligned organizations, and access to technical experts. Interested organizations can request free assistance from the center here.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here.

Please reach out with any questions, letters of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

October Monthly Grants Newsletter

I am excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by deadline:

Last month, the Colorado Energy Office opened its Automated Permit Processing for Solar (APPS) Grant, which provides funding to local governments to speed up the code compliance and permitting process for Coloradans interested in solar energy. They are taking rolling applications on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently opened a Harm Reduction Grant Fund to help local public health agencies, nonprofits, law enforcement agencies, and rural health clinics fund harm reduction and behavioral health alternatives to incarceration for individuals struggling with a substance-use disorder. Applicants are encouraged but not required to fill out an intent to apply form by October 28, 2024, with a final application deadline of November 11, 2024.

The Bureau of Reclamation has opened its WaterSMART grants to local governments and nonprofits in the Western United States to fund projects that conserve water and use it more efficiently. The deadline to apply is November 13, 2024.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently opened the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund, a low-interest and no-interest loan program for cleanup projects and redevelopment around brownfield sites. Local Governments, non-profit organizations, and redevelopment agencies interested in applying should do so by November 14, 2024.

The EPA has recently opened a grant fund for training and technical assistance for rural and small communities looking to carry out wastewater projects. The application deadline is November 25, 2024.

The Department of Transportation has opened its Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants Program to help provide funding to lower greenhouse gas emissions by construction activities. Interested local governments and transportation agencies can apply untilNovember 25, 2024.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened its State and Local Cybersecurity grant program, with a deadline of December 3, 2024. While this grant is open solely to state governments, interested local governments can reach out to their State Administrative Agency about passthrough funding. Interested parties can find more information on the state administration of this funding here.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has recently opened its Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence grant program that focuses on supporting a holistic understanding of Artificial Intelligence by aiming to build research centers at eligible institutions. Government entities and institutions interested in applying must do so before December 11, 2024.

The Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration has recently opened theNational Scenic Byways Program Notice of Funding Opportunity 2024, a grants and technical assistance program to help fund highway projects. Government entities interested in applying must do so before December 16, 2024.

The Department of Transportation announced its Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program which will provide funding for local governments and public agencies to carry out intercity passenger rail services. The deadline is December 16, 2024.

The Department of Energy recently opened round three of the Community Power Accelerator Prize which fast tracks efforts of new, emerging, and expanding solar developers to learn, participate and grow their operations to support successful distributed solar projects. Applications will close for this funding opportunity on December 17, 2024.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has recently begun accepting applications for theDigital Humanities Advancement Grants. This program supports innovative and experimental work that contributes to scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanities. Local Governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions interested in applying must do so before January 9, 2025.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstration opened up its Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas Program, providing $400 million in funding for community-driven projects in areas with less than 10,000 people that aim to build clean energy knowledge, capacity, and self-reliance. All interested groups are eligible and must submit concept papers by February 27, 2025, and full applications by August 28, 2025.

Grants on the Horizon:

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in late October) and the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (expected to open in November). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up sub-awardee grant applications on October 28, 2024. This opportunity allows smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to address environmental and public health efforts and is specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply for federal grants.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) Grant Program which works to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults. Interested parties can find more information on the program here. The program is expected to open on November 15, 2024.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is expected to open its Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program for Individuals with Serious Mental Illnessgrant program on December 16, 2024. This program is open to counties and city mental health departments to support outpatient treatment programs.

Technical Assistance:

I often hear from groups who find a grant that interests them, but either aren’t sure when grant application will reopen or 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.

For disabled workers and service providers, Department of Labor American Job Centersprovide training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and similar employment-related services. They also have a program for disabled workers called Universal Design to help ensure access for a variety of abilities. Additionally, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has Disability Program Navigators throughout the state who can help people look for full and part-time employment, provide job application support, and more.

Application Tip of the Month:

A letter of support can often go a long way to make your application more competitive. Grant reviewers will sometimes look at the number and quality of letters of support a project has received from community stakeholders and leaders when scoring an application. In order to make your application as competitive as possible, it can be helpful to reach out early in the process to request letters of support. You can find information below on how to request a letter of support from my office.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here.

Please reach out with any questions, letters of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

September Monthly Grants Newsletter

I am 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 much more. The grants can be easily sorted and filtered by category to help find grants relating 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 includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Upcoming Event:

The Environmental Protection Agency is holding an event to celebrate the launch of its new Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center within Region 8 (Colorado’s region). The launch is being held on October 9th from 9 am - 12:30 pm at the University of Colorado Denver Tivoli Student Union in Room Zenith 640 at 900 Auraria Pkwy #205, Denver, CO 80204. The event will cover the new Technical Assistance Center, how to apply for the new Grantmakers program (more details below), and the Solar for All grant program, and is open to any Colorado local governments and nonprofit organizations.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by deadline:

The Colorado Energy Office recently opened its Automated Permit Processing for Solar (APPS) Grant, which provides funding to local governments to speed up the code compliance and permitting process for Coloradans interested in solar energy. They are taking rolling applications on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Economic Development Administration is accepting applications for its Build to Scale (B2S) Program. The funding will support individuals seeking to build and scale up technology-driven businesses. Interested entities can apply by October 28, 2024.

The Department of Energy has opened its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program to help local governments reduce energy use and emissions while improving energy efficiency. Interested local governments have until October 31, 2024 to submit their application and can find application templates and resources here.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently opened a Harm Reduction Grant Fund to help local public health agencies, nonprofits, law enforcement agencies, and rural health clinics fund harm reduction and behavioral health alternatives to incarceration for individuals struggling with substance-use disorder. Applicants are encouraged but not required to fill out an intent to apply form by October 28, 2024, with a final application deadline of November 11, 2024.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently opened the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund, a low-interest and no-interest loan program for cleanup projects and redevelopment around brownfield sites. Local Governments, non-profit organizations, and redevelopment agencies interested in applying should do so by November 14th, 2024.

The EPA has recently opened a grant fund for training and technical assistance for rural and small communities looking to carry out wastewater projects. The application deadline is November 25, 2024.

Grants on the Horizon:

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in late September) and the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (expected to open in October). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the fall to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up sub-awardee grant applications this fall, with more information expected to become public by October 9th. This opportunity allows smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to address environmental and public health efforts, and is specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

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 simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. Thankfully, you don't have to go through this process alone. My office has compiled a list of technical assistance resources provided by state and federal government agencies designed to help grant applicants here.

I also often hear from groups who find a grant they are interested in, but either do not know when the grant will reopen for another round of funding or feel the deadline is too soon for them to write a competitive application. To help groups plan for upcoming grants and get a sense for when major grants tend to open up within the year, my office has compiled a list of dates when grants have opened and closed in previous years here.

Application Tip of the Month:

It can be frustrating when you take the time to apply for a grant and your project is not selected. Federal agencies often offer applicants who were not selected for a grant the chance to attend an individualized debrief session with the agency's grant reviewers. This is a great opportunity to hear directly from the agency about how your application could be more competitive and what qualities stood out from the selected projects, particularly if you plan to reapply for the grant in future cycles. You can request a debrief session by reaching out to the grant administrator contact information listed in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). My office can help facilitate a meeting if you are not getting a timely response from the agency.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

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 send an email to co07grants@mail.house.gov. We ask that those requesting letters of support send their application materials and a draft letter of support, and that applicants allow at least a week to process the request. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

August Monthly Grants Newsletter

I am excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

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 includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by deadline:

Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade has an open Tourism Marketing Grant for nonprofits, chambers of commerce, and tourism leadership organizations to help promote tourism for a specific destination area. Applicants have until September 10, 2024 to apply.

The Department of Transportation Railroad Crossing Elimination Program funds highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. The deadline to apply is September 23, 2024.

The Department of Energy has open applications for its Weatherization Assistance Program Enhancement & Innovation grant program to develop new weatherization techniques. Applications are due by September 27, 2024.

The Economic Development Association is now accepting applications for the FY24 Good Jobs Challenge which aims to create workforce training programs that lead to high-quality jobs that accelerate local economic growth. Applications are due September 27, 2024. More information is available here.

The Rural Energy of America Program (REAP) provides funding for rural small businesses, farmers, and ranchers to install renewable energy or energy efficiency improvements on their property. They are accepting rolling applications for funding with a final deadline on September 30, 2024.

The Department of Transportation has launched their Reconnecting Communities Pilot program, which aims to connect communities divided by transportation infrastructure with a priority on helping disadvantaged communities improve access to daily needs. The application ends September 30, 2024 and you can find additional information here.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in September) and the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program (expected to open in late August). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summerto fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up sub-awardee grant applications this fall. This opportunity allows smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to address environmental and public health efforts, and is specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. Thankfully, you don't have to go through this process alone. My office has compiled a list of technical assistance resources provided by state and federal government agencies designed to help grant applicants here.

The Department of Energy is offering additional technical assistance resources for the implementation of the Home Energy Rebates Program. These resources include single-family modeling solutions and multifamily requirements guidance.

The Environmental Protection Agency expanded its technical assistance programs for water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Interested parties can find more information here.

Application Tip of the Month:

Interested in a federal grant opportunity, but unsure whether your organization would be able to fund the local match, or part of the project's cost that the federal government requires grant awardees to fund themselves? You may wish to explore some of the following options to meet local match requirements:

Some federal grants allow awardees (particularly for smaller or more rural entities) to apply for local match waivers, and will list this in their Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
Third-party in-kind match contributions allow awardees to donate volunteer and staff time, office space, and services, and have their fair market value count towards local match requirements.
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs offers local match funding for local governments awarded Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested parties can find more information here.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

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 send an email to co07grants@mail.house.gov. We ask that those requesting letters of support send their application materials and a draft letter of support, and that applicants allow at least a week to process the request. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

July Monthly Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by deadline:

The Department of Transportation has opened a second round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant, available to county and local governments to implement public charging stations for Electric Vehicles. Applications are due by August 28, 2024.

The Department of Transportation has opened applications for another round of Safe Streets and Roads for All (SSR4A) funding for public institutions of higher education, school districts, and local government entities working to reduce the number of road deaths and injuries. Applications are due by August 29, 2024.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing grant funding through the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program for state and local governments working to end youth homelessness. Applications are due by August 29, 2024.

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up subawardee grant applications this fall. This opportunity allows smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to address environmental and public health efforts, and was specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in August) and the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program (expected to open in late July). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. Thankfully, you don't have to go through this process alone. My office has compiled a list of technical assistance resources provided by state and federal government agencies designed to help grant applicants here.

This month, the Environmental Protection Agency expanded its technical assistance programs for water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Interested parties can find more information here.

The Colorado Broadband Office is offering a second of funding for its Broadband Technical Assistance Program to help local governments to apply for federal broadband grants. They are taking applications until August 2nd, 2024.

