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.
Northwest Colorado Innovation Center
Introducing the Northwest Colorado Revolving Loan Fund!
The NWCDC established the Northwest Colorado Innovation Center (NCIC), a 501c3 to provide wraparound economic and community development services during the coal transition and to inject new capital into our regional economy. NCIC established a new microlending revolving loan fund (RLF) to support entrepreneurs and small businesses to create new jobs or to retain existing jobs in Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties.
If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner needing a low-interest (5% fixed interest) loan from $5,000-$15,000, email Rosy McDonough and ask about the NCIC Revolving Loan Fund. We will fund the following needs:
Equipment
Vehicles
Working capital
Inventory
Software and IT systems
Preconstruction costs: ESA Phase 1, studies
Training, certifications,
Renovation and upgrades
Some exclusions apply. If you need larger loan, we can help capital stack with multiply lenders. Please email Christine Rambo for technical assistance.
Colorado Needs Feedback on its CEDS Plan
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) is developing Colorado's first-ever Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), an integrated strategy that will serve as the five-year strategic planning guide that aims to build more resilient and inclusive economies across the State. The statewide CEDS has been informed by Colorado’s 14 economic development districts and two Tribal Nations, and their respective regional CEDS documents.
The statewide CEDS will be submitted to the federal Economic Development Administration and will help the state and our various partners with access to certain federal funding opportunities, as well as show a streamlined, collaborative, statewide approach to economic priorities. OEDIT is seeking public comment on the plan. Please read the CEDS and use this link to comment. Comments are due by July 5th.
Rio Blanco Flatwater Recreational Activity Survey
The Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District (RBWCD) developed a brief survey to understand the flatwater recreational needs in Rio Blanco County and within the RBWCD. The purpose of this survey is to gather information related to potential flatwater recreation demands within the regional context of the RBWCD. Help water managers improve the places you enjoy. Take the short survey to share your input on flatwater recreation. Read more>
DOLA Housing Planning Grant Program
The Housing Planning Grant Program provides grants to local governments and regional entities to help them better understand their housing needs and to develop actionable and compliant housing needs assessments (HNAs), housing action plans (HAPs), and comprehensive plan elements. Eligible entities include municipalities, counties, city and city-counties, councils of governments (COGs), regional planning commissions, and public entities formed by the voluntary agreements of local governments in a region.
Round 2 Applications are now open and close Friday, July 11, 2025. Before applying, interested parties may also email Ashley Basham to get feedback on the proposed project and technical assistance. Read more>
DOLA CDBGPF - DEEC
for Public Facilities Design, Engineering, and Environmental Clearance
The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) has created a new Design, Engineering, and Environmental Clearance (DEEC) program as part of the Community Development Block Public Facilities (CDBGPF) program for eligible local governments in Colorado. The maximum grant award is $100,000.
The new DEEC grant offers financial assistance for eligible local governments to complete their design, engineering, and environmental clearance activities for eligible public facilities/infrastructure projects. The CDBGPF-DEEC application will be open from July 1 - September 1, 2025. Learn more>
Colorado Energy Office Local IMPACT Accelerator
The Local Implementation, Mitigation, and Policy Action (Local IMPACT) Accelerator provides grants to support local governments with policy adoption to bolster local resilience, reduce emissions, and advance other state priorities, such as improved air quality. The IMPACT Accelerator is designed to maximize emissions reductions by promoting policies that extend beyond state requirements in four categories:
Buildings
Land Use
Transportation
Waste
Applications are now open and due on August 1, 2025. For more information and webinar presentations, click here>
Greenwood Fund Conservation & Collections Grant
The Denver Foundation is pleased to invite qualified nonprofits to apply for funding from the Greenwood Fund, supporting conservation and collections care projects within the museum community of Colorado, New Mexico, or Wyoming. The focus of this funding opportunity is on small museums with collections and conservation budgets of less than $1 million. In response to federal funding cuts to museums, the Greenwood Fund is offering additional funding to support video fundraising appeals which can include an artist discussing their art featured at a museum, or the museum can create a video addressing the museum’s history and focus.
Applications open July 1, 2025 and close August 15, 2025. Visit The Denver Foundation website for more eligibility requirements. Learn more>
Natural Disaster Mitigation Enterprise Grant
The Natural Disaster Mitigation Enterprise (NDME) Grant program will fund local governments to implement resilience and natural disaster mitigation measures and will match funds required by federal grants to implement pre-disaster natural disaster mitigation measures. NDME also provides technical assistance to local governments on natural disaster mitigation.
The second round of grant funding is now open. Applications are due on August 29, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. Online webinars are held on Thursdays in July and August from 1 - 2 p.m. to answer questions and present more detailed information. These webinars are available to the public and slides are available. Learn more>
CPW Non-Motorized Trail Grants Available
The Colorado State Recreational Trails Grant Program funds projects to continue to improve outdoor recreation opportunities, including trail construction, maintenance, planning, and support while protecting wildlife, habitat, and cultural resources. The program is funded by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and the Federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Eligible entities include local governments, Tribes, and nonprofits with a 501(c). Applications are open, and pre-application letters of intent are due to the program coordinator on September 3. 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
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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