Certifiably Green Denver Mini Grants is sponsored by City and County of Denver. This program offers funding to small businesses and nonprofits in Denver to help them achieve sustainability goals and improve operations, prioritizing projects that reduce energy costs, invest in renewable energy, or promote alternative transportation.

Certifiably Green Denver Mini Grants - City and County of Denver opens in new tab or window Certifiably Green Denver Mini Grants These links change page section content below Testimonials from Previous Funding Recipients Frequently Asked Questions Denver is offering up to $10,000 in upfront funding to small businesses and nonprofits. This funding aims to help businesses meet their sustainability goals and improve operations.

We are prioritizing projects that help small businesses: Reduce energy and operational costs Invest in renewable energy technologies Promote alternative transportation for customers and staff Support staff in learning sustainability best practices Adapt to climate change impacts such as extreme-heat days Limited funding for projects that reduce waste and single-use materials in business operations is also available.

The application for 2026 funding is open! We will accept applications on a rolling basis and will close when all funding is exhausted. To apply for this funding opportunity, your business must: Meet the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) size standards .

Have an active TIN or EIN and be registered with the State of Colorado. Have a Certificate of Good Standing with the Colorado Secretary of State. Have a physical brick-and-mortar location in the City and County of Denver.

Home-based businesses are not eligible for funding under this program. Food trucks are not eligible for funding under this program. Be ready to make purchases and complete the project by the end of the calendar year 2026.

Preference will be given to businesses located in Denver Neighborhood Equity and Stabilization (NEST) neighborhoods.

Your application will require you to share or upload: Contact Information (name, email, phone number) Business Information (legal business name, physical address of your business, phone number) A copy of last year's W9 (the address on the W9 must match the address filed with the Colorado Secretary of State) A copy of your Certificate of Good Standing with the Colorado Secretary of State A description of your project and how it will help your business become more sustainable and how this will reduce environmental impacts A detailed, itemized breakdown of each purchase request with links to the products you want to buy or quotes that show the price Once you have gathered these materials, fill out the online application in the Submittable Portal .

If you are selected for a mini-grant, we will send you a message stating this in the Submittable Portal. After that, you will begin working with our program partner, APTIM. You will receive an email from APTIM with instructions on how to create an account to review and approve these documents in their online portal.

Approval of Scope of Work (SOW), Budget, and Invoice: Your APTIM Project Manager will prepare an SOW and budget that shows an itemized list of expected expenses. You will review this and approve it if correct. The invoice is NOT the receipt from the actual purchase(s), but a document that shows how much money APTIM will be distributing to you to cover project costs.

Terms and Conditions (T&Cs): Once you approve your SOW, budget, and invoice, APTIM will send you a T&Cs document for signature. This document will serve as the official agreement for your project which essentially says you will use the awarded funds for their intended purpose(s). See a sample Terms and Conditions.

Please note that this is just a sample, and the city maintains the right to make changes as we see fit. Invoice and Payment Processing: After the T&Cs are signed, APTIM will process your invoice for payment. After APTIM has processed your invoice, you will be notified via email to elect a payment method.

The default method to deliver funds will be in the form of a check sent through the mail. Once you’ve completed your purchases as outlined in your SOW, you will upload your project receipts into the APTIM portal for approval. The APTIM team will be readily available to help you with payment processing.

Project Extension Requests: If you need additional time to complete your project, you can request a date extension directly through the APTIM portal. Testimonials from Previous Funding Recipients A New Cooler for Denver Cat Company (2023 Recipient) Denver Cat Company is one of the nation’s oldest cat cafés and has become an iconic Denver institution over the last decade.

The facility features adoptable cats sourced from their non-profit arm, Denver Cat Rescue. By saving cats from high kill shelters in underfunded states, Denver Cat Company has given over 3,000 cats a forever home in animal-loving Denver. You can visit the facility to meet and interact with the rescue cats, all which are available for adoption.

Denver Cat Company used the funding to purchase an ENERGY STAR commercial refrigerator to replace their old, malfunctioning cooler. "My friend owns [another local building] and they got an upgrade for their appliances and she told me about the program. I looked it up, and we've had this old cooler for 6-7 years and it started making a funny noise, but it wasn't broken yet so it didn't feel right to just trash it.

But then I heard about this program and I was able to apply and get an upgraded cooler for energy efficiency plus just a general upgrade for our business. And I was able to donate the old cooler to another local business." - Leila Qari, Owner Locally Designed Reusable Mugs at Blue Sparrow Coffee (2023 recipient) Blue Sparrow Coffee has fully turned its attention to sustainability over the past two years.

In fact, sustainability is quickly becoming their number one priority as they continue to grow.

