Funding & Technical Services from NWCCOG Economic Development District

Funding & Technical Assistance
Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant program deadline: May 19 | More info here. Offered by the Colorado State Forest Service. provides money to fund mitigation projects on non-federal land in the state. Homeowners associations, community groups, local governments, fire protection districts, nonprofits and others are encouraged to apply. About $6 million in funding is available, and individual grant awards are available up to $1 million.

Restaurant Revitalization Fund More info here. This fund will offer $28.6 billion in grants to hard-hit restaurants and bars, with restaurants able to apply for grants based on lost revenue.

CLIMBER Fund More info here. This fund provides up to $250 million in working capital loans to Colorado small businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic through 2023. We recommend that businesses first take advantage of PPP loans, as they can be forgivable loans.

USDA Technical Assistance Grants to Improve Rural Transportation Systems Deadline: June 30 | More info here. Eligible applicants are organizations seeking to provide rural communities with training and technical assistance to improve transportation services and facilities. Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships, and innovation.

Union Pacific Foundation: Community Ties Giving Program Through the Community Ties Giving Program, the Foundation provides Local Grants to nonprofit organizations that address the following categories: Safety, Workforce Development, and Community Spaces. Organizations interested in receiving a grant must complete an online survey to determine eligibility from June 1 through July 31, 2021.

Colorado Creates Grant Opens early to mid-April; Deadline June 7. More info here. Colorado Creates grants are general operating support for nonprofit arts organizations to provide arts programs and activities to their communities.

NWCCOG EDD Business Loan Fund Funds from this loan fund provided by USDA Rural Development. Loans will support the development of small and emerging businesses in the NWCCOG Region. Funds can be used for expansion, acquisition, startups, equipment, inventory, or working capital. In order to qualify, you must be a for-profit business, have gross revenues less than $1 million, have fewer than 50 employees, and provide documentation of not being able to obtain credit elsewhere. For more information contact Rachel Tuyn, 970.485.0513 or email rtuyn@nwccog.org.

Shuttered Venue Operators Grant opens April 8, 2021 The SBA has launched a splash page for the application portal in anticipation of opening applications on April 8. We are encouraging Colorado organizations seeking a grant to prepare well in advance and be ready to move swiftly once applications go live.

Drug-Free Communities Support Program Deadline: May 10 | More info here. Seeks to reduce substance abuse among youth through collaborative action. Specific goals include establishing and strengthening collaboration among communities, public and private nonprofit agencies, and local governments to support the efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance abuse.

First Responders Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Grants Deadline: May 17 | More info here. to allow first responders and members of other key community sectors to administer a drug or device approved or cleared under the FDA for emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. Recipients will train and provide resources to first responders and members of other key community sectors. Recipients will also establish processes, protocols, mechanisms for referral to appropriate treatment and recovery communities.

Webinar on Funding Active Transportation Projects April 22 at 11 a.m. | Register here. The Safe Routes Partnership is offering a free webinar “Where’s the Money? Funding Your Active Transportation Project”. Join the webinar to learn about frequently used sources of funding for active transportation projects (cycling, rolling, walking) in the US, how to find out what funding is available, and tips for navigating the funding process.

Grants to Support Rehabilitation of Historic Rural Properties Deadline: May 12 | More info here. The Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program supports the rehabilitation of historic properties to foster the economic development of rural communities. These grants fund preservation projects for historic sites, including architectural and engineering services and physical preservation.

EDA Build to Scale Program Deadline: April 29, 2021 | More info here Economic Development Administration Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The FY 2021 Build to Scale program fuels tech-based economic development in regional economies and is comprised of two competitions, the Venture Challenge and the Capital Challenge. The Venture Challenge seeks to support high-growth entrepreneurship, accelerate company growth, and scale proven entrepreneurship support models. The Capital Challenge increases access to capital in communities where risk capital is in short supply by providing operational support for early-stage investment funds, angel capital networks, or investor training programs. Eligible applicants include cities, counties, and other political subdivisions of states.

National Endowment for the Humanities Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants Deadline: May 18 | More info here. The purpose of the Challenge Grants program is to strengthen the institutional base of the humanities by enabling infrastructure development and capacity building. Awards aim to help institutions secure long-term support for their core activities.

Training Opportunities & Events

Intro to Census Data Training April 27 at 10 a.m.This training offered by the U.S. Census Bureau will last approximately 90 minutes and will cover background information on the American Community Survey (ACS), best practices for searching and citing data, and live demos of the following data tools: Quick Facts; Narrative Profiles; Data Profiles on data.census.gov. RSVP to brian.j.meinhart@2020census.gov for zoom link.

Employee Retention Tax Credit & Restaurant Recovery Grant WorkshopApril 27 | 10 a.m. | Register here. Businesses that know how to navigate the Employee Retention Tax Credit are cashing in on the benefits of this refundable employment incentive. There will also be an update on the soon-to-be-released Restaurant Recovery GrantThis event is brought to you by the Northwest Colorado Workforce Area, Payroll Vault, Grand County Economic Development and Northwest Colorado chambers of commerce.

2020 Census & Local Government Redistricting – What you need to know May 6, noon to 1 p.m. | Register here Offered by Colorado Municipal League. When people think about redistricting, the first thing that comes to mind is usually congressional districts. However, many local government agencies are also required to reapportion their voting districts every ten years. Due to challenges with the latest census, this year’s data release has been delayed and there is still uncertainty about when the data will become available. Unfortunately, this delay could mean that local governments will be working within a compressed timeline to adopt their new district boundaries. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the timeline, there are a few things local governments can do now to prevent a last-minute redistricting scramble.

Introduction to Actively Green Workshop April 21 | 2 – 4:40 p.m. | Register here. Offered by Walking Mountains Science Center. In this workshop, you will learn more about completing the Trail Map initiatives and tasks for the Actively Green certification. The Green Business Trail Map is available to any and all local businesses seeking to improve their sustainability performance and economic resilience in 2021.

Advance Colorado Spring 2021 Virtual Procurement Expo April 28, 9-10 a.m. | Register here Join the Minority Business Office to hear from experts in contracting, procurement, and Certification. This virtual event will be focused on business owners to provide educational materials and a panel on securing purchasing opportunities.

Economic Development Council of Colorado Upcoming Events

May 9 -15 | Economic Development Week | Schedule of Events Here | EDCC and Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) are teaming up in 2021, to bring a week-long celebration of Colorado’s Economic Development Ecosystem and its partners.
May 26 | Where are the Retail and Hospitality Industries Headed? From trends that accelerated during the pandemic to the new ways of doing business, it leaves the question as to where the retail and hospitality industries are going?
June 14 – 18 | Basic Economic Development Course | Will feature live, interactive discussions with instructors and peers. The BEDC course provides a substantial introduction to the theory and fundamentals of comprehensive economic development.
October 20-22 | EDCC Annual Drive, Lead, Succeed Conference | Steamboat Springs…stay tuned for more details.

Northwest Colorado Council of GovernmentsEconomic Development District | www.nwccog.org/edd