The following State Capacity Building Resources are available to help local governments and related organizations with project planning, and funding navigation and application. Table of Contents:
Capacity Building Support
Best & the Brightest Internship and Fellowship Program
University Technical Assistance Program (UTAP)
Other Grad Student Capstones / Support
AmeriCorps and other Nonprofit Support
Capacity Building Support
The Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery, in partnership with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), is undertaking a robust effort to aid local governments in drawing down up to $7 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS and Science Act funding. Our efforts include direct engagement with local governments, and their representative organizations, in addition to funding a program for Councils of Governments (COGs) to hire staff who will research and apply for grants. Finally, at the direction of Governor Polis, we are implementing a local outreach program that will provide grant-writing assistance and a robust outreach campaign to ensure that every community in Colorado knows about funding opportunities and has the help they need to apply for them.
Regional Grants Navigators in Partnership with the Councils of Government
Funded by the Governor's Office of Economic Recovery, the Regional Grants Navigators (RGN) are hired or contracted by each of the Regional Councils of Governments (COGs), or a similarly structured regional entity supporting recovery efforts. This position is responsible for supporting all communities within the applicable region by identifying projects that could be funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding opportunities. This position will prioritize efforts in rural and underserved areas within their region through outreach efforts and technical assistance. The Regional Grants Navigators will work closely with the Local Government Strategic Coordination Recovery Officer, Director of IIJA and IRA Strategic Coordination State Recovery Office, other Regional Grants Navigators, DOLA Regional Managers, and DOLA Recovery staff to identify applicable federal funding opportunities and help pair them with local projects. To learn more about the program, please contact Alyssa Dinberg or contact your Regional Grant Navigator.
State Grant Writing and Technical Assistance Support
Colorado’s IIJA Cash Fund allows some of the funds to be used for grant writing support and project planning technical assistance in order to assist state agencies, local governments, and the two federally recognized Tribes located in Colorado in obtaining IIJA and IRA funds. The State of Colorado has hired consultants to be on-call for grant writing and technical assistance for project planning (e.g., site assessments, permitting, cost estimating, design assistance, stakeholder engagement). The consultants will be deployed for priority projects by the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery at no cost to the awarded entity. To apply for technical assistance, please email Alyssa Dinberg, Recovery Officer.
DOLA Regional Managers
DOLA’s Division of Local Government employs Regional Managers and Regional Assistants to assist local government leaders with management training, planning, community development and technical assistance, best governance practices, board training, visioning and goal setting, and more.
Additional Funding Navigation and Resources
- Local Community Funding Guide: This searchable guide is updated regularly and is a comprehensive and funding resource for local governments and community-based organizations. Funding opportunities include those offered by State programs, as well as ARPA, IIJA, and IRA programs eligible for local governments. There are a variety of filters including eligibility, category of funding, and agency to help narrow down your search.
- Helpful Tips for IIJA Funding: This flowchart helps local governments identify the best program to pursue for local projects and interests.
- Bi-Weekly Newsletter: This newsletter provides updated information on funding programs and availability. Information also includes opportunities and additional support for local communities as it is available. Email Merry Gebretsadik to sign up.
- Local Government Resources Calls: This is a monthly call hosted by DOLA’s Division of Local Government. Receive important updates from the State regarding recovery and funding navigation. A standing item on these calls is the Pathways to Recovery & Resiliency Funding Webinar Series where subject matter experts and program managers provide needed information about funding opportunities. Interested participants are encouraged to register, even if they are unable to attend, to receive the call recording, presentation, and notes afterwards. Upon registering, participants will be able to automatically add these recurring meetings to their calendars.
Register for the webinar | Watch past webinars
Upcoming webinars include:- IIJA Broadband: July 17, 2024
- Capacity Building Resources for Small Communities: August 21, 2024
- Housing, Transit Oriented Development, and Smart Growth: September 18, 2024
- Grant Implementation and Monitoring: October 16, 2024
- Land, Water, and Wildlife Funding: November 20, 2024
- Monthly IIJA/IRA Office Hours: These are available to local governments to ask questions, discuss challenges, share information, and receive updates related to IIJA/IRA.
