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
Business Retention & Expansion Program
The NWCDC established the Northwest Colorado Innovation Center (NCIC), a 501(c)(3), to provide wraparound economic and community development services. NCIC offers in-person, confidential business consulting to help businesses get started and grow through our Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) Program.
The BR&E program supports startups and existing businesses across the region at no cost. Whether you need help writing a business plan, exploring financing options, accessing capital, advice on grants, marketing your services, or hiring your next employee, our experienced consultants can guide you every step of the way.
We’re proud to serve businesses in Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties in Northwest Colorado with the tools and resources they need to succeed. Our mission is simple: help local businesses thrive so our communities can grow stronger. Email Sasha Nelson, NCIC's BR&E Specialist, to book a confidential, in-person meeting.
Northwest Catalyst Capital
To support business startups and growth, NCIC has established a revolving loan fund to provide microloans to entrepreneurs and small businesses. If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner needing a low-interest (5% fixed rate) loan from $5,000-$15,000, email Sasha Nelson 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, etc
Training, certifications,
Renovation and upgrades
Some exclusions apply. If you need a larger loan, we can help capital stack with multiple lenders. Please email Christine Rambo for technical assistance.
NCIC Designated Rural JumpStart Partner
NCIC has been approved to be the local sponsoring entity for Rural JumpStart (RJS) in Rio Blanco County. The Colorado Economic Development Commission's approval, along with the Rio Blanco Commission's passage of a resolution to adopt the RJS program, will allow new businesses in Rio Blanco to take advantage of the Rural JumpStart program, a tax incentive and grant program for startups. In Tier 1 Just Transition Communities, such as Rio Blanco, new qualifying businesses are eligible for a grant of up to $25,000.
Tax benefits include relief from:
State income tax for the new business;
State sales and use tax for the new business;
County personal property tax for the new business;
Municipal personal property tax for the new business (in participating municipalities); and
State income tax for qualified new hires.
As a local sponsoring entity, NCIC will work with new businesses to qualify them for the program and provide technical assistance to help them start and grow. The Rural Jump-Start Program will accept applications for the tax benefits through December 31, 2030, and for the grant benefits through June 30, 2028
Colorado Geothermal in Hayden
The Town of Hayden and Bedrock Energy are thrilled to invite you to the Rocky Mountain Resilience: Colorado Geothermal in Action event on August 20, 2025, from 9 am to 3 pm in Hayden at the Northwest Colorado Business Park, across from the Yampa Valley Regional Airport.
This is a one-of-a-kind showcase, highlighting how geothermal energy is driving the Rocky Mountain region’s resilient energy future. Town of Hayden will be joined by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, alongside leaders from utilities, development, and local government, to explore what it will take to bring clean, cost-effective heating and cooling to communities across the state and beyond.
This is a project supported by the Colorado Energy Office’s Geothermal Program and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Bedrock Energy is currently drilling for a district geothermal network. You will see drilling demonstrations with cutting-edge subsurface tech, keynotes and panels with utilities, developers, and public officials, and more. RSVP for the event.
Railroad Freight Tax Credit
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade's (OEDIT) Freight Rail Tax Credit is officially open and available for businesses interested in using freight rail! This credit gives tax relief to businesses that use freight rail lines that might otherwise close down due to decreased coal production. Businesses can receive up to 75% of their eligible qualified expenditures associated with new or increased freight rail usage. At this time, companies must utilize the Union Pacific’s Craig Branch Line to be eligible for the Freight Rail Tax Credit.
OEDIT will host a separate information session specifically for businesses interested in utilizing the tax credit on Thursday, Aug 7, at 4 pm. Meeting details will be shared online closer to the date.
For more information, application and eligibility requirements, and meeting details, visit OEDIT's website here>
OJT Transition Services
The Colorado Office of Just Transition (OJT) offers three core programs to help eligible workers and their spouses/partners: Transition Navigators; Financial Counseling and Education; and Support for Training, Education, and Professional Growth (STEP). Learn more>
Transition Navigators help impacted families understand their options, connect to benefits, and build a plan for the future.
Financial Counseling and Education offers individual support for budgeting, debt reduction, and more.
STEP initiative pays for training, certifications, or education for a new career as part of their transition plan.
The total amount of funding you can receive depends on your hours and years of service, ranging from $5,625 to $11,250. Funds can be used for officially recognized school and training programs in Colorado.
Community Builders’ BBP training brings together teams of local leaders from rural and mountain places to understand and address key community challenges. This award-winning training engages teams of community leaders in an intensive, 3-day workshop that combines practical learning with team development and facilitated action planning. The next BBP training will be held in Grand Junction on February 10-12, 2026, and teams from across the Mountain West are invited to apply!
This year’s training dives into innovative approaches to community economic development that respond to existing and emerging challenges. Each team will explore practical ways to use place-based economic strategies that fit their community. The application window opens August 1, and in the meantime, sign up for a virtual informational webinar to learn more about BBP training and how it can help your team move local planning projects and initiatives forward.