Application Tip of the Month:

When possible, think about what types of community and organizational partnerships might be helpful to the success of a proposed project when working on your application. Federal grant reviewers love to see partnerships, collaboration, and buy-in from municipalities and organizations that will be impacted by a project. Securing letters of support from community leaders or applying in coalition with partner organizations can help give reviewers more confidence that your project will be successful if funded, as you have already worked to build support for it locally and will have greater organizational capacity to implement a funded project.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

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 our office, please send an email to co07grants@mail.house.gov. We ask that those requesting letters of support send their application materials and a draft letter of support, and that applicants allow at least a week to process the request. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

June Monthly Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Upcoming Grants:

Below are just some of the available federal funding opportunities, listed in order by deadline:

The National Endowment for the Arts has expansive funding opportunities as part of itsGrants for Arts Projects (GAP). Awards range for $10,000 to $100,000. Applications are due July 11, 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Office of Community Services (OCS) will solicit applications for Community Economic Development Projects for nonprofit entities enhancing job creation and business development for low income individuals. Applications are due July 17, 2024.

The EPA's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program provides funding for municipalities and school districts to replace Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles in their fleet with zero-emissions vehicles. Within Colorado’s 7th district, Jefferson County and Broomfield County applicants have been designated by the EPA to have a competitive advantage. The application deadline is July 25, 2024.

The Department of Transportation has opened a second round for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure grant, available to county and local governments to implement public charging stations for Electric Vehicles. Applications are due by August 28, 2024.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing grant funding through theYouth Homelessness Demonstration Program for state and local governments working to end youth homelessness. Applications are due by August 29, 2024.

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up subawardee grant applications this fall. This opportunity allows smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to address environmental and public health efforts, and was specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

The Bureau of Reclamation has open WaterSMART grants to local governments and nonprofits in the Western United States to fund projects that conserve water and use it more efficiently. The deadline to apply is October 30, 2024.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in July) and theLow-Carbon Transportation Grants Program (expected to open in the coming months). Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summerto fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. Thankfully, you don't have to go through this process alone. My office has compiled a list of technical assistance resources provided by state and federal government agencies designed to help grant applicants here.

Application Tip of the Month:

Federal grants are often only open for a short amount of time, relative to the time it takes to craft a competitive application. See what you can do to plan ahead and work on building out your project proposal before a grant opens. If you are looking at a particular grant that has yearly rounds of funding, try to track when within the year the grant has opened in previous years and when the agency anticipates opening the grant this year. This will help you have a head start once the grant opens to everyone, and ensure you have enough time to write a quality application.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

You can always find a full list of the resources and grants (some of which are still open) from previous grant newsletters on my website here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

May Monthly Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Grant News:

The EPA has an open Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change grants program with funding for community programs to implement climate action and pollution reduction plans. The rolling application is open until November 21st, 2024. Interested applicants can find more information on and apply for technical assistance specific to this grant here. So far, no EPA Region 8 organizations (the states of CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) have applied to this grant, meaning CO applicants who apply now would face less regional competition during the selection process.

Additionally, the EPA's now-open Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program provides funding for municipalities and school districts to replace Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles in their fleet with zero-emissions vehicles. 70% of the funding is set aside specifically for clean school buses, and slightly over 40% of the funding is directed to areas in nonattainment with EPA standards for air quality. Within our district, Jefferson and Broomfield County applicants have been designated by the EPA to have a competitive advantage. The application deadline is July 25th, 2024.

Grants on the Horizon:

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for their Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up subawardee grant applications in early summer. This is a great opportunity for smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to apply for awards in the $150,000-350,000 range to address environmental and public health efforts, and was specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (expected to open in June), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in July). The DOT is expected to open up the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program to local governments in late May. Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The National Institutes of Health has announced that it intends to open a grant program to fund telehealth and digital health care programs later this year in July.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists freeresources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

Help for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has a University Technical Assistance Program which connects graduate students with smaller local governments for affordableassistance with planning around architecture, housing, renewable energy, and town processes. Colorado's Division of Local Government has a more extensive list of freeresources and technical assistance for local governments here.

Grant Navigation, Writing, and Local Match Help:

The Office of the Governor established 14 Regional Grant Navigator positions to help provide free technical assistance for local governments looking to apply to Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested local governments can find the contact information for their grant navigator and find more information on the program here.

The State of Colorado allocated a total of $10 million in aid for local match requirements(the portion of a project that a federal grant does not cover) to help smaller local governments with less resources to apply for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested parties can find more information here.

Housing and Community Living:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers free in-depth one-on-one program assistance to eligible grant applicants. Applicants can apply for such supporthere, and should note that a determination can take up to 3-6 weeks. For simpler questions, grant applicants can view information on HUD programs here, view trainings here, and submit questions here. Additionally, interested parties can find a dashboard of open and forecasted grants with tie-ins to housing on the HUD website here.

The Administration for Community Living funded Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Networkis a national technical assistance center that provides free assistance to organizations that serve families in which grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends are raising children. The ACL also funds the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center, which provides free technical assistance organizations that provide support services and career resources for disabled individuals.

Water:

Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency expanded the Water Technical Assistance program to help communities take advantage of the historic $50 billion in water funding. Interested parties can apply for freetechnical assistance to address water, wastewater, and stormwater projects here. The EPA'sWater Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center also provides free technical assistance. The EPA offers free technical assistance directly to water utilities through the Creating Resilient Water Utilities program.

Following a webinar for local governments on water grants, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) posted a list of technical assistance resources and organizations for local governments and organizations. Interested parties can find more information on their websitehere. Interested local governments can also access free technical assistance from DOLA outlined here by reaching out to their DOLA Regional Manager. The names and contact info for DOLA Regional Managers is listed here.

Clean Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has compiled a list of federal and state technical assistance resources for local governments looking to strengthen their electrical grid resiliency here.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is providing free technical assistance for rural small businesses, farmers and ranchers interested in applying to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Interested parties can find more about and apply for their assistance offerings (including help with completing the technical reports and feasibility studies) here.

Local governments and nonprofit organizations can receive technical assistance around clean energy questions and projects through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Clean Energy to Communities Program. Interested parties can find more information and apply for assistance here.

Local governments interested in implementing solar energy in their communities can reach out to SolSmart, a program funded by the Department of Energy, for free technical assistance. Interested parties can apply here. Additionally, the Department of Energy has compiled a list of technical assistance programs and funding opportunities here, and has a State and Local Solution Center with more resources here. Nonprofits interested in solar can find more resources in a DOE webinar here. The Clean Energy Connector and National Community Solar Partnership are two additional resources from the DOE for communities wishing to implement solar energy.

Transportation:

Local governments and transportation departments can get low-to-no cost technical assistance on transportation projects through the Federal Highway Administration's Local Technical Assistance Program. Interested parties in Colorado can apply for help with the Colorado LTAP here and access free online trainings here. Those interested in highway projects can find a list of grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act here and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law here.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has released technical assistance resources, aRural and Urban Electric Vehicle Project Toolkit, checklist for how to prepare to apply for DOT grants, Benefit-Cost Analysis Template, Rural Grant Application Toolkit, Transportation Data and Equity Hub, an explainer on local match requirements, a Strategic Workforce Development Toolkit, and application checklists for ways to make your application more competitive when it comes to job creation and climate impacts.

The Federal Highway Administration is providing technical assistance to transportation agencies on reducing greenhouse gas emissions while planning and implementing transportation projects. Interested parties can apply for assistance here.

In early April, the DOT announced the selection of their technical assistance provider, which will be housed under the Reconnecting Communities Institute (RCI). Interested parties working on projects to connect previously isolated communities with transportation infrastructure should expect to be able to reach out to RCI for technical assistance later in the year.

Electric Vehicles:

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has Clean Bus Planning Awards to provide technical assistance for school districts hoping to electrify their bus fleet. They are taking rolling applications for technical assistance.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation provides free technical assistance to organizations, school districts, transportation agencies, and municipalities on "the planning, deployment, operation, and maintenance of a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers, zero-emission fueling infrastructure, and zero-emission transit and school buses." Interested parties can find more here. Additionally, they have a Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Playbook with more resources on expanding EV infrastructure.

Environmental:

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Community Change Grants Technical Assistance program and the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance programs for disaster-prone areas. Eligible parties can receive free grant applications, project planning, and post-award assistance through these programs. Interested parties can request assistance here.

The EPA has an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs) Program, which offers free grant writing and research assistance to organizations applying to grants with an environmental justice tie-in. Interested parties in Colorado can apply for assistance here. The EPA also offers free online trainings on how to develop a budget and manage an EPA grant.

Early Childhood Development:

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, funded through the Department of Education, offers a variety of technical assistance resources for early childhood education and childcare providers.

Broadband:

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) launched a mapping tool to help grant awardees to identify local requirements around permitting and environmental concerns in areas where they are expanding broadband infrastructure.

Caregiving and Volunteer Program Capacity Building:

The Community Care Corps is a technical assistance center funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) that works to provide assistance to caregiving organizations and organizations with volunteer programs. Interested parties can find more about their technical assistance here and view their library of resources here. The ACL has additional resources for caregivers here.

Scientific Research:

The National Institutes of Health has a Small Business Applicant Assistance Program that provides technical assistance for small businesses with a health care focus applying forPhase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding. Interested applicants can apply here.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is hosting a series of free webinars for early-in-career scientific researchers on how to prepare a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant application through July. You can find more information and apply here.

Application Tip of the Month:

If you're not sure whether an open annual federal grant is a good fit for your project, check the awarded parties, amounts, and projects from previous years are similar to your organization, project, and the amount of funding you are asking for. This can be a helpful, easy way to get a sense of whether your project is a good fit for the grant and what the funding priorities of the program in previous years have been.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

Transportation:

The DOT has an open Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) for state and local governments to improve and expand their pedestrian walkways and bikeways, particularly in ways that connect communities. The deadline to apply is June 17th, 2024.

Additional open DOT grants include:

Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection Program -deadline of May 27th, 2024
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program -deadline of May28th, 2024
Highway Construction Training Program Grants -deadline of June 17th, 2024
Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program -deadline of June 18th, 2024
Large Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024 for FY25 projects
Planning and Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024

Public Safety and Law Enforcement:

In mid-April, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the opening of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NPSG) for non-profits (including places of worship) that could be at risk of terrorist attack. Interested parties can find more information about the grant and a series of technical assistance webinars on the program here. Applicants who have not received NPSG funding in the past will be prioritized.

The state of Colorado has its own NPSG program that will open later in the year for applicants not awarded the FEMA grant (more here), and has a collection of resources for applicantshere. FEMA also announced the Homeland Security Grant Program, Transit Security Grant Program, and Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. All four FEMA grantshave an application deadline of June 24th, 2024.

