Assistance Grants Program (Colorado)

Assistance Grants Program (Colorado) is sponsored by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. This state-funded grant program supports public water systems in Colorado that are interested in committing to excellence but lack the financial resources to do so. Projects must be completed within the calendar year they are awarded.

### **1. Who is eligible for a Colorado Health Foundation grant?

** * Organizations based in Colorado and serving Coloradans * Organizations classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) * Colorado public agencies, including state and local governments * Tax-exempt organizations acting as fiscal sponsors may apply on behalf of, or in collaboration with, an organization that does not have 501(c)(3) status * a30d287d3eac1166a9b9">The fiscal sponsor’s board must approve the project as furthering the sponsor’s charitable mission before applying for a grant from The Colorado Health Foundation.

Please download the Foundation's fiscal sponsor policy and sample memorandum of understanding (MOU). If you have any questions about your organization's eligibility, please contact us at to speak with our grantmaking department All organizations must abide by all applicable local, state and federal anti-discrimination laws in hiring and employment practices and when providing services. ### **2.

Who is NOT eligible for a grant?

** * Scholarships or scholarship funds * Programs that require membership in a certain religion or advance a particular religious faith * Faith-based organizations may be eligible for funding if they welcome and serve all members of the community regardless of religious faith, provided that they do not require participation in activities that are specifically religious * For-profit organizations or programs operated by, or for the benefit of, for-profit organizations (unless otherwise stated within a particular Funding Opportunity) * Endowments, except as part of an initiative designed to help nonprofits achieve financial sustainability * Organizations that willfully discriminate against a particular class of individuals ### **3.

What type of grant support does the Foundation provide? ** Typically, we consider grants for projects, programming and capacity building, but funding criteria vary based on the funding opportunity. On occasion, we also consider requests for capital funding if the proposed efforts have a demonstrable link to our community outcomes.

### **4. Does the Foundation make multiyear grants? ** ### **5.

How long does it take to receive grant funding? ** The review process generally takes 90 days. ### **6.

How does the Foundation decide who receives a grant? ** Each application is assigned to one of our program officers. The designated program officer will work with their team to review the proposal thoroughly and consider, among other things, the applicant's proposed strategy, organizational capacity to achieve the results and coordination with complementary efforts of other organizations.

Priority is given to applications that are aligned with the specific funding opportunity’s criteria and The Colorado Health Foundation’s cornerstones. ### **7. Can I apply for more than one grant at the same time?

** Yes, you can apply for more than one grant if they are for different programming or different priority areas. No grant applications are guaranteed to be funded. ### **8.

Does the Foundation provide grants to agencies outside Colorado? ** Only when the project will provide a significant benefit to Coloradans. ### **9.

What are the grant application deadlines? ** We have three annual deadlines: Feb. 15, June 15 and Oct.

15. When these dates fall on a holiday or weekend, the deadline will be the next business day. ### **10.

How can my organization apply for a grant? ** Grant applications are submitted electronically, using the Google Chrome browser. We recommend that applicants type answers to the proposal questions into a word processing document, then copy and paste the text into the appropriate section of the online application.

This helps speed the process and helps you avoid losing unsaved responses. Complete instructions for online submissions can be found here. You can also download asample application.

If you are unable to complete an online application, please email , Senior Director of Grantmaking Operations, or call for instructions about an alternative submission. ### **11. What financial information do you request in the application?

** We ask that you describe how you will use the requested funding by providing a brief budget narrative. If you are applying for more than one year of funding, we ask that you include the total amount requested for each year. We also ask that you share with us other major sources of funding – financial or nonfinancial – for the program or project.

### **12. What should I do if my organization does not have audited financial statements? ** We request that you provide your most recent fiscal year's unaudited statements, including the profit and loss statement and balance sheet.

### **13. My organization is fiscally sponsored. Whose board, executive leadership and staff should I provide information for?

** Please provide information for the applicant organization. In this case, information should reflect the fiscal sponsor. ### **14.

If I am using a fiscal sponsor, what additional materials do I need to provide? ** * Fiscal sponsor's financials (most recent full 12 months, audited if available within that timeframe) * Fiscal sponsor agreement (please refer to the Foundation's fiscal sponsor policy and sample MOU) ### **15. I submitted my application, but there's a mistake in it.

Can I submit another one? ** If you discover a mistake in your application or have any technical difficulties, please call our Grantmaking Operations team at . ### **16.

I've submitted my application. What should I expect now? ** Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an email confirming receipt.

Please note that the decision-making process may take up to 90 days. Once a decision has been made, you will be notified promptly. ### **17.

Is my organization's information kept private when I apply online? ** The Foundation takes your privacy seriously. We do not rent, sell or share information about you or your grant application.

### **18. How can I find out why my funding request was declined so that I can be more successful the next time? ** You can contact your program officer about the details of your application and the review process.

### **19. Why does the Foundation collect demographic data? ** As The Colorado Health Foundation continues to center equity in all we do, we recognize a need to be clear and transparent with applicants and grantees about what we expect of them and what they can expect from us when it comes to deepening the Foundation’s equity orientation and practices for our operational and programmatic work.

As we work to advance health and health equity across Colorado, we are committed to doing the hard and necessary work of intentionally charting our path forward on our own organizational justice, equity, diversity and inclusion learning journey and practice.

As such, we seek to engage with organizations who are at different points in their own learning journeys, including those who are miles ahead of us and those who are just starting this critically important work. As part of this commitment to learning and evolving, the Foundation strives to understand how we and those we work with are advancing equity within our own institutions and the communities we exist to serve.

Demographic data requested includes identification related to race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and disability. There is also an option to share additional demographic data that does not fall within the above-mentioned categories. The information collected will serve as one data point, among many, in our effort to understand how those with whom we engage are approaching the work of advancing equity.

Applicants have the option to enter data in “do not track” or “prefer not to say” options as well as to provide feedback on these questions overall.