Chaffee County Community Foundation logo

CCCF: Common Ground Program - Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Education Grants

Chaffee County Community Foundation

Funding Amount

US $5,001 - US $100,000

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Grant Type

Foundation

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Eligible organizations

  • Nonprofit organization

Other requirements

  • Applicant Eligibility:Federal Agency
  • State Agency
  • For Profit organization
  • Other.

Overview

The CCCF's Common Ground Program offers Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Education Grants aimed at enhancing community wildfire resilience and forest health. Eligible applicants include federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations. Grants range from $5,001 to $100,000 per year, with a focus on collaborative efforts that strengthen landscapes, conserve agricultural lands, and manage outdoor recreation impacts. The program encourages measurable outcomes and partnerships with organizations like the Colorado State Forest Service.

NOTE: Please find the additional associated grants related to this opportunity -
Here is the Forest Health and Fire Resilience Project Grants page.Here is the Agricultural Program Grants page.Here is the Agricultural Enhancement Grants page.Here is the Sustainable Agriculture - Conservation Easement & Acquisition Grants page.Here is the Recreation Impacts Planning and Monitoring Grants page.Here is the Recreation Impacts Management Grants page.Here is the Mini Grants page.
Chaffee County Community Foundation is honored to partner with Chaffee County and the Chaffee County Citizens Advisory Committee to administer the Chaffee County Common Ground Program funds.
Program Goals
Strengthening forest health and reducing wildfire dangerConserving and supporting agricultural lands and rural landscapesManaging the impacts of growth
Competitive Grant Program Goals
Strengthen forest health to protect the community from a large wildfire, protect water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat through planning and execution of forest treatment activities.Conserve and support working ranches, farms and rural landscapes through conservation easements and tools that enhance economic viability and longevity of working lands.
Protect landscapes and watershed health from negative impacts of outdoor recreation use through management, hardening, restoration, and education to disperse use and support conservation values.
Encourage action at scale across the landscape, to include landownership/management boundaries.
Encourage collaborative thought and action across funding categories.
Fund successful programs.
Maximize impact by working to leverage overall Chaffee Common Ground funds by at least 2-1 through cash and in-kind matches on all combined programs (exceptions are permitted for individual programs).
Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Education Grants
Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Education Grants are for planning of treatment activities that enhance forest health and community wildfire resilience. Applicants must be a qualified organization; individual landowners are encouraged to work with the Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado FireCamp or a similar organization.
Funding
Request minimum: 5,001 per yearRequest maximum: $100,000 per year
For proposals of $50,000 or more, the applicant demonstrates a track record of success with a program of similar scope and scale.

Eligibility

For Profit organization OtherPermits and landowner permissions are in place and can be documented, with the exception of planning grants.The proposal budget, plan and timeline is complete at an acceptable level of detail and quality.The proposal demonstrates clear and measurable results.Agreement that funded proposals can be promoted by Chaffee Common Ground, including public news stories and signage.

Past recipients of this program

Recent awards under this program (from Chaffee County Community Foundation's IRS filings)

  • Chaffee County Fire Protection District

    Buena Vista, CO · 2024

    $23K

1 grant in Chaffee County Community Foundation's 2024 filings reference “Common Ground Program” in their stated purpose. Amounts and places as reported by the funder.

What Chaffee County Community Foundation actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990, 2025

Grants in 2025
38
Total given
$2.58M
Median grant
$12K
Range
$5,258–$879K
  • By dollars: Colorado 100%. Top recipient cities: Salida, CO; Buena Vista, CO; Steamboat Springs, CO.
  • 26% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
  • 43% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.

Example grants

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Chaffee County · Salida, CO

    General operating funds & capital match

    $879K

  • Watershed NP Inc · Buena Vista, CO

    Grove project

    $400K

  • Central Colorado Conservancy · Salida, CO

    Enhancing ranch and rangeland management through virtual fencing & conservation easements

    $316K

  • Riverside Ditch & Allen Extension Company · Steamboat Springs, CO

    Riverside ditch and allen extension company ditch improvement initiative 2

    $153K

  • Chaffee County · Salida, CO

    Transfer of fiscal sponsoree to new entity

    $132K

IRS Form 990, 2025. Amounts as reported by the funder. Full 990 history →

Focus Areas & Funding Uses

Fields of Work

  • Environment
  • Environmental conservation
  • Disaster relief

Categories

Browse similar grants by category

Related Grants

Open grants from this funder and similar programs

Your AI grants department

Ready to apply for CCCF: Common Ground Program - Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Education Grants?

Grantable helps you assess fit, draft narratives, and track deadlines — so you can submit stronger applications, faster.

You found CCCF: Common Ground Program - Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Planning & Education Grants. Now let's win it.

Start writing