The DOLA Child Care Facility Development Toolkit is intended to improve the ability of local governments, affordable housing developers, childcare providers, and community members to increase the supply of child care in the state of Colorado through the construction, renovation, or expansion of facilities.
This introductory learning series will guide users to understand the critical need for child care facilities in Colorado, highlight opportunities to support these needs, and inform key elements of design requirements, development processes, and funding sources with five session videos and two webinars currently available here>.
The 2025 Child Care Facility Technical Assistance Cohort will run from September 2, 2025 to November 28, 2025. Applications are due August 6th at 5:00 p.m MST. For application information, click here>
The Rural Technical Assistance Program (RTAP)
The Rural Technical Assistance Program (RTAP) partners teams of graduate students from the Masters of the Environment (MENV) program at CU Boulder with the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, CSU Extension, and the US EPA’s Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program to provide planning assistance for outdoor recreation and Main Street development for rural communities in Colorado.
The purpose of this program is to provide planning assistance to rural Colorado communities looking to develop their outdoor recreation economy. While different communities may be in various stages of developing their outdoor recreation economy, all of those selected would benefit from the creation of a comprehensive and holistic plan that outlines key community goals and targeted action items to advance development. Graduate students take on the role as community consultants and walk their partner communities through a facilitated planning assistance process to develop a Community Action Plan for the next 12-24 months. CSU Extension provides support for the subsequent 2-year period to assist partner communities with the implementation of the Community Action Plan and to evaluate program deliverables.
View the Community Partner Brief for more information>
OEDIT Tourism Marketing Grant
The Tourism Marketing Grant provides funding for tourism marketing campaigns and initiatives that support the Colorado Tourism Office’s mission “to empower the tourism industry by inspiring the world to explore Colorado responsibly and respectfully” and share those uniquely Colorado stories and experiences.
The minimum funding request is $2,500 and the maximum is $49,000. Matching funds are required, and based on funding request. Eligible Colorado applicants include:
Colorado destination marketing organizations (DMO’s) such as:
Chambers of commerce or chamber resort associations.
Federally recognized tribes or local government entities in Colorado.
Lodging tax boards, committees, or panels
Colorado statewide tourism industry associations
Apply through the OEDIT Online Portal by 4 p.m. on August 28, 2025. Detailed instructions for navigating the OEDIT online portal can be found in this Portal Handbook. For more information, click here>
OEDIT Advanced Industries Grants
This month, OEDIT has three Advanced Industries Grants that are of interest to Northwest Colorado, including the Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant, the Advanced Industries Export Grant, and the Advanced Industries Tax Credit.
Early Stage Capital and Retention Grant This grant helps Colorado-based advanced industries technology businesses develop and commercialize advanced technologies that will be created or manufactured in Colorado. Projects can receive up to $250,000. Applications are open and due August 28, 2025 at 5 pm MST.
Advanced Industries Export Grant This grant applies to small- and medium-sized businesses that want to export or are currently exporting. It reimburses international business development and marketing costs. Businesses can apply for up to $15,000 and up to 50% of the approved expenses. Applications are currently open.
Advanced Industries Investment Tax Credit The Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit encourages third-party investments in Colorado businesses by incentivizing investors with state income tax credits. Investors can earn a tax credit of 35% of their investment up to a maximum $100,000 credit on an investment of $10,000 or more. Applications are open and rolling until funds are gone.
For more information, visit the OEDIT website here>
Accessory Dwelling Unit Grant (ADUG) Program
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) offers an Accessory Dwelling Unit Grant (ADUG) Program, which provides grants to certified accessory dwelling unit (ADU) Supportive Jurisdictions for activities that promote the construction of ADUs, including but not limited to:
Offsetting costs incurred in connection with developing pre-approved ADU plans
Providing technical assistance to persons converting or constructing ADUs
Waiving, reducing, or providing financial assistance for ADU-associated fees and other required costs
Grant recipients may use funds for eligible expenses associated with:
Low-and moderate-income households
Affordable accessory dwelling units
Accessible or visitable accessory dwelling units
Accessory dwelling units used as long-term rentals for members of the local workforce
Accessory dwelling units used to support other demonstrated housing needs in the community
The first round of funding will open on August 1, 2025, with applications due Friday, August 29, 2025, by 5 p.m.MST. For application eligibility and requirements, click here>
CDBG Design, Engineering, and Environmental Clearance (DEEC) Grant
DOLA's CDBGPF DEEC Grant program offers financial assistance for eligible applicants to complete their design, engineering, and environmental clearance activities for an eligible project. Eligible activities include design, engineering, planning, Examples of projects include sewer and water systems, commercial streetscape improvements, community centers, food banks, shelters, health clinics, non-profit infrastructure, etc.
Applications are due September 1, 2025. Visit the DOLA website for more information here>
Arts in Society Colorado Art Grant
Administered by RedLine, Arts in Society is a grant program that provides both financial and organizational support for cross-sector work through the arts across Colorado. In addition to receiving project funding, Arts in Society grantees benefit from the following resources:
Learning Community Meetings
Evaluation Support
Mini-Documentaries
Marketing and Communications
Letters of Intent are due September 5, 2025at 11:59 PM MST. For more information, click here>
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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