In this time of historic Federal funding through programs such as the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), there is a lot of opportunity for local communities to make investments in their infrastructure that will last for generations to come and help set us up to be resilient to potential impacts of the future. However, drawing down this funding takes a lot of effort, such as technical expertise, administrative capacity, grant compliance and more. This can be a challenge for smaller communities with less access to resources.
Did You Know?
There are resources available at the State to support local communities in capacity for accessing and managing Federal grant funds, particularly those made available by IIJA and the Inflation Reduction Act:
- The Local Match Program: Also known as LOMA, this program has funding available to support local communities in meeting match requirements for grant funds.
- Grant Writing & Technical Assistance Program: This program provides support for priority projects in the form of grant writing and technical assistance for project planning (such as site assessments, permitting, cost estimating, design assistance, stakeholder engagement, etc.) for IIJA and IRA funding opportunities at no cost to the awarded entity.
- Regional Grant Navigators: Regional Grant navigators are in place to support local communities in identifying opportunities that are best suited for their needs. They are available to support grant navigation, writing and review, technical support, resource sharing, regional collaboration, and more.
Dive Deeper
The topic for February’s Pathways to Recovery & Resiliency Webinar is “Federal Grant Compliance and Monitoring.” This features speakers from Colorado’s Department of Personnel and Administration as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency who will provide best practices and resources local governments should be aware of when it comes to remaining compliant when managing Federal funds. If you are a local community applying for Federal grants for the first time, we highly encourage you to join us!
Learn More about Resilience in Colorado
To learn more about how state agencies are working together to strengthen resiliency across Colorado, and how the Colorado Resiliency Office is facilitating strategic action, please visit the Colorado Resiliency Office's website.