Deadline: 23-Jan-25
The Great Outdoors Colorado’s (GOCO) Community Impact Program seeks to enhance a community’s quality of life and access to the outdoors through investments in capital infrastructure projects and the community-driven processes that inform them.
People and communities experience a multitude of benefits from an increased connectedness to the outdoors ranging from improvement to physical and psychological health, to diversified local economies, to educational impacts and more. Funding for the outdoors can also be a meaningful equity lever in Colorado – and a means to address issues of disparity and disproportionality. When developing local projects, they ask partners to consider the multifaceted benefits of outdoor recreation and outdoor education and advance the most needed and urgent projects that will serve the highest and best interests of their communities.
Through this program, GOCO invites partners to apply for funding to develop and revitalize parks and other outdoor recreation amenities that enhance a community’s quality of life and access to the outdoors, as identified and prioritized by the communities they serve. To facilitate project outcomes, applicants may request funding, as needed, for the following components:
- Local capacity building through investments in existing staff, community connectors and resident leadership, and/or consultants
- Community planning, organizing and collaboration to identify existing barriers to outdoor experiences and solutions for overcoming them
- Land acquisitions
- Site-specific, community-centered design
- Storytelling, project communications, and celebrations
Funding Information
- GOCO will consider grant requests between $100,000 and $1,000,000, with consideration for requests outside that range on a case-by-case basis.
Eligible Costs
- Costs associated with project planning/coordination/implementation/communications/celebration.
- Staff expenses incurred by the applicant and any contracted service providers for professional services directly related to project outcomes and administration.
- Costs of surveys, engineering, design, GIS/mapping, land acquisition due diligence costs, etc.
- Costs associated with community engagement and related capacity.
- Costs associated with volunteer engagement and retention, e.g., prizes, awards, food, etc.
Eligible Projects
- Projects should encompass one or more of GOCO’s program values as identified:
- Resource conservation: They value strategic land conservation and resource protection work. Outdoor stewardship: They support sustainability of and improvements to the state’s natural and recreational resources.
- Community vitality: They invest in conservation and outdoor recreation efforts that support communities and quality of life.
- Equitable access: They partner with communities to break down barriers to the outdoors.
- Youth connections: They believe children and their families deserve opportunities to get outside and experience all the benefits of doing so.
Eligibility Criteria
- This program is open to entities eligible to receive GOCO local government and open space funds as listed below:
- Colorado municipality or county
- Title 32 special district eligible to receive distributions from the Conservation Trust Fund
- Political subdivision of the State of Colorado that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas
- 501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas, e.g., land trusts
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife
For more information, visit GOCO.