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) the following open grants:

A grant supporting department accreditation efforts -deadline of May 28th, 2024
Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative -deadline of June 10th, 2024
Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program -deadline of June 4th, 2024
Hiring Program -deadline of June 12th
School Violence Prevention Program -deadline of June 17th

Clean Energy:

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created a number of tax credits aimed at incentivizing the development, creation, and implementation of clean energy technologies in the United States. The Biden administration has opened up the Direct Pay program, allowing state and local government entities and nonprofits to directly receive payment of the tax credits for eligible activities, lessening the red tape and paperwork required to receive these payments. Interested parties can find more information on how to partake in the program here.

The IRA also created the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit §48C Tax Credit program, which institutes a tax credit for up to 30% of investments in projects around clean energy, critical mineral and material processing, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. This historic investment allocated $4 billion for tax credits for qualifying projects, with the program expected to reopen for a second round in the coming months. Interested parties can find more information on the program here.

The Rural Energy of America Program (REAP) provides funding for rural small businesses, farmers, and ranchers to install renewable energy or energy efficiency improvements on their property. They are accepting rolling applications for two rounds of funding with deadlines on June 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024.

The Department of Energy has an open Renew America's Schools Program, which funds clean energy installation and energy efficiency improvements in school districts. Interested parties can find more here, and should apply by June 13th, 2024.

The Department of Energy's Clean Energy to Communities Program offers coalitions of local governments, community organizations, and utilities extensive in-depth assistance and funding for implementing clean energy. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by June 14th, 2024.

The Colorado Energy Office has opened up the Geothermal Electricity Tax Credit application from now through June 30th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information and applyhere.

Water:

The Bureau of Reclamation has open WaterSMART grants to fund projects by local governments and nonprofits in the Western United States that conserve water and use it more efficiently. The deadline to apply is October 30th, 2024.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has Colorado Water Plan Grantswhich support water storage, conservation, and other projects that help implement the Colorado Water plan. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by July 1st, 2024. DNR also has an open Water Supply Reserve Fund grant for local governments and nonprofits with rolling deadlines on June 1st, August 1st, and October 1st, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking rolling applications for Emergency Community Water Assistance grants for rural local governments and nonprofits recovering from a disaster that affected local water quality.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a comprehensive dashboard of water funding opportunities both at the state and federal level.

Rural:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office has an open Socially Disadvantaged Groups grant for technical assistance for rural cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by June 3rd, 2024.

Social Services:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Services has an open Shelter and Services program for local governments and nonprofits serving areas which have experienced an influx of migrants. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by June 13th, 2024.

Workforce Development:

The U.S. Department of Labor has two open grants for nonprofits supporting women in the workforce: the Fostering Access, Rights, and Equity Grant program (deadline of May 28th, 2024) and the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program (deadline of June 10th, 2024). Additionally, they have an open grant for workplace training for older adults open to nonprofits and local governments (deadline of June 10, 2024).

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) has an openMinority Fellowship Program to support the recruitment and training of behavioral health providers from minority backgrounds. The deadline to apply is June 10th, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program for CHIPS supports small businesses working to develop microelectronics products and services. The application deadline is June 14th, 2024.

Health Care:

The Health Resources and Services Administration has an open grant for maternal and infant home health care (deadline of May 29th, 2024) and one for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders screening and intervention (deadline of June 21st, 2024).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has an open Minority Research Grantprogram for health care researchers at Minority Serving Institutions. Applicants should apply by June 3rd, 2024.

The Administration for Community Living's Alzheimer's Disease Programs Initiative provides federal funding for local governments and nonprofit organizations to provide community services for individuals with Alzheimer's or dementia. The application deadline is June 11th, 2024.

The Colorado Department of Human Services has an open grant program that provides funding to local governments and nonprofit organizations to provide services to deaf, blind, and disabled individuals. The deadline to apply is June 30th, 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration grant program is open until July 3rd, 2024.

Food and Agriculture:

USDA also has an open SNAP Process and Technology Improvement Grant program to improve the duration and experience of the SNAP application process for SNAP applicants. The grant is open to local governments and food insecurity related nonprofits, and is due June 18th, 2024.

The USDA has an open loan program for agricultural producers to build affordable housing for farmworkers both on the farm (rolling applications) and off-site (deadline of June 18th, 2024).

Assistance for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has a Local Planning Capacity Grant Program to assist with planning, infrastructure, and housing projects. The grant program deadline is June 3rd, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here, and should schedule a required pre-application meeting here.

Environment:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an open Regional Conservation Partnership Programopen to local governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations to carry out conservation programs. The application deadline is July 2nd, 2024.

Housing:

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a grant for the development of low-income housing for seniors. Interested applicants can find more information here and apply by June 20th, 2024.

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) has anInnovation Housing Incentive grant program to fund housing production. They are accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has an open Microgrids for Community Resilience Program that provides funding to municipalities and utilities for electric grid resilience planning and construction projects. The application deadline is June 13th, 2024. Interested parties can find more grid resiliency-specific technical assistance resources here.

The Department of Energy has announced its Communities Sparking Investment in Transformative Energy grant as part of its Local Government Energy Program. This grant provides funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and has a deadline of May 31st, 2024.

The DOE also recently announced the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve building energy efficiency and lower energy costs for homeowners. The application deadline is June 6th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more about technical assistance specific to building energy efficiency here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

April Monthly Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Community Project Funding:

The Community Project Funding (CPF) process allows members of Congress to directly advocate for how funding will be directed to specific state or local governments or eligible non-profit recipients through the annual appropriations process.

Last year, I submitted fifteen projects to the House Appropriations Committee for the FY24 CPF process.

Eligibility and deadline guidance for FY25 have not yet been released by the House Appropriations Committee; however, we expect these guidelines in the coming weeks and are encouraging individuals to get their projects in order as the window to submit may be tight.

Please fill out this form if you would like to receive information about the FY25 CPF process as soon as it is released. You can also find a one-pager outlining the CPF process here.

Grant News:

Transportation:

The Federal Highway Administration has an open Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration grant to improve highway transportation. Parties who submitted a required notice of intent to apply by April 16th are eligible to apply by May 28th 2024.

Additional open DOT grants include:

Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program -deadline of May 6th
Innovative Finance and Asset Concessions Grant Program -deadline of May 10th
Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection Program -deadline of May 27th, 2024
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program -deadline of May 28th, 2024
Highway Construction Training Program Grants -deadline of June 17th, 2024
Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program -deadline of June 18th, 2024
Large Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024 for FY25 projects
Planning and Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024

Public Safety and Law Enforcement:

The state of Colorado has its own NPSG program that will open later in the year for applicants not awarded the FEMA grant (more here), and has a collection of resources for applicants here. FEMA also announced the Homeland Security Grant Program, Transit Security Grant Program, and Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. All four FEMA grants have an application deadline of June 24th, 2024.

The Department of Homeland Security has an open Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program for local governments, school districts, and nonprofits. The deadline to apply is May 17th, 2024.

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has amicrogrants program (deadline of May 21th, 2024) for law enforcement departments which can be used to support officer recruitment and retention. The COPS office also has an open Promoting Access to Crisis Teams (PACT) grant that funds co-responder programs with mental and behavioral health experts accompanying officers when responding to calls (deadline of May 21st, 2024).

Additional COPS Office grants include:

Opioid Affected Youth Initiative -deadline of May 14th, 2024
Promoting Access to Crisis Teams -deadline of May 21st, 2024
Collaborative Crisis Response and Intervention Training Program -deadline of May 22nd, 2024
Rural and Small Department Violent Crime Reduction Program -deadline of May 22nd, 2024
A grant supporting department accreditation efforts -deadline of May 28th, 2024
Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative -deadline of June 10th, 2024
Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program -deadline of June 4th, 2024
Hiring Program -deadline of June 12th
School Violence Prevention Program -deadline of June 17th

Clean Energy:

The Rural Energy of America Program (REAP) provides funding for rural small businesses, farmers, and ranchers to install renewable energy or energy efficiency improvements on their property. They are accepting rolling applications for two rounds of funding with deadlines on June 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $40M in funding for the Training for Residential Energy Contractors Program. This program seeks to reduce the cost of training contractor employees by providing workforce development tools; providing testing and certifications of contractors trained and educated to install home energy efficiency and electrification technologies; and funding states to partner with nonprofit organizations to develop and implement a state sponsored workforce program that attracts and trains a diverse set of local workers. The Letter of Intent deadline is May 9th, 2024, and the full application is due on July 12th, 2024. You can learn more about the program here.

The DOE announced the Concentrating Solar Flux to Heat and Power funding opportunity to support the research and development of large scale solar projects. Interested parties should submit their concept paper by May 16th, 2024 and their full application by August 8th, 2024.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation's Communities Taking Charge Acceleratorprogram invests $54 million towards EV charging infrastructure. The concept paper deadline is May 20th, 2024, and the full application deadline is July 16th, 2024.

The Colorado Energy Office has opened up the Geothermal Electricity Tax Credit application from now through June 30th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information and apply here.

Water:

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has Colorado Water Plan Grantswhich support water storage, conservation, and other projects that help implement the Colorado Water plan. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by July 1st, 2024. DNR also has an open Water Supply Reserve Fund grant for local governments and nonprofits with rolling deadlines on June 1st, August 1st, and October 1st, 2024.

The EPA has an open Healthy Watersheds Consortium grant program for nonprofits working to protect water quality. The deadline to apply is May 10th, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking rolling applications for Emergency Community Water Assistance grants for rural local governments and nonprofits recovering from a disaster that affected local water quality.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a comprehensive dashboard of water funding opportunities both at the state and federal level.

Rural:

Social Services:

Workforce Development:

The U.S. Department of Labor has two open grants for nonprofits supporting women in the workforce: the Fostering Access, Rights, and Equity Grant program (deadline of May 28th, 2024) and the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance Grant Program (deadline of June 10th, 2024). Additionally, they have an open grant for workplace training for older adults open to nonprofits and local governments (deadline of June 10, 2024).

Health Care:

The U.S. Department of Education has an open Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant to support the training of mental health professionals in schools. The application deadline is May 15th, 2024.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has an open Community Level Innovations for Improving Health Outcomes program open to local governments, school districts, and nonprofits with projects to improve health outcomes. The program closes on May 15th, 2024.

The Health Resources and Services Administration recently announced the Behavioral Health Service Expansion grant program for health care providers to expand mental health and substance abuse disorder services. Interested applicants should apply by May 22nd, 2024.

The Administration for Community Living has a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center Program open to for-profit and nonprofit organizations and a Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects Program open to nonprofits. Both have a proposal deadline of May 24th, 2024.

The Health Resources and Services Administration has an open Rural Health Research Center Program open to nonprofit and for-profit organizations working in rural health care. Interested applicants should apply by May 23rd, 2024. They also have an open grant for maternal and infant home health care (deadline of May 29th, 2024) and one for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders screening and intervention (deadline of June 21st, 2024).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has an open Minority Research Grantprogram for health care researchers at Minority Serving Institutions. Applicants should apply by June 3rd, 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration grant program is open until July 3rd, 2024.

