Northwest Colorado Development Council (NWCDC) is an intergovernmental agreement between Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties and their seven communities to collaborate on regional economic development. NWCDC's mission is to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, workforce development, economic prosperity, and diversification through sustainable, community-led development.
Regionalism at Work
The recent wildfire disaster response in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, is a strong example of regionalism at work—neighbors stepping in to help neighbors, communities pooling resources, and local agencies collaborating across boundaries to ensure public safety. Additionally, chambers of commerce and nonprofit organizations reached beyond municipal and county lines to provide mutual aid to affected residents.
Just as communities come together during a natural disaster—sharing resources and providing mutual aid—regionalism is equally powerful in responding to economic shocks, like the coal transition. When communities collaborate regionally, they pool their diverse industry assets, a broader labor force, shared infrastructure, and collective problem-solving capacity. This “neighbors helping neighbors” approach ensures that recovery is not isolated to one town, but rather strengthens the entire region, making it more resilient, competitive, and prepared for long-term economic growth.
The response to our wildfires in Northwest Colorado demonstrates the strength of a region united by trust, resilience, and a shared commitment to recovery from both natural disasters and economic challenges.
Northwest SBDC Economic Recovery
Northwest Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is part of the state’s and federal disaster recovery team, gathering information about local capacity and connecting communities to the right resources. As part of the US Small Business Administration, the SBDC plays a critical role in supplementing local efforts, advocating for communities, and providing direct, one-on-one advising for business owners—helping them consider revenue streams, adjust operations, and apply for federal low-interest economic recovery loans, once available.
Erin McCuskey, Executive Director of the NW SBDC, noted the need to manage expectations around disaster recovery. She stressed that large-scale government grants will not be available to backfill lost revenue, but small, actionable steps—such as tweaking business models, adjusting inventory, or refining marketing messaging—can help businesses weather interruptions and stabilize cash flow. The SBDC can provide webinars, a Disaster Response Business Toolkit, and communication pieces to support these efforts. Email Ashley Dishman, SBDC Business Navigator, for more information.
Rio Blanco Disaster Impact and Damage Survey
The State of Colorado and Rio Blanco County launched a damage assessment survey for all businesses, except for agricultural producers and suppliers. The survey will ask about disaster-related damages, including financial damages such as:
Business interruption
Loss of sales
Increased expenses
Supply chain interruptions
Business's property damages to the business structure/building
This confidential survey will support the County's efforts to seek assistance for disaster recovery. Please take the survey.
Yampa Valley Disaster Recovery Fund
The Yampa Valley Disaster Recovery Fund helps meet the immediate and long‑term relief and recovery needs of the people and places affected by environmental or man‑made disasters such as wildfire, flood, drought, or public health emergencies in the Yampa Valley region.
When activated by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, the Fund mobilizes resources quickly and equitably, working with local partners to address evolving community needs from day one through full recovery. Funds are distributed to nonprofits and agencies best positioned to address relief, recovery, and resiliency.
For more information and to apply for Disaster Recovery Funding, click here>
Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Rural Development mission area, offers Water and Environmental Programs that provide access to Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants in Colorado. The program helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water.
Who may apply?
Rurally located public bodies
Nonprofit organizations
Federally recognized tribes
Applicants must show that a major decline in quantity or quality of water occurred within two years of the date of the application or that a significant decline in quality and quantity of water is imminent.
Applications for this program are accepted year-round, online through RD APPLY or through your local RD office. For more information, click here>
Colorado Water Plan Grants
The Colorado Water Plan Grant Program supports implementation of the Colorado Water Plan, a grassroots effort that relies on the Colorado water community to identify and implement basin-specific and/or statewide water projects that provide multiple benefits to the state's diverse water users.
Water Plan Funding Categories include:
Water Storage and Supply Projects
Conservation & Land Use Projects
Engagement & Innovation Activities
Agricultural Projects
Watershed Health & Recreation Projects
All application materials must be submitted through the CWCB Portal by the application deadline of December 1, 2025. Please contact a CWCB staff member in advance of applying for a grant: Ashley Garrison (Colorado, Gunnison, and Yampa/White Green Basins) | ashley.garrison@state.co.us | 719.466.9626.
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP)
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), offers financial aid to producers who suffer losses from specific adverse conditions not covered by other USDA disaster assistance programs. This includes losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events, and other qualifying conditions affecting livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish. ELAP provides critical support to help producers recover and sustain their operations. Producers must provide verifiable documentation of the losses and meet all program requirements.
Final Date to file Notice of Loss and Final Date to Submit an Application for Payment: March 1 after the program year in which the loss occurred. To apply for ELAP, producers must complete and submit a notice of loss and an application for payment to their local FSA office. Learn more>
OEDIT Tourism Marketing Grant
The Tourism Marketing Grant provides funding for tourism marketing campaigns and initiatives that support the CTO's (Colorado Tourism Office) mission “to empower the tourism industry by inspiring the world to explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully.” Outdoor recreation is a major contributor to our region's tourism, and it is not too late to secure funding for marketing campaigns and initiatives that highlight those uniquely Colorado stories and experiences.
Apply through the OEDIT Online Portal by 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Detailed instructions for navigating the OEDIT online portal can be found in this Portal Handbook. NWCDC is here to provide application assistance as the deadline approaches.
Fore more information on wildfire funding resources, including local and individual supports funding, Colorado funding, federal funding, tax credits for homeowners, as well as mitigation, water, agriculture, and tourism grants, visit this Wildfire Funding Resources document. NWCDC's team is here to support and assist in your grant application process.
Grant Database, Resources, Tools, and Tips
Watch a short tutorial above, guided by Emily O'Winter, NWCDC Grant Manager, who walks you through the grant resources found on the www.northwestcolorado.org website. NWCDC developed a full complement of resources to help you find and write an effective grant. Learn how to navigate the grants database, access the grants toolkit for templated content, join the monthly Grants Workgroup to hear from funders, or hire a professional grant writer from our Grants Collective. More about these resource at the bottom of this newsletter. Click on the thumbnail above or this link.
Grants Database and Other Grants Resources
To help our members sort through the massive volume of grants from state, federal and philanthropic funders, NWCDC is maintaining a Grants Database, curated to support our priority areas: clean energy, economic development, transportation, affordable childcare, and community development. The database is hosted on the NWCDC website. NWCDC Grants Manager Emily O'Winter has prescreened these grants for relevancy. The database is a living document that we will be updating constantly as we find new resources that support our Roadmap strategies. For technical support, you can click this link to email Emily O'Winter.
Grants Toolkit
In an effort to make grant writing as painless as possible, NWCDC Grant Manager Emily O'Winter has created a Grants Toolkit, which includes templated responses for the most often asked grant questions, as well as data sources. Browse the Grants Toolkit now for core language and other resources.
Grants Workgroup Meetings
Take a deeper dive into upcoming grants by joining the Grants Workgroup, which meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11 am via Zoom. We invite funders to share insights on their programs. Email Emily O'Winter to join the Grants Workgroup.
Northwest Colorado Grants Collective
Looking for more support? The Northwest Colorado Grants Collective is a partnership with the Northwest Colorado Development Council and the Yampa Valley Community Foundation to create a list of grant professionals to increase grant writing and management capacity for regional nonprofits, local governments, and businesses interested in hiring grant writers to support developing proposals for federal, state, and local grants. Check out the Grants Collective
You are receiving this email newsletter from the Northwest Colorado Development Council (NWCDC) because you are a member or a partner or have signed up for more information. The NWCDC is an intergovernmental agreement between Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties and their seven communities to collaborate on regional economic development.
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