Colorado organizations increasing equity and access in the outdoors can now apply for up to $100,000 in funding
Tom Skulski/Steamboat Pilot & Today
In its fourth year, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife grant program is infusing funding into programs and organizations that are growing equity and accessibility in the outdoor industry.
Colorado’s Outdoor Equity Grant program was created by the legislature in 2021 as a way to open more doors for communities that have traditionally been excluded from conservation careers and the outdoors, reaching youth who are racially and ethnically diverse, low income, disabled, LGBTQ+ or American Indian.
The grant program will offer up to $100,000 per project to organizations that are meeting this goal. Interested organizations have until June 2 to submit a grant interest form. By Aug. 5, the state will select certain organizations to submit applications by Sept. 30. Award recipients will be announced in mid-December.
Since the program’s inception, the state has invested over $8.5 million in 141 awards to 111 organizations, representing 51 Colorado counties. The funding has supported programming to support adaptive skiing opportunities, expand recreation to youth who are visually impaired, open up professional development opportunities for kids in the outdoors and conservation industries, and more.
Last year, Parks and Wildlife awarded over $3 million in outdoor equity grants to 36 organizations across the state. Around half of the recipients were based on the Western Slope.
This included a $100,000 grant to Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Steamboat Springs to help it expand its science school programming to sixth-grade students in the Moffat County School District.
Each year, interest in the program continues to rise. In 2024, the grant board received more than 260 requests totaling over $21 million, according to Parks and Wildlife. The state has been looking for ways to meet this increase in demand.
This year, both the 2025 budget proposal and an introduced bill seek to bring in more dollars to the program. The draft budget proposes increasing funding for grant awards by $1 million. A bill proposal would also increase the proportion of funds from the Colorado Lottery that the program receives.
To learn more about the grant program and how to apply, visit the Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Program page on Parks and Wildlife’s website.
Eligible Applicants:
- Non-profit organizations
- For-profit organizations
- School districts
- Local governments
- Federally-recognized tribes
Program or project focus should aim to increase access to the outdoors and decrease barriers for Colorado youth (0-25) and their families.
Proposals should tell which inequities in accessing the outdoors the community they work with face, and how they plan to help break down those barriers.
Projects should increase accessibility to the outdoors for Coloradans from one or more of the following five traditionally-excluded communities: low-income, racially and ethnically diverse youth, LBGTQ+, the disability community, and/or American Indians.
Proposals should do one or more of the following: provide environmental, experiential, conservation or outdoor education; introduce stewardship opportunities; or provide job and career training.
Eligible Costs
- Programming, staffing, food, and transportation costs are eligible for funding. This includes costs associated with project planning, coordination, implementation, communication and or celebration.
- General operating grants are eligible for organizations whose mission includes conservation, outdoor recreation, the environment, or other topics aligned with the Outdoor Equity Grant.
- Costs associated with volunteer engagement and retention, e.g., prizes, awards, food, etc.
- Expenses associated with acquiring general liability, auto, and worker’s compensation insurance necessary to receive grants from CPW.
- Outdoor structures such as outdoor classrooms, playgrounds, fields, etc.
- Capital purchases (vehicle, gear, equipment, physical goods, etc)
Ineligible Costs
- Land acquisition
- Trail projects or trail-building equipment
- Building construction, renovation, or indoor structures
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