Food and Agriculture:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a Farmers Market Promotion Programopen to for profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local governments. The deadline to apply is May 14th, 2024.

The USDA has an open loan program for agricultural producers to build affordable housing for farmworkers both on the farm (rolling applications) and off-site (deadline of June 18th, 2024).

Assistance for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has a Local Planning Capacity Grant Program to assist with planning, infrastructure, and housing projects. The grant program deadline is June 3rd, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here, and should schedule a required pre-application meeting here.

Environment:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an open Regional Conservation Partnership Program open to local governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations to carry out conservation programs. The application deadline is July 2nd, 2024.

Science and Technology:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has an open Accelerating Federal Technology Transfer (AFTT) Program that supports technological research and education efforts (deadline of May 28th, 2024) as well as a grant to support workforce development in the cybersecurity field (deadline of May 24th, 2024).

Grants on the Horizon:

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (expected to open in May), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in the summer). Additionally, the EPA's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program is expected to open this summer. The DOT is expected to open up the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program to local governments in May or June. Those interested in other future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The Department of Energy has announced that it plans to open nearly $5 million in grants through its Water Power Technologies Office to fund water energy programs sometime in late April to May.

The National Institutes of Health has announced that it intends to open a grant program to fund telehealth and digital health care programs later this year in July.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists freeresources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

Help for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has a University Technical Assistance Program which connects graduate students with smaller local governments for affordableassistance with planning around architecture, housing, renewable energy, and town processes. Colorado's Division of Local Government has a more extensive list of freeresources and technical assistance for local governments here.

Grant Navigation, Writing, and Local Match Help:

The Office of the Governor established 14 Regional Grant Navigator positions to help provide free technical assistance for local governments looking to apply to Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested local governments can find the contact information for their grant navigator and find more information on the program here.

The State of Colorado allocated a total of $10 million in aid for local match requirements(the portion of a project that a federal grant does not cover) to help smaller local governments with less resources to apply for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested parties can find more information here.

Housing and Community Living:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers free in-depth one on one program assistance to eligible grant applicants. Applicants can apply for such support here, and should note that a determination can take up to 3-6 weeks. For simpler questions, grant applicants can view information on HUD programs here, view trainingshere, and submit questions here. Additionally, interested parties can find a dashboard of open and forecasted grants with tie-ins to housing on the HUD website here.

The Administration for Community Living funded Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network is a national technical assistance center that provides free assistance to organizations that serve families in which grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends are raising children. The ACL also funds the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center, which provides free technical assistance organizations that provide support services and career resources for disabled individuals.

Water:

Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency expanded the Water Technical Assistance program to help communities take advantage of the historic $50 billion in water funding. Interested parties can apply for freetechnical assistance to address water, wastewater, and stormwater projects here. The EPA's Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center also provides free technical assistance. The EPA offers free technical assistance directly to water utilities through theCreating Resilient Water Utilities program.

Following a webinar for local governments on water grants, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) posted a list of technical assistance resources and organizations for local governments and organizations. Interested parties can find more information on their website here. Interested local governments can also access free technical assistance from DOLA outlined here by reaching out to their DOLA Regional Manager. The names and contact info for DOLA Regional Managers is listed here.

Clean Energy:

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is providing free technical assistance for rural small businesses, farmers and ranchers interested in applying to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). Interested parties can find more about and apply for their assistance offerings (including help with completing the technical reports and feasibility studies) here.

Local governments interested in implementing solar energy in their communities can reach out to SolSmart, a program funded by the Department of Energy, for free technical assistance. Interested parties can apply here. Additionally, the Department of Energy has compiled a list of technical assistance programs and funding opportunities here, and has a State and Local Solution Center with more resources here. Nonprofits interested in solar can find more resources in a DOE webinar here. The Clean Energy Connector and National Community Solar Partnership are two additional resources from the DOE for communities wishing to implement solar energy.

Transportation:

Local governments and transportation departments can get low-to-no cost technical assistance on transportation projects through the Federal Highway Administration's Local Technical Assistance Program. Interested parties in Colorado can apply for help with the Colorado LTAP here and access free online trainings here. Those interested in highway projects can find a list of grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act here and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law here.

Electric Vehicles:

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation has Clean Bus Planning Awards to provide technical assistance for school districts hoping to electrify their bus fleet. They have been taking rolling applications for technical assistance since February 20th, 2024.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation provides free technical assistance to organizations, school districts, transportation agencies, and municipalities on "the planning, deployment, operation, and maintenance of a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers, zero-emission fueling infrastructure, and zero-emission transit and school buses." Interested parties can find more here. Additionally, they have a Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Playbook with more resources on expanding EV infrastructure.

Environmental:

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has created theCommunity Change Grants Technical Assistance program and the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance programs for disaster-prone areas. Eligible parties can receive free grant applications, project planning, and post-award assistance through these programs. Interested parties can request assistance here.

The EPA has an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs) Program, which offers free grant writing and research assistance to organizations applying to grants with an environmental justice tie-in. Interested parties in Colorado can apply for assistance here. The EPA also offers free online trainings on how to develop a budget and manage an EPA grant.

Early Childhood Development:

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, funded through the Department of Education, offers a variety of technical assistance resources for early childhood education and childcare providers.

Broadband:

Caregiving and Volunteer Program Capacity Building:

Scientific Research:

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is hosting a series of free webinars for early-in-career scientific researchers on how to prepare a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant application through July. You can find more information and apply here.

Application Tip of the Month:

When a grant application requires a concept paper as an initial application step, this is often a sign that the agency will require a more in-depth, technical application when compared to other grant opportunities. Agencies often want the chance to confirm that applicants and their proposed projects are a good fit for the grant during the concept paper review phase, so organizations that are a poor fit do not have to complete the entire process to apply.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

Rural:

The USDA Rural Development office has an open ReConnect Loan and Grant program to aid with the construction, improvement, and acquisition of broadband services in rural areas. Applications are due by May 21st, 2024.

Housing:

Behavioral Health:

The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) recently opened its Opioid-Impacted Family Support Program, which offers funding for mental health organizations for training programs for staff to provide services to family members of patients with opioid use disorder and substance use disorder. The deadline to apply is May 6th, 2024.

HRSA also has an open Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, which provides funding for substance use disorder treatment and recovery services in rural communities. The deadline to apply is also May 6th, and interested parties can access free technical assistance specific to this grant here.

Environmental:

Food and Agriculture:

The USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program offers funding to local governments and nonprofits to increase the amount of locally grown produce purchased by low-income families. The application deadline is May 14th, 2024.

The Administration for Community Living has recently announced a cooperative agreement program to fund nutrition programs for seniors. Interested parties can find more of the program here and should apply by May 6th, 2024.

Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has an open Microgrids for Community Resilience Program that provides funding to municipalities and utilities for electric grid resilience planning and construction projects. The application deadline is June 13th, 2024. Interested parties can find more grid resiliency-specific technical assistance resourceshere.

The DOE also recently announced the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementationprogram funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve building energy efficiency and lower energy costs for homeowners. The application deadline is June 6th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more about technical assistance specific to building energy efficiency here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

March Monthly Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Community Project Funding:

In an effort to support eligible projects within the 7^th Congressional District, I wanted to share details about the upcoming FY25 Community Project Funding (CPF) process. The CPF process allows members of Congress to directly advocate for how funding will be directed to specific state or local governments or eligible non-profit recipients through the annual appropriations process.

Last year, I submitted fifteen projects to the House Appropriations Committee for the FY24 CPF process. Many of you may have partnered with me on one or more of these submissions. Eligibility and deadline guidance for FY25 have not yet been released by the House Appropriations Committee; however, we expect these guidelines in the coming days and are encouraging individuals to get their projects in order as the window to submit may be tight. Please fill out this form if you would like to receive information about the FY25 CPF process as soon as it is released. You can also find a one-pager outlining the CPF processhere.

Grant News:

Rural:

The USDA also has an open Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program to fund telemedicine and virtual learning in rural areas for local governments, non and for-profit organizations. The deadline to apply is April 29th, 2024.

Housing:

Workforce Development:

The Department of Labor announced nearly $95 million in competitive grants through the Apprenticeship Building America Grant Program. This program seeks to leverage apprenticeships as a workforce solution while ensuring people from underrepresented and underserved communities can access high-quality training and pre-apprenticeships that lead directly to enrollment in a Registered Apprenticeship program. The department will award 12 to 25 grants, ranging from $1 million to $8 million, in three categories depending on the geographic scope. Applications are due on April 15, 2024. You can learn more about the program here.

Behavioral Health:

The Department of Justice has opened its Second Chance Pay for Success Program for funding to local governments to better provide mental health and substance use disorder treatment for formerly incarcerated individuals to reduce recidivism. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by April 30th, 2024.

Wildfire:

The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) recently announced the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to help fund staffing needs for fire departments. This is one of the largest grant programs for fire response and has a deadline of April 12th, 2024.

Environmental:

Food and Agriculture:

Transportation:

Two recently announced grants – the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SSR4A) and Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) – provide funding for improving road safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. SSR4A planning demonstration grants have a deadline of August 29th at the latest; SSR4A implementation grants are due on May 16th. ATIIP applications are due by June 17th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more at a webinar held on April 9th at 9 am MT here.

The Department of Transportation has the following open grants: the Congestion Relief Program (deadline of April 22nd, 2024), the Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration Program (notice of intent deadline of April 16th, 2024), Clean Bus Planning Awards (takes rolling applications), the Bridge Investment Program (deadline of October 1, 2024 for FY 2025 funds), and four new highway safety related grants (deadline of April 19th, 2024).

Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has an open Microgrids for Community Resilience Program that provides funding to municipalities and utilities for electric grid resilience planning and construction projects. The application deadline is June 13th, 2024. Interested parties can find more grid resiliency-specific technical assistance resourceshere.

The DOE also recently announced the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementationprogram funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve building energy efficiency and lower energy costs for homeowners. The application deadline is June 6th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more about technical assistance specific to building energy efficiency here.

Grants on the Horizon:

Several major Department of Transportation programs, including the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure and the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT), are expected to open this summer. Those interested in other future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is tentatively expected to announce in mid-April the opening of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NPSG) for non-profits (including places of worship) at high risk of terrorist attack. Interested parties can find more information about the grant and a series of technical assistance webinars on the program here. Applicants who have not received NPSG funding in the past will be prioritized, and the state of Colorado has its own NPSG program that will open later in the year for applicants not awarded the FEMA grant (more here).

FEMA is also expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists free resources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

Help for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has a University Technical Assistance Programwhich connects graduate students with smaller local governments for affordableassistance with planning around architecture, housing, renewable energy, and town processes.