For example, they: Compost 100% of their coffee grounds Completed their second year of quarterly sustainability trainings with baristas Published their second Sustainability Report Partnered with a local designer to create couture out of our trash Their equity funding project worked to reduce their use of single-use disposable coffee cups, increase waste diversion and implement behavior change in their customers.

Blue Sparrow will distribute reusable coffee mugs to their customers that include the City and County of Denver logo. Customers will then be able to bring back their reusable mugs for a handful of free coffees. "With $10,000 worth of funding from the Office of Climate Action Sustainability and Resiliency’s Certifiably Green Denver program, 480 locally designed reusable coffee mugs will go out our doors into Denver neighborhoods...

[This project] has benefited our overall sustainability story, adding to our portfolio of projects aimed at reducing negative impacts to our environment while supporting our community.

” – Sara Van Hatten New Appliances for The Organic Salon Denver (2023 recipient) The Organic Salon only offers professional salon services using products that are committed to reducing the negative health and environmental impacts associated with traditional salon products. They choose products that integrate as many natural and organic ingredients as possible.

They also seek partnerships with companies that are committed to environmental sustainability. The Organic Salon purchased an ENERGY STAR washer and ENERGY STAR heat pump dryer to improve energy and water efficiency, while reducing associated utility costs. ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers use about 20% less energy and about 30% less water than regular washers.

Over the lifetime of the product, clothes washer models that have earned the ENERGY STAR can save about $550 in energy costs. ENERGY STAR heat pump dryers use almost 30% less energy than a conventional clothes dryers. A full-size electric certified dryer saves approximately $210 in energy bills over the life of the product.

“Our new washer and dryer decreases our energy ad water consumption while saving our staff time and headaches on our never ending laundry duties! I felt like the application was easy to understand and navigate. The information requested was not overwhelming and the administrators were super helpful along the way!

” – Alyssa Housh, owner Making it Easier to Get Around at EarthLinks (2023 recipient) EarthLinks is a social-enterprise nonprofit located in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Denver. For the last 25 years, they have worked to create Earth-centered programming for people experiencing homelessness and economic poverty.

EarthLinks program participants are given a safe, peaceful space to foster empowerment, resilience, and collectivity while also sustaining the planet. By creating opportunities through Earth-centered programs, individuals step out of isolation and into community – restoring each other and the planet.

CGD Equity Funding allowed EarthLinks to: Install an ENERGY STAR ice machine Install WaterSense sink faucets Purchase RTD passes for their participants. “As a nonprofit working with individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, transportation is a critical resource for Participants in our programs.

Access to bus and rail services provide a life-line for Participants who need to access services, health care, purchase food, and get to shelter. – Kathleen Cronan Increasing Capacity at Denver Tool Library (2023 recipient) The Denver Tool Library provides affordable access to tools, skills, and work space for home improvement, artistic expression, and community building projects.

Join us to save money, reduce waste, and build community. It provides the Denver metro area with low-cost access to tools and the know-how to use them, all in a safe and supportive environment. They remove barriers to tool access, including high cost, space, knowledge, inhibition, and discrimination, so that everyone can have the resources they need to make and maintain the lives they imagine.

Their equity funding project was to upgrade shelving and storage solutions for the Denver Tool Library’s inventory of tools. Currently the shop is home to over 5,000 power and hand tools that they lend out to the community. Their member base and the demand for tools is rapidly growing, but with our current shelving situation, they are not able to fit any more tools in the space.

A system of well-planned and efficient shelving with different sized tool storage bins allows them to almost double the current inventory of tools for community use. "With new shelving and storage units we will be able to lend out twice the amount of tools, serve twice the amount of Denver residents, and thus double our sustainable impact in the near future!" - Denver Tool Library New Windows at the Walter S.

Jackson Community Alcohol, Drug, Rehabilitation, and Education Center (CADREC, 2023 recipient) CADREC works to serve and empower individuals and families through education and counseling to modify violent and addictive behavior. Nearly 40 years ago, Walter S. Jackson had a dream of a community-based program that would offer addiction treatment services for the Five Points community.

More importantly, Walter Jackson didn’t just dream, he went to work. He organized the community. He gained support from a wide range of social investors to finance the services.

He recruited a strong personnel staff that understood the challenges of addiction in a personal and professional way. Their equity funding project worked to replace their old, inefficient windows with ENERGY STAR rated windows to reduce energy consumption. According to the US Department of Energy, “Energy efficient windows are an important consideration for both new and existing homes.

Heat gain and heat loss through windows are responsible for 25%–30% of residential heating and cooling energy use. ” “The install of the windows was completed in November 2023. We are very excited...

The windows have already had a huge impact on the internal environment in terms of air quality and even temperature. We aren't adjusting our thermostat as often! – Yvonne Martin Getting Charged Up at Backyard on Blake (2022 recipient) Backyard on Blake is a property that many local businesses occupy, including shops, art studios, and a co-working space.

