Northwest Colorado Development Council, NWCDC, is a intergovernmental agreement between Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties and their seven communities to collaborate on regional economic development, economic diversification and community development to transition away from a coal-based economy.
At its NWCDC June 20th meeting, voting members provided community support for two Office of Just Transition (OJT) applications from Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District (RBWCD) and the Yampa Valley Regional Airport (YVRA). RBWCD will be applying to OJT and Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) to support Wolf Creek Reservoir and outreach to agricultural producers, visitors and small business owners to measure the impact of the reservoir on agriculture and outdoor tourism in Rio Blanco County.
YVRA will be applying to OJT and OEDIT to fund engineering for the development of an Aviation Business Park which will attract aviation-related companies that create new jobs. YVRA will also partner with Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) to establish a satellite training site at the Aviation Business Park to retrain transitioning energy workers and create internships for CNCC's Aviation Maintenance Technology students.
Also at NWCDC's June meeting, members approved partnering with Yampa Valley Community Foundation to create more capacity for grant-writing and management in Northwest Colorado. NWCDC Grant Manager Emily O'Winter will support the creation of a Grant Collaborative, a network of vetted grant-writing professionals available to local municipalities, counties, non-profits, and businesses. The Grants Collective will be housed under the Yampa Valley Community Foundation.
New Economic Development Website Launched
NorthwestColorado.org Showcases Our Region!
NWCDC launched its new regional economic development website on May 31st to showcase Northwest Colorado and its assets and opportunities for business attraction and to support the growth of new and existing small businesses. The site also highlights the quality of life and outdoor activities to attract visitors and workforce to Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties and their seven communities. The new website was funded by a RTAP grant from Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).
NorthwestColorado.org will be an information clearinghouse for prospective companies, site selectors, existing employers, entrepreneurs and transitioning workers to understand the opportunities, resources, and incentives available. Check out some of web pages that provide a glimpse of all that Northwest Colorado has to offer:
June 27, 2024 - Tri-State Generation & Transmission submitted a community assistance plan to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC). If approved, the plan will provide up to $70 million in financial and other support between 2026 and 2038 for economic transition in the City of Craig and Moffat County.
The community assistance plan was negotiated between Tri-State and elected officials in Craig and Moffat County, and it is part of a larger settlement agreement among multiple parties concerning Tri-State’s resource planning and acquisition for the next several years as they transition away from coal powered energy generation.
“It would be hard to overstate how truly groundbreaking this agreement is,” said Moffat County Commissioner Melody Villard. “We will now have reliable long-term resources to drive our own transition and determine the trajectory of our economy after coal.”
“Tri-State has made a major commitment to our future, and we greatly appreciate that,” added Craig Mayor Chris Nichols. “They stepped up to the plate when we needed them and we are satisfied with the outcome.”
Using an OJT grant to hire attorneys for representation in the PUC process, the city and county worked with Tri-State to develop a community assistance package that includes funding for an economic development fund and a property tax “backstop” with offsets for new or repurposed energy generation resources and other items. The agreement may serve as a model for other transition communities in Colorado and around the country. Read more>
AGNC Releases 1st NCEI Energy-Related Survey
The Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC) released the Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative Survey at the JOLT (Joint Organizations Leading Transition) Energy Summit on June 27, 2024 in Montrose, Colorado.
Key Findings:
Northwest Colorado’s impression of the efficiency of each source of electricity rated nuclear the highest, followed by gas and coal. The Northwest Colorado scores were significantly lower than the nation for solar, wind, and hydrogen.
60.82% of Northwest Colorado respondents strongly favor the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity for the nation, while 58.78% strongly favor this for Northwest Colorado. When adding strongly favor and somewhat favor together, Northwest Colorado had 88.58% that favored nuclear energy in the U.S., with 76.8% of national respondents in favor. The combined strongly favor and somewhat favor for Northwest Colorado is 84.49%.
As Northwest Colorado considers options for replacing coal-fired electricity-generating power plants, this survey was launched to hear the views of stakeholders on one of the options, nuclear energy, as it compares to the other options being considered. Learn more>
Startup Colorado Helps Rural Entrepreneurs
Accelerate Your Business
There's still time to apply to two entrepreneurial events hosted by Startup Colorado.
The Startup Colorado Pitch Competition has partnered with 14 Founders and the Greater Colorado Venture Fund to offer $280,000 in investments to two or more rural founders. The Pitch Competition is open to all founders headquartered in Rural Colorado. To prepare for the final event, participants will receive private pitch coaching, ensuring they can effectively showcase their solutions in front of a live audience at West Slope Startup Week on August 21st. The application deadline has been extended to July 7th.Apply now!
Startup Colorado's Founder "Coopetition" helps rural entrepreneurs launch and scale their business by combining cooperative learning with a friendly competition.
The Founder Coopetition serves early-stage founders with a 4-week Idea Factory to help transform your Big Idea into a clear strategy through peer-to-peer support and access to a like-minded community of rural entrepreneurs. The program concludes with a pitch competition and awards. 1st place $3,000 – 2nd place $2,000 – 3rd place $1,000. The application deadline is July 8th. Apply now!
Rural Community Development Initiative Grants
The USDA Rural Community Development Initiative Grants help non-profit housing and community development organizations, low-income rural communities and federally recognized tribes to improve housing, community facilities, and economic development projects in rural areas. Electronic application deadline: July 10, 2024;
Paper application deadline: July 15, 2024 Learn more>
$1.2M in GOCO Grants Available
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and the Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) announce a new 2025 Conservation Service Corps grant cycle with up to $1.2 million to fund outdoor recreation, stewardship, and restoration projects completed by conservation service corps members. The goal of these funds is to employ youth and young adults (ages 14-25) throughout the state on critical outdoor recreation and natural resource stewardship projects using the network of conservation service corps accredited by CYCA. Deadline is Wednesday, August 14th at 4:00 PM. Learn More>
Affordable Housing Loans for Rural Communities
Housing Assistance Council (HAC) offers short-term loans at below market interest rates to local nonprofits, for-profits and government entities that are working to develop affordable housing for low-income, rural communities. Learn More>
WaterSMART Grants for Fiscal Year 2024
The Water and Energy Efficiency Grants of up to $5,000,000 will provide funding for projects that result in quantifiable water savings, implement renewable energy components, and support broader sustainability benefits. Eligible applicants include states, tribal entities, non-profits, and local entities and authorities. The deadline has been extended to October 30, 2024. Learn more>
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. 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.
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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