Grant Navigation, Writing, and Local Match Help:

Water:

Solar and Energy:

Electric Vehicles:

Transportation:

The Department of Transportation has released technical assistance resources, a Rural andUrban Electric Vehicle Project Toolkit, checklist for how to prepare to apply for DOT grants, Benefit-Cost Analysis Template, Rural Grant Application Toolkit, Transportation Data and Equity Hub, an explainer on local match requirements, and application checklists for ways to make your application more competitive when it comes to job creation and climate impacts.

Environmental:

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Office of Just Transition offers free grant writing assistance for organizations in coal communities applying to economic and workforce development projects. Interested parties can find more information here and contact Cassie Mason at cassie.mason@state.co.us to apply for the program.

Scientific Research:

Community Living:

Application Tip of the Month:

You can often look at the "background" section of a Notice Of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcement and the "additional info" section of a Grants.gov listing to find the awarding agency's priorities for the grant and overall priorities for that year. Emphasizing the ways in which your proposed project aligns with these priorities can help make your application more competitive.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

The Federal Transit Administration announced two new busing-related grant programs earlier this year: the Low or No Emission Grant Program and the Buses and Bus Facilities Program. These programs are available to local governments and transportation authorities to replace existing buses with lower-emission buses, and to carry out capital projects for bus facilities. Both have an application deadline of April 25th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here.

The Department of Energy has an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program which is open to local governments wishing to carry out clean energy programs that cut carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce energy use. Agency partners have told us that fewer parties than expected have applied, meaning this is a non-competitive funding opportunity for eligible local governments with more funding than expected still available. Cities with more than 35,000 residents and counties with more than 200,000 residents are eligible for this grant. Both grants and vouchers are available under this program. The application deadline is April 30th, 2024, but the DOE asks applicants intending to apply to submit a pre-award information sheet as soon as possible.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

If you would like to request a letter of support from our office, please contact my grants program manager at co07grants@mail.house.gov. We ask that those requesting letters of support send their application materials and a draft letter of support, and that applicants allow at least a week to process the request. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

February Monthly Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Community Project Funding:

Last year, I submitted fifteen projects to the House Appropriations Committee for the FY24 CPF process. Many of you may have partnered with me on one or more of these submissions. All 15 of my FY24 projects were included in the House version of the appropriation bills which is a crucial step toward entities being awarded funding. However, funding will not be available until the House and Senate pass the FY24 spending bill. We will continue to stay in contact with those who had approved projects as more information becomes available.

Eligibility and deadline guidance for FY25 have not yet been released by the House Appropriations Committee; however, we are here to answer any questions you may have as we prepare for this year’s submission process. Please fill out this form if you would like to receive information about the FY25 CPF process as soon as it is released. You can also find a one-pager outlining the CPF process here.

Grant News:

Fire Grants:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an open Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program with a deadline of March 8th, 2024. This fund can be used by fire departments in a variety of ways, including for equipment, vehicles, and staff training.

The Colorado State Forest Service has a Wildfire Mitigation Outreach Grant Program to help municipalities and nonprofits educate community members in high wildfire-risk areas about wildfire mitigation. The application deadline is February 29th, 2024.

Colorado's Department of Local Affairs also has a fire-related grant program – the Housing Recovery Program – which can be used by homeowners in state-declared disaster areas to rebuild and invest in home hardening efforts. Within the 7th Congressional District, certain households affected by the Chateau Fire in Teller County are eligible for this grant.

Bus grants:

The Federal Transit Administration announced two new busing-related grant programs earlier this month: the Low or No Emission Grant Program and the Buses and Bus Facilities Program. These programs are available to local governments and transportation authorities to replace existing buses with lower-emission buses, and to carry out capital projects for bus facilities. Both have an application deadline of April 25th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here.

Agriculture Grants:

The Department of Agriculture has announced $5 million in funding for 12 projects, with awards up to $350,000, for community-based outreach education programs that provide individuals and families with information on health care services, good health tips, and awareness of environmental risk factors. Applications are due on March 14, 2024. More information on the program is available here.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has a Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program aimed at strengthening the supply chain for Colorado farmers and food processors. Interested parties can find more information here. The deadline to apply is March 7th, 2024.

Others:

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced $24 million in funding for 61 projects, with up to $400,000 in individual funding, for programs to expand substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery support services in existing drug courts. Recipients are expected to provide prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services for individuals with SUD involved with the courts. With this program, SAMHSA aims to improve abstinence from substance use, housing stability, employment status, social connectedness, health, behavioral, and social consequences, and reduce criminal justice involvement. Applications are due on April 1st, 2024. More information on the program is available here.

The Colorado Department of Law has an open Opioid Response Strategic Impact grant for organizations and nonprofits to implement programs to combat the opioid crisis in Colorado. The application deadline is March 8th, 2024.

The Department of Energy recently announced a grant program to advance next-generation batteries and energy storage in an effort to further grid storage and resilience. Interested parties can find more information here. Concept papers are due on March 4th, and full applications are due on May 7th, 2024.

Grants on the Horizon:

Several large transportation grants are anticipated to be announced by the end of February, including the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant and the Congestion Relief Program. Other major Department of Transportation programs such as the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure and the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) grant programs are expected to open this summer. Those interested in other future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to announce the opening of Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER). This is one of the largest grant programs for fire response, so now is the ideal time for interested parties to prepare. FEMA is also expected to open up applications soon for the Nonprofit Security Grant program for non-profits (including places of worship) at high risk of an attack. Interested parties can find more information about the grant and a series of technical assistance webinars on the program here.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists free resources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

The State of Colorado has allocated a total of $10 million for local match requirements (the portion of a project that a federal grant does not cover) to help smaller local governments with less resources to apply for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants. Interested parties can find more information here.

The State of Colorado has set aside $1 million for grant writing and technical assistance for municipalities and state agencies applying for grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Interested parties can find more information here and apply for assistance here.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has created the Community Change Grants Technical Assistance program and the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance programs for disaster-prone areas. Eligible parties can receive free grant applications, project planning, and post-award assistance through these programs. Interested parties can request assistance here.

The Department of Transportation has released technical assistance resources, a Rural and Urban Electric Vehicle Project Toolkit, checklist for how to prepare to apply for DOT grants, Benefit-Cost Analysis Template, Rural Grant Application Toolkit, Transportation Data and Equity Hub, an explainer on local match requirements, and application checklists for ways to make your application more competitive when it comes to job creation and climate impacts.

Application Tip of the Month:

Make sure you thoroughly show how you intend to involve community feedback and involvement as part of executing your project, as well as how your project will help the nearby community. In applications where community involvement is involved, this should not just be an afterthought but a core framework of how you should plan your project. In some grants, such as those run by the Department of Energy, Community Benefit Plans can constitute up to 20% of how an application is scored!

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

The Department of Energy has an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program which is open to local governments wishing to carry out clean energy programs that cut carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce energy use. Agency partners have told us that fewer parties than expected have applied, meaning this is a non-competitive funding opportunity for eligible local governments with more funding than expected still available. Cities with more than 35,000 residents and counties with more than 200,000 residents are eligible for this grant. Both grants and vouchers are available under this program. The application deadline is April 30th, 2024, but the DOE asks applicants intending to apply to submit a pre-award information sheet as soon as possible.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new $4.6 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will provide individual grants of $2 million or more for municipalities, state agencies, and subgrantees within a coalition to carry out a climate action plan aimed at reducing pollution in their service area. The deadline for the Climate Action Plan is due March 1st, and the application deadline is April 1, 2024.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

If you would like to request a letter of support from our office, please contact my grants program manager, David Clark, directly at david.clark@mail.house.gov. We ask that those requesting letters of support send their application materials and a draft letter of support, and that applicants allow at least a week to process the request. Letter of support requests within a week of the deadline may not be able to be processed in time.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

January Monthly Grants Newsletter

In 2023, our district was awarded over $74 million in federal grant funding. These resources helped improve our community by aiding projects around scientific research, water quality, transportation, public safety, and health care.

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Grant News:

The Evergreen Creative District is hosting a workshop on Monday, January 29th at 12 pm at Center Stage Theater in Evergreen to discuss navigating the grants landscape and ways to make your grant application more competitive. Interested parties in the area can RSVP and ask any questions by emailing Executive Director Ron Isaacson at ronisaacson@me.com. A member of my staff will also be attending the workshop for any additional questions or needed support.

Grants on the Horizon:

Several large transportation grants are anticipated to be announced soon for the coming months, including the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, Low or No Emission Grant program, and the Congestion Relief Program. Those interested in other future transportation grants announcements can check the Department of Transportation key announcement dates webpage here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to announce the opening ofStaffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and Assistance for Firefighters Grants (AFG) programs in the coming months. These are some of the largest grant programs for fire response, so now is the ideal time for parties interested in fire response grants to prepare.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists free resources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

The Department of Transportation has released technical assistance resources to help meet this need, including a new Benefit-Cost Analysis Template, Rural Grant Application Toolkit, Transportation Data and Equity Hub, an explainer on local match requirements, and application checklists for ways to make your application more competitive when it comes to job creation and climate impacts.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced a Rural Business Development grant to aid economic development in rural areas. Any local government or nonprofits serving areas outside of cities with populations of 50,000 people or more are eligible. Grant money can be used for a variety of purposes, including training and technical assistance, community economic development, feasibility studies, business plans, and more. Smaller projects are generally given more priority. Applications are due to the Colorado USDA state office by February 28th, 2024.

The Department of Transportation has announced $1.5 billion in funding for theRebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, a popular "catch-all" program that funds many types of transportation projects. The DOT lists the following factors as selection criteria: "safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, economic competitiveness and opportunity including tourism, state of good repair, partnership and collaboration, and innovation." Applications are due on February 28, 2024.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new $4.6 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will provide individual grants of $2 million or more for municipalities, state agencies, and subgrantees within a coalition to carry out a climate action plan aimed at reducing pollution in their service area. The deadline for the optional Notice of Intent to Apply is February 1, 2024, the Climate Action Plan is due March 1st, and the application deadline is April 1, 2024.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

December Grants Newsletter

I hope this newsletter finds you well ahead of the holiday season. As I reflect on our work this year I continue to be honored to have partners like you working every day to improve our communities.

Just this year, our district has been awarded over $74 million in federal grant funding. These resources have helped improve our community through aiding projects around scientific research, water quality, transportation, public safety, and health care.

Over the past month, you may have noticed changes to grants.gov. The site has a new look designed to make grant applications easier and more accessible.

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Grant News:

Rural Business Development:

The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development has recently announced a Rural Business Development grant to aid economic development in rural areas. Any local government or nonprofits serving areas outside of cities with populations of 50,000 people or more are eligible. Grant money can be used for a variety of purposes, including training and technical assistance, community economic development, feasibility studies, business plans, and more. Smaller projects are generally given more priority. Applications are due to the CO USDA state office by February 28th, 2024.

