Northwest Colorado Development Council

Stronger Together!

Northwest Colorado Development Council 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 that benefits all people. 

At the NWCDC October Meeting, members discussed advocating for continued federal and state funding for coal transition communities. Uncertainty surrounding federal funding for programs like Assistance to Coal Communities through the U.S. Economic Development  Administration led to a vote to support coalition-building and advocacy for more federal and state resources for coal transition communities. 

Grants Collective Application 

The NWCDC in partnership with the Yampa Valley Community Foundation  (YVCF) is establishing a Grants Collective, a network of professional grant writers who can assist our communities, businesses, and nonprofits with securing more resources. 

Led by the NWCDC Grants Workgroup and YVCF, we are releasing the following application for grant writers interested in joining the Grant Collective.

Please share this link with any grant writers who may be part of the Grant Collective. Email: Emily O'Winter if you have questions.  

Needs Survey for Northwest Colorado Innovation Center

Northwest Colorado Development Council (NWCDC) will establish a 501c3 as the framework for the Northwest Colorado Innovation Center. The Innovation Center will provide one location for wraparound economic development and workforce development services - vital during the coal transition. The Center will be a space where various partners such as NWCDC, Colorado Office of Just Transition, and others can collaborate and coordinate services to help our communities and workers during the coal transition. 

We need your input.  Please take the survey for the Northwest Colorado Innovation Center and tell us what services will help you or your business. Take the Survey>

Northwest Colorado Tells Our Story

Northwest Colorado Development Council continues to tell its story of overcoming challenges in the coal transition at the national and state levels to inform, inspire, and seek funding and support. 

NWCDC Chair and Routt County Commissioner Tim Redmond and Hayden Town Manager Mat Mendisco attended the Just Transition Fund (JTF) Convening in Washington, D.C., from October 10th to 12th. Redmond spoke about Northwest Colorado's challenges and accomplishments as one of the winners of the JTF Coal Community Get Ready Challenge. 

Colorado Municipalities magazine highlighted Northwest Colorado's story in an article entitled "After Coal" in its October issue. The article chronicles Craig, Hayden, Rangely, and Northwest Colorado Development Council's efforts to diversify the local and regional economies for a resilient future.  Read the story> 

Northwest Colorado Lifts Up Start-ups!

Many communities in Northwest Colorado host business plan or pitch competitions as a way to support entrepreneurs and small business owners. The Town of Hayden is hosting its fourth annual Business Pitch Competition at The Hayden Center Auditorium on Saturday, November 16th, 2024 at 1:30 PM. This event offers a chance to pitch a business idea or expansion plan and compete for cash prizes. The first-place winner will receive $10,000, the second-place winner will receive up to $5,000, and the third-place winner will receive up to $3,000. The winning women or minority-owned business will receive an additional $5,000.

New businesses that were launched in 2024 or are in the planning stages, or existing businesses operating since or before 2023 and looking to expand, are eligible to apply. Businesses must be located within the Hayden RE-1 School District boundary.  Apply for the Town of Hayden Business Plan Competition.

The Craig Business Plan competition continues to grow with triple the participation during its second year. The competition is a venture through the City of Craig and Moffat County, in partnership with the Northwest Small Business Development Center, the Craig Economic Development Advisory Committee, and the Moffat County Local Marketing District. The Craig Business Plan Competition supports existing businesses and start-ups with a $15,000 prize for the winner of each category. At the Oct. 22nd Craig City Council meeting, two winners were announced. Read more>

• First place in the start-up category:

Jennifer and Paul Pieroni with Harmonie House, which is a nonprofit 501c3, that is currently undergoing licensing to become a home health care agency and a Program Approved Service Agency (PASA) by the State of Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CHPHE) to provide direct community-based services to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities approved for Medicaid waiver services.

• First place in the existing business category:

Dan and Katie Johnston with Moffat County Customs. Moffat County Customs (MCC) is a car audio shop located in Craig, CO serving the greater Yampa Valley. The company specializes in 12-volt work consisting not only of car audio, subwoofers, and amplifiers but also remote start, security systems, and custom work. The custom 12-volt work that Moffat County Customs provides extends to all vehicles including side-by-sides, campers, off-road vehicles, and even boats.

The Town of Rangely will launch its business plan competition next year, funded by a grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Winners will get cash prizes but every applicant in the competition will receive entrepreneurial training. The Town will partner with Colorado Northwestern Community College and the Northwest SBDC to provide competitors with technical assistance and training.  

Tri-State and YVEA Awarded New Era Grants 

USDA awarded Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association nearly $2.5 billion in financing, made possible by a combination of grants and loans through the New ERA, or Empowering Rural America program. Tri-State’s award is expected to reduce electricity rates by 10 percent for cooperative members by 2034, amassing $430 million in rural consumer benefits over ten years. This investment will reduce climate pollution by nearly 5.8 million tons annually. This transformative investment is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs.

Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA) co-operative received ceremonial notice of an approximately $50 million renewable energy grant. The New ERA funding is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, designated for renewable energy to reduce pollution in rural parts of the United States.  Learn more>

Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative

The Northwest Colorado Energy Initiative (NCEI), in partnership with the Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado (AGNC), has completed its first phase of research into the region’s energy transition preferences with the release of its second survey results. The Survey 2 Report, dated September 30, 2024, marks the culmination of the energy study funded by the Energywerx program. This in-depth analysis was conducted with the support of Dr. Nathan Perry and the Colorado Mesa University team, who helped collect and analyze the data from across
Northwest Colorado. Learn more>

AGNC Releases Business Toolkit

AGNC released a new business toolkit that highlights resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The toolkit includes information on business support,  funding, financial assistance, USDA resources, training and workshops, technical assistance, networking opportunities, succession planning for retiring business owners, workforce and employer services, and more. The AGNC business toolkit can be found here. Learn more>

Rural Jump-Start Grant Program

Rural Jump-Start Program is a Colorado tax incentive and grant program that incentivizes new businesses to start in or move to rural, economically distressed counties and hire new employees. These counties are referred to as Rural Jump-Start zones. Moffat, Routt, and Rio Blanco Counties are in Enhanced Jump-Start Zones which receive double the relief as regular Rural Jump-Start Zones. The grant program with Rural Jump-Start will sunset on June 30, 2025. We encourage entrepreneurs in our region to learn more about Rural Jump-Start. Reach out to Christine for technical assistance.

 Colorado Business Builder

Co-led by Colorado State University and Oregon State University, the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center (NWRM RFBC) works across the western states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The NWRM RFBC Colorado team is offering grants of up to $10,000 to support small to mid-scale Colorado food and farm businesses. $200,000 total is available for this program, and NWRM RFBC expects to make between 20 and 60 awards. Your Colorado-based farm, ranch, or value-added food business may be eligible. The program is for small and mid-scale businesses producing in, sourcing from, and focused on local and regional markets, or serving multiple small and mid-scale food and farm businesses. The grants are to be used to improve business skills, strengthen the viability of your business, expand your access to markets, or strengthen local and regional food and agriculture supply chains. Learn more>

Energy Improvements for Rural and Remote Communities

U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) opened applications for grants between $2 million to $50 million to spur innovative, community-focused, clean energy solutions in communities with 10,000 or fewer people. This funding will help those rural or remote communities demonstrate the viability of commercially available technologies; de-risk clean energy infrastructure investment; demonstrate replicability; and provide insights for future ventures. 

Applicant teams must address at least one of the following: improving overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems; siting or upgrading transmission and distribution lines; reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation in rural or remote areas; providing or modernizing electric generation facilities; developing microgrids; or increasing energy efficiency. 

OCED intends to fund 20-50 projects. Applications are now open and concept plans are due February 27, 2025. For more information and requirements, click here> 

DOLA Microgrids for Community Resilience

The Microgrids for Community Resilience (MCR) grant program is designed to build community resilience against electric grid disruptions through the development of microgrids. A microgrid is defined as a group of interconnected electric loads and distributed energy resources with clearly defined electrical boundaries that can function as a single, controllable entity.

All utilities, local governments, and public/non-profit community anchor institutions serving Colorado communities are eligible to apply for the construction and implementation funding through the MCR Program. All proposed microgrid projects must center around strengthening resilience to community-based anchor institutions and/or essential infrastructure. Round for is now open and will close December 4, 2024. For technical assistance and more information, click here>

Anschutz Faimly Foundation 

The Anschutz Family Foundation supports rural and urban Colorado nonprofit organizations that endeavor to strengthen families and communities and advance individuals to become productive and responsible citizens. Funding for self-sufficiency, community development, and programs aimed at the economically disadvantaged, children and youth, seniors, and people with disabilities is available. The Spring Cycle 2025 applications will open on November 18, 2024, and grant decisions will be made in mid-May 2025. For more information, eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit their website. Learn more>

Downtown Colorado Challenge Program Grants

The Colorado Challenge Accelerator Program is a unique technical assistance program with a seven-year proven track record of transforming community challenges into opportunities.

DCI's Colorado Challenge Accelerator Program will help:

• Transform the community’s challenge into an opportunity
• Establish a project toolkit
• Identify a peer network of downtown champions to support and expand downtown ideals
• Build momentum for a catalyst site in the community

The program aims to help Colorado public, private, and non-profit partners establish a plan for community-wide initiatives to foster sustainable community and economic development. Read more>

El Pomar Foundation

The El Pomar Foundation was established with a mission to enhance, encourage, and promote the current and future well-being of the people of Colorado. The foundation funds organizations and initiatives that demonstrate that they’re making a positive and significant difference in people’s lives and/or solving issues important to their communities. The competitive grant process is El Pomar's most common funding process, but there are also several individual funds with specific focus or geographic areas. 

El Pomar accepts applications on a rolling basis, and Trustees review them 4-6 times a year during Trustee meetings. There are no deadlines for applications, so we encourage you to apply at least 8-10 weeks prior to the Trustee meetings. Upcoming meetings are on December 13th and February 28, 2025. Learn more>

DOLA Energy Mineral Impact Grant Opens Soon 

The Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund Grant (EIAF) program assists political subdivisions that are socially and/or economically impacted by the development, processing, or energy conversion of minerals and mineral fuels. Eligible entities to receive grants and loans include municipalities, counties, school districts, special districts, and other political subdivisions and state agencies. The next EIAF cycle opens on November 1, 2024 and closes on December 2, 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.