- ARPA Treasury Portal Office Hours: The Office of the State Controller, in partnership with the Governor’s Recovery Office and DOLA will be hosting several office hours intended to support communities that are struggling with the Treasury portal. Come learn how to navigate the portal to submit quarterly reports, ask questions and troubleshoot issues. Dates for these sessions will be announced soon but please contact Tamra Norton if you are interested in participating.
- IIJA Colorado Fact Sheet: This resource provides an overview of where Colorado communities are drawing down funds, as well as links to specific program information.
IIJA Local Match (LOMA) Program
The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery have created the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Local Match Grant Program (LOMA) to be used for local governments, Tribes and special districts to support a non-federal match requirement when applying directly to the federal government for an IIJA Program. In total, $10M has been allocated to this program. To get started with the LOMA program, please contact your Regional Manager, then email Snow Staples, DOLA Federal Funding Coordinator. See the Local Match Grant Program (LOMA) frequently asked questions for more information.
Colorado Broadband Office Local Government Capacity Support
On April 27, 2023, Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 23-183, removing a major barrier to connecting all Colorado households and businesses to high-speed internet.
SB-183 eliminates the requirement that local governments must obtain voter approval to provide broadband services. That rule was mandated by Senate Bill 05-152, which passed in 2005, and restricted local governments from entering into public/private partnerships to build broadband infrastructure unless they obtained voter approval to opt out through lengthy and expensive elections.
In response to the community needs survey, the CBO opened a Technical Assistance Program, which offered municipalities, counties, school districts, special districts, council of governments, economic development districts, and other political subdivisions and state agencies within the State of Colorado consulting services to prepare, plan, apply for and administer federal grants. Round 2 of CBO Technical Assistance is now open until funds are exhausted.
In total, 11 communities are receiving close to $200,000 for services such as developing a broadband feasibility study or project planning and readiness, to pursue upcoming grant opportunities.
To continue to receive updates from the CBO, please sign up for the monthly newsletter.
Contact: Kendall Cramer
Just Transition Grant Writing Assistance
Exclusively for coal transition communities (that is, communities that are likely to face serious economic disruption due to the closure of coal-fired power plants or coal mines), the Colorado Office of Just Transition (OJT) has been piloting a program that augments the grant research assistance to Councils of Government mentioned above by providing additional support and capacity for grant writing, compliance, and management. The intention is to maximize these communities’ access to Federal grant opportunities and to ensure the lack of staff capacity is not a barrier to taking advantage of those opportunities. Due to positive feedback, OJT plans to expand the number of grant writers available to serve more coal transition communities in 2024.
Contact: Cassie Mason
Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Technical Assistance
Federal Technical Assistance Grants will enable eligible entities to work with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) contractors or to hire contractors to expand their capacity and expertise, in pursuit of federal funding opportunities that directly support the Colorado Water Plan objectives.
The allowable uses of this grant funding are broad in scope, to allow for the wide range of federal opportunities available.
Funding can be used for: preliminary project planning and design, preliminary permitting, development of estimated project costs, navigation of available federal opportunities, grant writing, and federal grant application submission.
Eligible applicants include local governments, special districts, state agencies, non-profits, mutual ditch companies, and others. A minimum of 25% matching funds is required.
Currently, $5M is available from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). These funds are subject to all federal management requirements and must be contracted prior to Dec 30, 2024 and spent before Dec 30, 2026.
For program questions, please contact Michael Regan.
Best and the Brightest Management Internship & Fellowship Program
The Best and the Brightest program will work with local governments, students and educators in various ways:
- Paid summer or semester internships for high school seniors
- Paid summer or semester internships for undergraduate students
- Two-year paid fellowship for MPA & MPPA students studying at the CU Denver’s Center for New Directions (Political Science), CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs, Adams State University, or College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University
Timeline: High school and undergraduate internships are available on an on-going basis. The application process for Graduate Fellows begins on January 1 and will be placed on July 1.