Environment:

Transportation:

In addition to railway and freight transportation projects, the DOT and various federal agencies also have grant programs aimed at supporting pedestrian and bicyclist safety as well as funding charging stations for electric bicycles and scooters. Interested parties can find more information here.

Workforce Development:

The U.S. Department of Labor has opened up this year's funding of YouthBuild, a program that provides pre-apprenticeship training in construction for youth aged 16-24 who have dropped out of high school while providing classroom vocation training for them to earn a high school diploma. This year, grant reviewers are prioritizing projects funded through the Investing in America program and which partner with workforce organizations or unions. Applications are due on February 1, 2024.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the staff capacity to complete application requirements to submit a competitive application. The Department of Transportation recently released technical assistance resources to help meet this need, including a new Benefit-Cost Analysis Template and updated Rural Grant Application Toolkit designed specifically for smaller, rural communities and organizations to be able to more easily navigate the grants landscape and have starting points to build out their applications. Additionally, the DOT recently released a new Transportation Data and Equity Hub to help applicants access and include data and metrics on local transportation needs. With the Biden Administration's ongoing Justice40 Initiative, which directs federal agencies to allocate at least 40% of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act toward historically disadvantaged communities, data tools like these can help applicants in disadvantaged communities show the need for their proposed project.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

The Environmental Protection Agency has started their Clean School Bus RebatesProgram which offers upfront funding to help schools replace existing diesel school buses with new clean and zero-emissions vehicles. This non-competitive program selects recipients through a random lottery, giving preference to school districts listedhere that serve rural and low-income areas, and aims to offer a simpler, more streamlined application process compared to other funding opportunities. The application deadline is January 21st, 2024.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new $4.6 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will provide individual grants of $2 million or more for municipalities, state agencies, and subgrantees within a coalition to carry out a climate action plan aimed at reducing pollution in their service area. Those interested in applying can find more information at the EPA announcement webinar here. The deadline for the optional Notice of Intent to Apply is February 1, 2024, and the application deadline is April 1, 2024.

As temperatures drop, the Colorado Energy Office has an open Weatherization Assistance Program to aid homeowners with energy audits, insulation, solar energy, heat pumps, and more. Interested parties can find more information and apply here. Low-income families and seniors can also receive assistance for winter heating costs from the Colorado Low-income Energy Assistance Program here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

November Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Grant News:

The National Park Service recently announced the Save America's Treasures grant program, which allocated funds towards the preservation of historical sites and properties that have been designated a National Historic Landmark or have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This grant program also includes funding for the preservation of historically relevant collections and is open to museums and libraries. The application deadline is December 19th, 2023.

During the coming year, new rounds of mental health and gun violence prevention grants made possible by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act are expected to be announced. Interested municipalities, school districts, and eligible nonprofits should be on the lookout for mental health grants expected to come out next February and March like Project Aware and Mental Health Awareness Training grants allocated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Department of Justice STOP School Violence and Enhancing School Capacity to Address Youth Violence grants programs are expected to reopen in March 2024 to help municipalities, school systems, and nonprofits work to address gun violence in schools.

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new $4.6 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will provide individual grants of $2 million or more for municipalities, state agencies, and subgrantees within a coalition to carry out a climate action plan aimed at reducing pollution in their service area. Those interested in applying can find more information at the EPA announcement webinar here. The deadline for the optional Notice of Intent to Apply is February 1, 2024, and the application deadline is April 1, 2024.

As part of the CHIPS Act and the Biden administration's commitment to strengthening and expanding America's domestic semiconductor supply chain, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced a Small Scale Supplier Program. This program will invest in smaller-scale companies wishing to build, expand, or upgrade their facilities that create semiconductors. NIST is accepting concept plans for this grant between December 1st, 2023 and February 1st, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here.

October Grants Newsletter

We are 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 frequently 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 much more. The grants can be easily sorted and filtered by category to help find grants relating to specific needs.

Grants News:

This month, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a new $4.6 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which will provide individual grants of $2 million or more for municipalities, state agencies, and subgrantees within a coalition to carry out a climate action plan aimed at reducing pollution in their service area. Those interested in applying can find more information at the EPA announcement webinar here. The deadline for the optional Notice of Intent to Apply is February 1, 2024, and the application deadline is April 1, 2024.

The EPA also announced $19 million in grants to address water system infrastructure aimed at helping small, underserved communities conserve water and make their water systems more resilient to climate disasters. This program has no local match requirement and is open to municipal water systems in communities with less than 10,000 people. Interested parties can find more here.

As part of the CHIPS Act and the Biden administration's commitment to strengthening and expanding America's domestic semiconductor supply chain, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced a Small Scale Supplier Program. This program will invest in smaller-scale companies wishing to build, expand, or upgrade their facilities that create semiconductors. NIST is accepting concept plans for this grant between December 1st, 2023 and February 1st, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here.

As a reminder from last month's newsletter, the Department of Transportation has an ongoing Thriving Communities Program to establish regional capacity builders in disadvantaged and under-resourced areas that will provide free technical assistance to community partners. Areas selected for support will receive two years of tailored, deep-dive support with the grants projects and three years of facilitated peer learning and networking. The DOT will be selecting which areas will receive technical assistance based on demonstrated disadvantage and need, as well as the number of letters of interest submitted by a community. Communities who wish to receive this assistance must submit a letter of interest at the web form here by 3 p.m. MT on November 15th.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here or contact my grants program manager, David Clark, at david.clark@mail.house.gov. You can also find resources shared in previous grants newsletters here. Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

September Grants Newsletter

We are 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 frequently updated throughout the month and includes grants related to agriculture; arts and culture; business and commerce; community development; consumer protection; disaster prevention and relief; education; employment, labor, and training; energy; environment; food and nutrition; health; infrastructure; income security and social services; natural resources; opportunity zones; regional development; science, technology, and research and development; transportation; and more. The grants can be easily sorted and filtered by category to help find grants relating to specific needs.

Grants News:

The Department of Transportation has recently announced the opening of their Thriving Communities Program to establish regional capacity builders in disadvantaged and underresourced areas that will provide free technical assistance to community partners. Areas selected for support will receive two years of tailored, deep-dive support with the grants projects and three years of facilitated peer learning and networking. The DOT will be selecting which areas will receive technical assistance based on demonstrated disadvantage and need, as well as the number of letters of interest submitted by a community. Communities who wish to receive this assistance should submit a letter of interest through the web form here by 3 p.m. MT on November 15th.

Those interested in free technical assistance and help with finding, applying to, and complying with grants can find more resources from the Federal Interagency Thriving Communities Network. Created to help communities take advantage of the historic federal investments made in the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, the network works to coordinate between government agencies to increase access to these funding opportunities. Interested parties can find more information at the following links on specific technical assistance programs run by the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Economic Development Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the General Services Administration.

August Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Information on grants open through September and beyond can be found here, with subsections of grants related to arts and the humanities, communities, economic development, education, energy, environment, fire and disaster management, food and agriculture, health care, housing, infrastructure, rural assistance, science, technology, and research, transportation, water, workforce development, and Colorado state agency grants. The grants are grouped by category, then ordered by deadline.

Grants News:

Funding and Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency Upgrades:

The Inflation Reduction Act funded programs to help our country’s transition to clean energy and provided resources for nonprofit organizations, larger companies, and individual families and homeowners. One of these programs is the Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program, which provides grants and guaranteed loans for rural agricultural producers and small businesses wishing to install clean energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements. Interested parties can find more on that program here.

It's not just businesses that can receive money for energy efficiency upgrades — homeowners can get in on the action too! This month, the IRS announced that home energy audits that meet certain requirements will now be eligible for the Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit, making clean energy home improvements more feasible for many households. You can find more information on tax credits and rebates for home energy efficiency improvements, weatherization, and buying electric vehicles at the Department of Energy dashboard here, as well as state-level tax credits for electric vehicle purchases here.

Cybersecurity Grants:

Over the past year, too many municipalities and organizations in our district have had to deal with ransomware attacks extorting already cash and time-strapped communities. That's part of why I was pleased to see that the Federal Emergency Management Agency allocated over $370 million in additional funds for Colorado's State and Local Cybersecurity grants. Interested local governments can find more information here and can contact my office to request letters of support for their applications.

Stormwater and Sewer System Grants:

The Environmental Protection Agency announced $531k in funding this month going towards stormwater collection and sewer system upgrades for Colorado communities. Created specifically for smaller communities with less financial and technical resources, this program has no local match requirement. Interested parties can contact David Piantanida at the EPA at piantanida.david@epa.gov or visit here for more information.

Letters of Support:

In addition to sharing open federal funding opportunities, my office can also help your grant efforts with a letter of support for any federal grant application. Congressional letters of support help show grant reviewers that your project has buy-in from regional stakeholders and make your application more competitive. If you would like to request a letter of support from our office, please contact my grants program manager, David Clark, directly at david.clark@mail.house.gov.

We can also provide a letter of support to any "pass-through" grants, which occur when the federal government allocates federal dollars to the states for state agencies to decide how to disperse. Despite making up over 80% of all federal grant funding, pass-through grants can often be an overlooked avenue for funding — and require applicants to compete only against other CO entities rather than entities across the country.

July Grants Newsletter

As part of the Biden administration's Investing in America Agenda, the Department of Transportation has announced a new Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program through funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This historic investment in our infrastructure puts $5.5 billion toward major projects across the country, including the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program focused on large complex projects with national and regional impacts, the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program focused on highway and railway projects, and the Rural Surface Transportation Grant focused on rural projects.

In exciting news for Colorado and surrounding states, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced that they are taking applications for a Region 8 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC). In the meantime before a Region 8 TCTAC is selected, Colorado municipalities and organizations can go to the national TCTAC dedicated to our region here for free grant application support and assistance, help with finding relevant available grants, and advice for compliance with grant requirements for any project that has an environmental tie-in or focus.

June Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Information on grants open through July and beyond can be found here, with subsections of grants related to arts and culture, children and education, criminal justice, energy, the environment, fire and disaster management, food and agriculture, government,housing, information technology, infrastructure,miscellaneous grants, pipelines and hazardous materials, public health, science and research,specific communities, transportation, water, and the workforce. The grants are grouped by category, then ordered by deadline.

New Grants and Programs:

This month, the Department of Transportation released a new user-friendly online tool to help grant applicants find and sort through available grants from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and transportation-related grants from ten other federal agencies. Applicants can filter by categories of eligible applicants, what the grant money can be used for, local match waivers, and funding opportunities set aside for rural applicants.

