Making Sense of the Economic Recovery Act
for Nonprofits

Colorado's Nonprofit Headquarters for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Strengthening Communities Project

Coming to a Town Near You!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Strengthening Communities Fund program, awarded the Colorado Nonprofit Association a $250,000 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help nonprofits across Colorado with economic recovery efforts in their communities.

The purpose of the Association's grant is to strengthen nonprofits and increase their working and financial relationships with government agencies. The Association chose to focus on regions with higher unemployment rates than the statewide average and will deliver services in Weld, El Paso, Pueblo, Montezuma, San Miguel, Dolores, Montrose, Mesa and the San Luis Valley counties.


The Association partnered with the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (DOSP), an office created by Mayor Hickenlooper to further connections between City agencies and the nonprofit sector.  Under contract with the Association, DOSP will offer workshops within the city and county of Denver.

WORKSHOPS ARE OPEN TO ANY NONPROFIT AT NO COST!

Matching Funds through Foundations

In an effort to create opportunities for nonprofits across Colorado, many foundations are partnering with the Governor's office, state agencies, and Colorado Nonprofit Association to potentially provide the matching funds necessary for certain competitve Recovery Act grants.

If your organization intends to apply for a specific grant with matching requirements or you have a specific question about the foundation review process, contact Amy Humble, Colorado Nonprofit Association Economic Recovery and Community Outreach Coordinator, at ahumble@ColoradoNonprofits.org or (303) 832-5710. Direct questions about how the state is distibuting Recovery Act funds, contact Kyle Miller at the Governor's office at Kyle.Miller@state.co.us or (303) 764-7714.

Seeking Recovery Act Funding Opportunities?

  1. Plan ahead when applying for a federal grant on www.grants.gov.
    • Your must first register and receive a DUNS number. It may take several days to receive this number.
    • Don't wait until the last minute to file your grant application. Due to processing backlogs, allow for 72 hours before the due date deadline.
    • Try to file your application during off-hours (night or early morning) when the site is not as busy.
  2. Find grant opportunities and updates from the State of Colorado's Recovery Act page and many more on our resource page
  3. Many contracting opportunities may be available through county or municipal governments or school districts. Know and contact your local elected officials or local government departments. A directory of county governments may be found at www.ccionline.org. A directory of municipal governments may be found at www.cml.org. Links to many school district websites may be found at www.casb.org/AboutCASB/MemberSchoolDistricts.aspx.
  4. Contracting and some grant opportunities with the state government agencies are announced by the Division of Purchasing, Department of Personnel and Administration. To respond to a contract solicitation, you must be registered on BIDS. For information, go to https://www.gssa.state.co.us/VenSols.

Click here to view the opening session presentation from the Association's Recovery Act Forum, April 3, 2009..

Click here to access or subscribe to videos of the Recovery Act Forum sessions.

 

The Colorado Nonprofit Support Initiative, a grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, and local support from