Colorado Outdoor Regional Plan Capacity, Plan Development, & Early Wins Grant

The Colorado Outdoor Regional Plan Capacity, Plan Development, & Early Wins grant program supports regional partnerships to enhance conservation and outdoor recreation. Funded by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado, grants range from $50,000 to $350,000 for one to three years. The initiative aims to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders, ensuring equitable access to outdoor experiences while promoting healthy ecosystems and biodiversity. This funding is intended for coalitions developing regional conservation and recreation plans.

Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative Grant Program
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) offer grant funding to support and grow a network of regionally driven collaboratives working to ensure that Colorado’s land, water, and wildlife thrive while also providing exceptional, equitable, and safe access to quality outdoor recreation experiences through the development and implementation of regional visions, goals, objectives, and collective actions that advance Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy (COS) to achieve the following outcomes:
Conservation and restoration of lands and waters help wildlife and biodiversity thrive; habitats are resilient and connected; communities benefit from healthy ecosystems and agricultural lands.A diversity of high-quality outdoor recreation experiences are accessible, equitable, and inclusive; management and stewardship enhance benefits and minimize impacts for people, landscapes, and local communities.
For areas that do not have a partnership, these grants support collaborative efforts to establish a coalition that is committed to convening a broad range of outdoor interests to identify and advance conservation and sustainable recreation objectives. For areas with established Regional Partnerships, grant funds support collaboration, public involvement, research, planning, and plan implementation.
With the Regional Partnerships Initiative, coalitions representing regions across Colorado, are provided tools, resources, best practices, and connections to a statewide network of recreation and conservation leaders. Designated CPW staff support the growth and development of regional coalitions and provide information as needed.
Capacity, Plan Development, and Early Wins Grant
$50,000 - $350,000 for one to three-year terms to support Regional Partnership capacity and work to complete a regional conservation and recreation plan that aligns with Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy. May include early win projects that support collaboration and/or advance regional planning. This funding is for Regional Partnership collaboratives who are in the process of developing a regional plan.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants:Colorado non-profit organizations and government entities that represent a coalition with a broad range of outdoor interests including, conservation, outdoor recreation, working lands, underrepresented populations, and government interests OR demonstrate a commitment to building a coalition with these interests.
Represent new or existing coalitions in areas that do not have a Regional Partnership OR represent an existing Regional Partnership. Please see the RPI map to see if your coalition is eligible.
Commitment to identifying community-driven conservation and sustainable outdoor recreation values, objectives and priorities while considering opportunities to inform Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, a collaborative vision for conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable recreation.Eligible applicants include lead entities and/or fiscal sponsors of new or existing Regional Partnerships, including Local, County, Federal or Tribal governments, Recreation and Metro Districts, and Charitable organizations (tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code). If an entity is applying on behalf of an existing Regional Partnership, the proposal must demonstrate full support from the Regional Partnership, including a letter of support. Regional Partnerships can have concurrent grant contracts, including ones with different fiscal sponsors.Please see the RPI map to determine if your region has an active Regional Partnership or is in an area not yet coordinating a Regional Partnership.