DOT has also announced the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, a new grant program aiming to help partially fund an existing transportation project for rural and tribal areas or make the project more feasible. The grant can go towards technical, financial, and legal support for a project, can be used to hire staff to carry out a project, and can even be used to hire a grant-writer to apply for a specific other transportation-related grant. This grant is non-competitive and has no local match requirement, instead being apportioned to all applicants who meet eligibility requirements on a first-come, first-serve basis when applications open on August 14th. Interested parties can learn more here and direct questions to ruralandtribalta@dot.gov.

The Economic Development Administration announced the Recomplete Pilot Program, a grantsprogram appropriated by the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act. This new grants program looks to invest in economic development in communities with higher than average unemployment for workers aged 25-54 years old. Areas within Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee counties are eligible for this program (more info on eligibility with the EDA mapping tool here), and interested parties can learn more here. The EDA plans to announce when the program will start accepting applications in the coming weeks.

Ways to make your application more competitive:

As part of President Biden's ongoing Justice40 Initiative, federal agencies are directed to allocate at least 40% of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act towards historically disadvantaged communities in an effort to address systemic inequity, racism, and the unequal impacts of pollution on different communities. Applicants can learn more about the Justice40 Initiative here, and are encouraged by grant reviewers to use some of the following data mapping tools to highlight any disadvantaged communities that would stand to benefit from a proposed project: the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, the Department of Transportation Equitable Transportation Community Explorer, the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool, the Center for Disease Control's Social Vulnerability Index, and this Department of Transportation mapping tool for areas of persistent poverty and historically disadvantaged communities.

Additionally, grant reviewers from the Department of Energy have said that community buy-in is a major factor when they review grant applications by private companies for programs covered by President Biden's Invest in America agenda. Applicants who are able to show buy-in from community stakeholders, provide a community benefits plan, have letters of support from their federal elected officials (more info below on how to request a letter of support from my office), show buy-in from labor groups, and commit to neutrality should their workers wish to start a union are often able to make their application more competitive.

May Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, and individuals.

Information on grants open through June and beyond can be found here, with subsections of grants related to the arts and humanities, children and families, communities, criminal justice, economic development, education, energy, the environment, fire and disaster management, food and agriculture, health care, housing, information technology, infrastructure, the military and national defense, miscellaneous grants, rural grants, science and research, seniors, transportation, water, and the workforce. The grants are grouped by category, then ordered by deadline.

A question federal agencies often get asked is how grant applicants can make their applications stand out. Some advice consistently shared, regardless of agency or grant, is for applicants to thoroughly read the grant announcement to get a sense of what agencies are looking for in an application. Additionally, they recommend reading other agency announcements to see if different grants would be a better fit for the proposed project.

Grantors like to see that a proposed project has buy-in from relevant local stakeholders and support from the local Representative or Senator, particularly when a project could affect neighboring localities. Additionally, granting agencies often prioritize projects from parties that demonstrate they have the technical capacity and a clear financial plan to successfully carry out the project. In instances where local match requirements are a financial barrier to applying for a grant, some agencies also offer grants with match flexibility, local match waivers for disadvantaged communities, and the ability for in-kind contributions such as services, employee time, or office space to meet a match requirement.

Agencies often want grant applicants to use data to create an overall narrative about why the project is needed. Many offer technical assistance resources online to help applicants flesh out this portion of their application. Should you have your grant application rejected, it is often worth asking the agency or reviewers for feedback on how your application could be stronger. Many agencies provide post-award feedback to help groups improve their applications in future funding cycles.

April Grants Newsletter

We are excited to share our first monthly grants newsletter as we work to connect in-district county and local governments, community organizations, and various stakeholders with the many federal funding opportunities that exist.

Information on open grants posted within the past month can be found here, with subsections of grants related to arts and culture, children and education, specific communities, criminal justice,education, energy, the environment, fire and disaster management, food and agriculture, government,housing, information technology, infrastructure,pipelines and hazardous materials, public health,science and research, water, the workforce, and miscellaneous grants. The grants are grouped by category, then ordered by deadline.

As part of the President Biden administration's Investing in America Initiative, the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency are beginning to allocate more federal grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act to address areas ranging from state and community energy programs to environmental justice, cybersecurity for utilities to environmental cleanup and water investments. These investments are both included in the links above, and more are expected to be announced in the coming future.

The EPA has recently announced its Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs) Program, which offers free grant writing and research assistance to organizations applying to grants with an environmental justice tie-in. The EPA recently announced its first 17 nationwide TCTAC locations here, and they expect to announce a regional TCTAC partner located in Denver in the near future for Colorado groups to be able to take advantage of the program. Created specifically based on community feedback about the many barriers to creating competitive grant applications for smaller community organizations and over-burdened local governments, the TCTAC program is meant to help make the grant writing process more accessible to all interested parties.

May Monthly Grants Newsletter

Dear David,

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Grant News:

The EPA has an open Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change grants program with funding for community programs to implement climate action and pollution reduction plans. The rolling application is open until November 21st, 2024. Interested applicants can find more information on and apply for technical assistance specific to this grant here. So far, no EPA Region 8 organizations (the states of CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) have applied to this grant, meaning CO applicants who apply now would face less regional competition during the selection process.

Additionally, the EPA's now-open Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program provides funding for municipalities and school districts to replace Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles in their fleet with zero-emissions vehicles. 70% of the funding is set aside specifically for clean school buses, and slightly over 40% of the funding is directed to areas in nonattainment with EPA standards for air quality. Within our district, Jefferson and Broomfield County applicants have been designated by the EPA to have a competitive advantage. The application deadline is July 25th, 2024.

Grants on the Horizon:

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for their Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up subawardee grant applications in early summer. This is a great opportunity for smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to apply for awards in the $150,000-350,000 range to address environmental and public health efforts, and was specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (expected to open in June), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in July). The DOT is expected to open up the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program to local governments in late May. Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The National Institutes of Health has announced that it intends to open a grant program to fund telehealth and digital health care programs later this year in July.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists freeresources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

Help for Local Governments:

Grant Navigation, Writing, and Local Match Help:

Housing and Community Living:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers free in-depth one-on-one program assistance to eligible grant applicants. Applicants can apply for such supporthere, and should note that a determination can take up to 3-6 weeks. For simpler questions, grant applicants can view information on HUD programs here, view trainings here, and submit questions here. Additionally, interested parties can find a dashboard of open and forecasted grants with tie-ins to housing on the HUD website here.

The Administration for Community Living funded Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Networkis a national technical assistance center that provides free assistance to organizations that serve families in which grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends are raising children. The ACL also funds the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center, which provides free technical assistance organizations that provide support services and career resources for disabled individuals.

Water:

Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency expanded the Water Technical Assistance program to help communities take advantage of the historic $50 billion in water funding. Interested parties can apply for freetechnical assistance to address water, wastewater, and stormwater projects here. The EPA'sWater Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center also provides free technical assistance. The EPA offers free technical assistance directly to water utilities through the Creating Resilient Water Utilities program.

Following a webinar for local governments on water grants, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) posted a list of technical assistance resources and organizations for local governments and organizations. Interested parties can find more information on their websitehere. Interested local governments can also access free technical assistance from DOLA outlined here by reaching out to their DOLA Regional Manager. The names and contact info for DOLA Regional Managers is listed here.

Clean Energy:

Transportation:

Electric Vehicles:

Environmental:

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Community Change Grants Technical Assistance program and the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance programs for disaster-prone areas. Eligible parties can receive free grant applications, project planning, and post-award assistance through these programs. Interested parties can request assistance here.

Early Childhood Development:

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, funded through the Department of Education, offers a variety of technical assistance resources for early childhood education and childcare providers.

Broadband:

Caregiving and Volunteer Program Capacity Building:

Scientific Research:

Application Tip of the Month:

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

Transportation:

Additional open DOT grants include:

Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection Program -deadline of May 27th, 2024
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program -deadline of May28th, 2024
Highway Construction Training Program Grants -deadline of June 17th, 2024
Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program -deadline of June 18th, 2024
Large Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024 for FY25 projects
Planning and Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024

Public Safety and Law Enforcement:

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) the following open grants:

A grant supporting department accreditation efforts -deadline of May 28th, 2024
Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative -deadline of June 10th, 2024
Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program -deadline of June 4th, 2024
Hiring Program -deadline of June 12th
School Violence Prevention Program -deadline of June 17th

Clean Energy:

The Rural Energy of America Program (REAP) provides funding for rural small businesses, farmers, and ranchers to install renewable energy or energy efficiency improvements on their property. They are accepting rolling applications for two rounds of funding with deadlines on June 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024.

The Colorado Energy Office has opened up the Geothermal Electricity Tax Credit application from now through June 30th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information and applyhere.

Water:

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has Colorado Water Plan Grantswhich support water storage, conservation, and other projects that help implement the Colorado Water plan. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by July 1st, 2024. DNR also has an open Water Supply Reserve Fund grant for local governments and nonprofits with rolling deadlines on June 1st, August 1st, and October 1st, 2024.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a comprehensive dashboard of water funding opportunities both at the state and federal level.

Rural:

Social Services:

Workforce Development:

Health Care:

The Health Resources and Services Administration has an open grant for maternal and infant home health care (deadline of May 29th, 2024) and one for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders screening and intervention (deadline of June 21st, 2024).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has an open Minority Research Grantprogram for health care researchers at Minority Serving Institutions. Applicants should apply by June 3rd, 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration grant program is open until July 3rd, 2024.

Food and Agriculture:

The USDA has an open loan program for agricultural producers to build affordable housing for farmworkers both on the farm (rolling applications) and off-site (deadline of June 18th, 2024).

Assistance for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has a Local Planning Capacity Grant Program to assist with planning, infrastructure, and housing projects. The grant program deadline is June 3rd, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here, and should schedule a required pre-application meeting here.

Environment:

Housing:

Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has an open Microgrids for Community Resilience Program that provides funding to municipalities and utilities for electric grid resilience planning and construction projects. The application deadline is June 13th, 2024. Interested parties can find more grid resiliency-specific technical assistance resources here.

The DOE also recently announced the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve building energy efficiency and lower energy costs for homeowners. The application deadline is June 6th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more about technical assistance specific to building energy efficiency here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

May Monthly Grants Newsletter

Dear David,

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Grant News:

The EPA has an open Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change grants program with funding for community programs to implement climate action and pollution reduction plans. The rolling application is open until November 21st, 2024. Interested applicants can find more information on and apply for technical assistance specific to this grant here. So far, no EPA Region 8 organizations (the states of CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) have applied to this grant, meaning CO applicants who apply now would face less regional competition during the selection process.

Additionally, the EPA's now-open Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program provides funding for municipalities and school districts to replace Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles in their fleet with zero-emissions vehicles. 70% of the funding is set aside specifically for clean school buses, and slightly over 40% of the funding is directed to areas in nonattainment with EPA standards for air quality. Within our district, Jefferson and Broomfield County applicants have been designated by the EPA to have a competitive advantage. The application deadline is July 25th, 2024.