Contact: Local governments should work with your local DOLA Regional Manager. Randi Snead (the DOLA South Central Regional Manager) can also liaise.
University Technical Assistance Program (UTAP)
CU Denver Contact: Jody Beck, CU Denver College of Architecture & Planning, DOLA Contact: Chris La May
UTAP provides a technical assistance and expertise program run through the CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning & funded by DOLA. Projects received through community referrals and work with DOLA regional managers.
Currently, the UTAP program mostly generates architecture and landscape architecture work, but DOLA is looking to add opportunities for coordination and partnership with other colleges/universities (CSU, CU campuses, etc.)
Match: Communities usually pay half of the cost - ~$3,000 - $3,500. The rest of services and work product(s) are provided through DOLA funded program.
The team working on the project usually includes: CU Denver student staff; a field supervisor to oversee and additional provide technical expertise; the DOLA Regional Manager; Community Collaborators (local officials, community members, NPOs, etc.). As projects come in, UTAP will seek out skills to supervise – this can take some time for novel projects, but as more project types are established, becomes easier.
Services Offered include: Pre-design, physical planning, small-scale analysis (Note: trying not to generate work that undercuts private industry or generates direct competition issues with other private entities). This may include physical planning and design work (e.g., parks, trails, and landscape design and planning, community buildings and facilities, technical assistance, and downtown and corridor design and planning. Additionally, UTAP can provide some housing analyses and studies, childcare needs assessments, utility-scale solar design, and predesign landscape and architecture work (site analyses, programming, construction cost analyses, value engineering, existing conditions reports, etc.).
Other Grad Student Support / Capstone
- CU Denver Masters of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) Graduate Student Capstone (no cost)
- CU Boulder Masters of Environment (MENV) Graduate Student Capstone (9 month project; stipend encouraged)
- DU Environmental Policy Management Capstones
- CU Denver Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) Capstones
AmeriCorps & Nonprofit Support
Serve Colorado (AmeriCorps State & National, NCCC, and VISTA; CivicSpark)
Contact: Danny Fisher, Governor’s Office - Serve Colorado
Serve Colorado empowers community-based organizations to meet locally identified needs and statewide challenges through service and volunteerism. Working across all 64 counties, the team engages individuals to determine priorities and connect Coloradans through service and volunteerism. Serve Colorado is housed in the Office of the Lt. Governor and is advised by the Governor’s Commission on Community Service.
Colorado Resource Center (CRC) GrantCorps
Contact: Katy Pepinsky
GrantCorps, a new statewide program designed to support small, rural, and systemically marginalized communities, as well as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color)-led organizations so they can more equitably access private and government grant funding. If you're interested in learning more, attending an info session, or applying to be a GrantCorps AmeriCorps VISTA, you can find more information via the Colorado Grants Guide or the GrantCorps website. Local governments can refer organizations to the program via the interest form on the website.
Lyra Colorado - Capacity Building Support
Contact: Elizabeth Harbaugh
Lyra Colorado supports local collaboratives of school districts, higher ed, and employers to imagine and launch innovative, climate education efforts in rural Colorado. The Climatarium model aims to support these efforts and magnify their impact through convening and philanthropic support. Climatarium works with rural communities to build comprehensive pathways for rural K-12 students to learn about, support, and lead critical environmental, policy, and economic changes in Colorado. Climatarium seeks to identify existing and, if necessary find new, resources to support the development of locally and regionally-focused college and career pathways for students that address three key areas: academic, career, and student leadership. To advance this work, Lyra serves as a convener and facilitator by making strategic connections, developing cross-sector partnerships, and connecting communities to philanthropic resources.
Ultimately, the Climatarium initiative aims to grow the leadership force needed to ensure Colorado is environmentally and economically resilient. Lyra believes this growth will happen by supporting the ingenuity of local coalitions — collaboration among industry, K-12, and higher education — to provide new pathways for young people in their communities. Lyra is interested in both continuing to expand our reach and serve as a thought partner for communities interested in pathway development, collaborative approaches, and environmental resilience.