This program funded the installation costs of an electric vehicle charging station. “This improvement will minimize the negative environmental impacts associated with driving fossil fuel-burning vehicles.

More efficient, level II, chargers incentivize the purchase and use of electric vehicles at our workplace and thus reduce our carbon footprint in getting to and from work locations, as well as that of patrons who use our charging infrastructure. ” Reducing Energy Use at Green Spaces (2022 recipient) Green Spaces provides low-cost space for communities to collaborate.

This program funded many projects, including: Heat pump, reducing emissions by up to 40%. Smart thermostats to yield 8-10% more efficient energy schedules. Occupancy sensors to reduce the company’s energy demand.

Touchless sink faucets to reduce energy and water usage. “Our main goal for our project is to set a new standard for buildings in Denver. Sustainability goes far beyond maintaining Earth’s resources.

Our mixed-use, collaborative workspace model, places the creation of community ecosystems and the retention of local talent at the forefront of our essence. ” Clean Dishes and Lower Bills at Lucy's Ethiopian Restaurant (2022 recipient) Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant offers authentic Ethiopian food to our Denver community. The funding helped them buy an energy and water-efficient dishwasher.

This helped the restaurant switch from disposables to reusables for on-site dining. “That will enable me to positively contribute towards minimizing trash and pollution to the environment. ” A Brighter Future at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver, 2022 recipient) MCA Denver is a museum showcasing the advancing contemporary art field.

This program funded replacing fluorescent lamp systems with LED lighting on an entire facility floor. “Upgrading the lighting system to LED will not only provide a better (and safer) experience for our visitors and light-sensitive artworks, but will also use considerably less energy.

” Keeping Worms Fed at Princess Gardens (2022 recipient) Princess Gardens is a vermicomposting center that helps the community learn ways to divert waste through composting and education. This program funded an expansion of their setup and bought an energy-efficient freezer.

“Our unique method of composting gives us an opportunity to divert waste quickly but there are times when we get more kitchen scraps than our current setup can handle. This will keep hundreds, even thousands of organic material out of landfills each year. ” Frequently Asked Questions What types of projects can I do with this funding?

We fund many types of projects through this program! Explore this list of ideas to help you generate ideas.

Install of Electric ENERGY STAR appliances This designation is a requirement for appliance purchases Learn how to find ENERGY STAR appliances Install a shading system to reduce heat in summertime Install WaterSense appliances Replace grassy areas with xeriscaping Install smart irrigation systems Install one or more water bottle filling stations Replace bathrooms with low flow toilets Purchase reusable to-go containers or consumer goods packaging Purchase an ENERGY STAR dishwasher to replace your 3-bin sink or to support reusables for on-site dining Complete an upcycling project Complete a food waste prevention project Sustainable Transportation: A fleet of bikes or electric-bikes for staff/deliveries Projects that require permitting but have not yet received them Blanket awards for businesses with a business model supportive of zero waste or another sustainability related mission Projects with ongoing costs such as a subscription or service-related expense(s) Do I need to be a Certifiably Green Denver business to apply?

No, you do not need to be certified by the Certifiably Green Denver program to be eligible. However, businesses that are certified or actively pursuing a certification tend to receive higher scores during the evaluation process, as their sustainability commitment aligns with the program’s goals. What if I need assistance in a language other than English?

If you need non-English language interpretation services, please get in touch with CertifiablyGreenDenver@denvergov. org for assistance. Can I apply this year if I applied last year?

Yes, you can apply in 2026, even if you applied in previous years. If you received a mini-grant in a previous year, you may apply for funding for a new project this year. Please note we will prioritize first-time applicants.

What scoring criteria will be used to review applications? Scoring criteria focuses on if the request: Is in pursuit of sustainability goals outlined in the Certifiably Green Denver certification criteria Demonstrates a reduction in environmental impacts Will have long-term benefits Is a project based in a NEST neighborhood What do I need for the Certificate of Insurance (COI)?

For Worker's Compensation Insurance, Grantee shall maintain the coverage as required by statute and shall maintain Employer's Liability insurance with limits of $100,000 for each bodily injury occurrence claim, $100,000 for each bodily injury caused by disease claim, and $500,000 aggregate for all bodily injuries caused by disease claims.

Grantee shall maintain Commercial General Liability coverage with limits of $1,000,000 for each occurrence. Learn more about the insurance requirements (PDF, 76KB) View sample of a Certificate of Insurance (PDF, 290KB) View sample of a Worker's Comp Waiver (PDF, 117KB) View Department of Labor's Worker's Comp Questions Pamphlet (PDF, 855KB) Have questions or want to learn more? We're here to help.