Grants on the Horizon:

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for their Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up subawardee grant applications in early summer. This is a great opportunity for smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to apply for awards in the $150,000-350,000 range to address environmental and public health efforts, and was specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (expected to open in June), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in July). The DOT is expected to open up the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program to local governments in late May. Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The National Institutes of Health has announced that it intends to open a grant program to fund telehealth and digital health care programs later this year in July.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists freeresources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

Help for Local Governments:

Grant Navigation, Writing, and Local Match Help:

Housing and Community Living:

The Administration for Community Living funded Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Networkis a national technical assistance center that provides free assistance to organizations that serve families in which grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends are raising children. The ACL also funds the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center, which provides free technical assistance organizations that provide support services and career resources for disabled individuals.

Water:

Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency expanded the Water Technical Assistance program to help communities take advantage of the historic $50 billion in water funding. Interested parties can apply for freetechnical assistance to address water, wastewater, and stormwater projects here. The EPA'sWater Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center also provides free technical assistance. The EPA offers free technical assistance directly to water utilities through the Creating Resilient Water Utilities program.

Following a webinar for local governments on water grants, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) posted a list of technical assistance resources and organizations for local governments and organizations. Interested parties can find more information on their websitehere. Interested local governments can also access free technical assistance from DOLA outlined here by reaching out to their DOLA Regional Manager. The names and contact info for DOLA Regional Managers is listed here.

Clean Energy:

Transportation:

Electric Vehicles:

Environmental:

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Community Change Grants Technical Assistance program and the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance programs for disaster-prone areas. Eligible parties can receive free grant applications, project planning, and post-award assistance through these programs. Interested parties can request assistance here.

Early Childhood Development:

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, funded through the Department of Education, offers a variety of technical assistance resources for early childhood education and childcare providers.

Broadband:

Caregiving and Volunteer Program Capacity Building:

Scientific Research:

Application Tip of the Month:

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

Transportation:

Additional open DOT grants include:

Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection Program -deadline of May 27th, 2024
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program -deadline of May28th, 2024
Highway Construction Training Program Grants -deadline of June 17th, 2024
Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program -deadline of June 18th, 2024
Large Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024 for FY25 projects
Planning and Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024

Public Safety and Law Enforcement:

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) the following open grants:

A grant supporting department accreditation efforts -deadline of May 28th, 2024
Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative -deadline of June 10th, 2024
Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program -deadline of June 4th, 2024
Hiring Program -deadline of June 12th
School Violence Prevention Program -deadline of June 17th

Clean Energy:

The Rural Energy of America Program (REAP) provides funding for rural small businesses, farmers, and ranchers to install renewable energy or energy efficiency improvements on their property. They are accepting rolling applications for two rounds of funding with deadlines on June 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024.

The Colorado Energy Office has opened up the Geothermal Electricity Tax Credit application from now through June 30th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information and applyhere.

Water:

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has Colorado Water Plan Grantswhich support water storage, conservation, and other projects that help implement the Colorado Water plan. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by July 1st, 2024. DNR also has an open Water Supply Reserve Fund grant for local governments and nonprofits with rolling deadlines on June 1st, August 1st, and October 1st, 2024.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a comprehensive dashboard of water funding opportunities both at the state and federal level.

Rural:

Social Services:

Workforce Development:

Health Care:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has an open Minority Research Grantprogram for health care researchers at Minority Serving Institutions. Applicants should apply by June 3rd, 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration grant program is open until July 3rd, 2024.

Food and Agriculture:

The USDA has an open loan program for agricultural producers to build affordable housing for farmworkers both on the farm (rolling applications) and off-site (deadline of June 18th, 2024).

Assistance for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has a Local Planning Capacity Grant Program to assist with planning, infrastructure, and housing projects. The grant program deadline is June 3rd, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here, and should schedule a required pre-application meeting here.

Environment:

Housing:

Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has an open Microgrids for Community Resilience Program that provides funding to municipalities and utilities for electric grid resilience planning and construction projects. The application deadline is June 13th, 2024. Interested parties can find more grid resiliency-specific technical assistance resources here.

The DOE also recently announced the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve building energy efficiency and lower energy costs for homeowners. The application deadline is June 6th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more about technical assistance specific to building energy efficiency here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.

May Monthly Grants Newsletter

Dear David,

We are excited to share upcoming grants and federal funding opportunities for local governments, universities, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Additionally, you can find an extensive list of funding opportunities for local governments run and updated regularly by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs here. This user-friendly dashboard includes federal and state funding opportunities and can be filtered by category, program, award type, awarding agency, and eligible applicants.

Grant News:

The EPA has an open Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change grants program with funding for community programs to implement climate action and pollution reduction plans. The rolling application is open until November 21st, 2024. Interested applicants can find more information on and apply for technical assistance specific to this grant here. So far, no EPA Region 8 organizations (the states of CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) have applied to this grant, meaning CO applicants who apply now would face less regional competition during the selection process.

Additionally, the EPA's now-open Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program provides funding for municipalities and school districts to replace Class 6 and 7 heavy-duty vehicles in their fleet with zero-emissions vehicles. 70% of the funding is set aside specifically for clean school buses, and slightly over 40% of the funding is directed to areas in nonattainment with EPA standards for air quality. Within our district, Jefferson and Broomfield County applicants have been designated by the EPA to have a competitive advantage. The application deadline is July 25th, 2024.

Grants on the Horizon:

The EPA has selected the JSI Research and Training Institute as the Region 8 grantmaker organization for their Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program and expects to open up subawardee grant applications in early summer. This is a great opportunity for smaller nonprofit organizations and local governments to apply for awards in the $150,000-350,000 range to address environmental and public health efforts, and was specifically designed to be more accessible to smaller organizations with less organizational capacity to apply to federal grants.

The Department of Transportation anticipates opening several major grant programs in the coming months, including the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (expected to open in June), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) (expected to open in July). The DOT is expected to open up the Low-Carbon Transportation Grants Program to local governments in late May. Those interested in future transportation grant announcements can check the DOT key announcement dates webpage here.

FEMA is expected to open up the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant later in the summer to fund preparedness efforts against cyber attacks.

The National Institutes of Health has announced that it intends to open a grant program to fund telehealth and digital health care programs later this year in July.

Technical Assistance:

Something I hear constantly when meeting with local governments and organizations is that they are interested in taking advantage of federal funding opportunities, but simply do not have the capacity to to submit a competitive application. The following section lists freeresources to make applying to and managing grants more feasible.

Help for Local Governments:

Grant Navigation, Writing, and Local Match Help:

Housing and Community Living:

The Administration for Community Living funded Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Networkis a national technical assistance center that provides free assistance to organizations that serve families in which grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends are raising children. The ACL also funds the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center, which provides free technical assistance organizations that provide support services and career resources for disabled individuals.

Water:

Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Environmental Protection Agency expanded the Water Technical Assistance program to help communities take advantage of the historic $50 billion in water funding. Interested parties can apply for freetechnical assistance to address water, wastewater, and stormwater projects here. The EPA'sWater Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center also provides free technical assistance. The EPA offers free technical assistance directly to water utilities through the Creating Resilient Water Utilities program.

Following a webinar for local governments on water grants, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) posted a list of technical assistance resources and organizations for local governments and organizations. Interested parties can find more information on their websitehere. Interested local governments can also access free technical assistance from DOLA outlined here by reaching out to their DOLA Regional Manager. The names and contact info for DOLA Regional Managers is listed here.

Clean Energy:

Transportation:

Electric Vehicles:

Environmental:

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Community Change Grants Technical Assistance program and the Community Change Equitable Resilience Technical Assistance programs for disaster-prone areas. Eligible parties can receive free grant applications, project planning, and post-award assistance through these programs. Interested parties can request assistance here.

Early Childhood Development:

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, funded through the Department of Education, offers a variety of technical assistance resources for early childhood education and childcare providers.

Broadband:

Caregiving and Volunteer Program Capacity Building:

Scientific Research:

Application Tip of the Month:

Reminders from last month's newsletter:

Transportation:

Additional open DOT grants include:

Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection Program -deadline of May 27th, 2024
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program -deadline of May28th, 2024
Highway Construction Training Program Grants -deadline of June 17th, 2024
Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program -deadline of June 18th, 2024
Large Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024 for FY25 projects
Planning and Bridge Project Grants -deadline of October 1st, 2024

Public Safety and Law Enforcement:

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) the following open grants:

A grant supporting department accreditation efforts -deadline of May 28th, 2024
Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative -deadline of June 10th, 2024
Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Prosecution Program -deadline of June 4th, 2024
Hiring Program -deadline of June 12th
School Violence Prevention Program -deadline of June 17th

Clean Energy:

The Rural Energy of America Program (REAP) provides funding for rural small businesses, farmers, and ranchers to install renewable energy or energy efficiency improvements on their property. They are accepting rolling applications for two rounds of funding with deadlines on June 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024.

The Colorado Energy Office has opened up the Geothermal Electricity Tax Credit application from now through June 30th, 2024. Interested parties can find more information and applyhere.

Water:

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has Colorado Water Plan Grantswhich support water storage, conservation, and other projects that help implement the Colorado Water plan. Interested parties can find more information here and should apply by July 1st, 2024. DNR also has an open Water Supply Reserve Fund grant for local governments and nonprofits with rolling deadlines on June 1st, August 1st, and October 1st, 2024.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources has a comprehensive dashboard of water funding opportunities both at the state and federal level.

Rural:

Social Services:

Workforce Development:

Health Care:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has an open Minority Research Grantprogram for health care researchers at Minority Serving Institutions. Applicants should apply by June 3rd, 2024.

The Administration for Children and Families Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration grant program is open until July 3rd, 2024.

Food and Agriculture:

The USDA has an open loan program for agricultural producers to build affordable housing for farmworkers both on the farm (rolling applications) and off-site (deadline of June 18th, 2024).

Assistance for Local Governments:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has a Local Planning Capacity Grant Program to assist with planning, infrastructure, and housing projects. The grant program deadline is June 3rd, 2024. Interested parties can find more information here, and should schedule a required pre-application meeting here.

Environment:

Housing:

Energy:

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs has an open Microgrids for Community Resilience Program that provides funding to municipalities and utilities for electric grid resilience planning and construction projects. The application deadline is June 13th, 2024. Interested parties can find more grid resiliency-specific technical assistance resources here.

The DOE also recently announced the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve building energy efficiency and lower energy costs for homeowners. The application deadline is June 6th, 2024. Interested parties can learn more about technical assistance specific to building energy efficiency here.

If you know someone who would like to be added to my monthly grants newsletter, they can sign up for the newsletter here. You can also find resources shared in previous grant newsletters here.

Please reach out with any questions, letter of support requests, or if you would like my office to keep an eye out for federal funding in specific areas.