SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWSLETTER

Northwest Colorado Development Council

Stronger Together!

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.

NWCDC & NCIC ANNUAL MEETING

The Northwest Colorado Development Council (NWCDC) and the Northwest Colorado Innovation Center (NCIC) held their Annual Meeting on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport’s second-floor conference room. The event highlighted the region’s momentum toward a more diverse and sustainable economy, showcasing success stories from across the three counties of Routt, Moffat, and Rio Blanco Counties.

Harmonie House, a new healthcare startup in Craig, created 53 full-time and part-time jobs.
Fitch Ranch Meats will create 100 new jobs with the construction of a new meat processing plant in Craig.
High Altitude, a new geothermal drilling company in Northwest Colorado, will begin drilling in the next couple of weeks.
Yampa Valley Regional Airport’s new Aviation Business Park is projected to attract more than 230 high-paying aviation jobs.
Jupiter Power is siting a new battery storage project in Hayden, which will generate millions in tax revenue for the Town and Routt County.
Pioneer Medical Center received a $600,000 Colorado Office of Just Transition grant to enhance its operations and create 6 full-time, high-paying jobs.

These are just a few of the success stories in the NWCDC’s project pipeline, which currently includes 27 private and public economic development projects that could generate 443 new jobs and $4.5 billion in capital investment.

“Northwest Colorado is at a turning point, and our communities are working together to diversify industries, grow entrepreneurship, and create new opportunities,” said Tim Redmond, NWCDC and NCIC Chairman. “The Annual Meeting is not only a chance to celebrate our achievements, but also to engage with the partners and innovators who are helping us shape the future.”

Thank you to AT&T for its Contribution

To support the Northwest Colorado Innovation Center (NCIC), a 501c3 new rural development hub, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation announced at the Annual Meeting a contribution of $15,000 to NCIC programs that catalyze business starts, expansion, and attraction to generate new jobs and tax revenue.

Additionally, AT&T and Human-I-T provided NCIC with 185 refurbished laptops to distribute to entrepreneurs, small businesses, families in need, and individuals seeking digital literacy training in Moffat, Routt, and Rio Blanco Counties — ensuring that residents have the technology tools they need to participate in today’s economy. NCIC is working with partner communities and organizations to distribute the laptops.

“AT&T is proud to collaborate with organizations like NCIC to help close the digital equity gap in Northwest Colorado and assist small businesses and entrepreneurs as they find new ways to build their businesses and livelihoods,” said LJ Godfrey, President, AT&T Colorado, Arizona, and Hawaii. “Access to connectivity is vital in helping to bridge the digital divide, and we are glad we can provide these resources to entrepreneurs, businesses, and families.”

This effort is part of AT&T’s initiative to help address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability, and safe adoption. AT&T is committing $5 billion to help 25 million people get and stay connected to high-speed internet by 2030. This includes distributing more than 1700 computers to students and their families across Colorado since 2023.

Northwest SBDC Hiring Business Advisors

Are you a seasoned business professional with a passion for helping others succeed? Do you want to use your skills and experience to make a tangible impact on your community? Consider becoming an SBDC (Small Business Development Center) advisor. SBDC has opportunities for both volunteers and on-call advisors.

SBDC advisors provide individual support and/or training to guide aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. This is more than just an opportunity; it's a chance to mentor, innovate, and contribute directly to the growth of local businesses. If you're looking for a fulfilling way to give back where your expertise can truly make a difference, you are invited to learn more and tell us about yourself via this link.

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.

Colorado Apprenticeship Incentive (CAI) Grants

The Colorado Apprenticeship Hub, under the direction of the Arapahoe/Douglas Workforce Development Board, announces $3 million in grant funding through the Colorado Apprenticeship Incentive (CAI) Grant. This funding supports the development and expansion of Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs across Colorado. Approximately 20–30 grants will be awarded with individual awards up to $150,000.

Organizations eligible to apply include:

Employers
Joint labor–management organizations
Industry groups
Community-based organizations
Current or prospective RAP sponsors

The application period will run from November 1, 2025 to November 30, 2025.

Virtual information sessions for the CAI Grant will be held on the following dates:

For eligibility, application requirements, and how to apply, click here>

Agriculture Workforce Development Program

The Agricultural Workforce Development Program (AWDP) provides financial incentives to Colorado farms, ranches, and other agricultural businesses to hire interns and provide them with the hands-on training needed to begin a career in agriculture. Preference is given to Colorado businesses engaged in the production of agricultural crops, livestock, dairy, timber, or greenhouse and nursery products.

Businesses may apply for up to 3 internships per year. Awarded businesses may be reimbursed for up to 50% of the actual cost to employ each intern, up to $5,000 per intern. Businesses benefit by receiving compensation for their efforts in training interns on the day-to-day operations of a farm, ranch, or agricultural business, and interns benefit by gaining at least 130 hours of on-the-job training and real-world work experience.

Applications will open October 1, 2025 and close October 31, 2025 at 5 pm MDT. An informational webinar will be held October 8, 2025 at 11 am MDT. Learn more>

Family Child Care Home (FCCH)

Facilities Improvement Grant

The Family Child Care Home (FCCH) Facilities Improvement Grant from the Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) was created to address the significant decline in family child care homes in Colorado. Funding from this grant can be used toward specific projects to start up a new program, address health, safety, and licensing issues in an existing program, or expand licensed capacity in an existing program.

Eligibility requirements:

Must be a licensed home-based child care program or have applied for a home child care license.
Must serve children from birth to 5 years old.
Must attend one of the Mandatory Informational Webinar. Please contact Enola Garland enola@ecclacolorado.org for options.

The application window is now open and will close on October 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM MST. For more information and to apply, click here>

Destination Development Mentor Program

The Destination Development Mentor Program seeks to match destination organizations and industry association partners with experienced tourism consultants to provide expertise, resources, mentorship, and capacity building. Awarded applicants will receive 100 hours of consulting to advance priority projects through June 2026.

Please complete the letter of interest form to set up a call with a Colorado Tourism Office staff member to discuss your project ideas. A letter of interest is not required, but is strongly recommended. Applications are open now and will close Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 4 p.m. (MT). Learn more>

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

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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.