This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on December 29, 2023.
Colorado launched a grant writing and technical assistance program to help local governments and tribes access federal funding.
The IIJA and IRA Grant Writing and Technical Assistance Program is designed to help applicants pursue funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, two federal laws that provide billions of dollars for projects relating to energy and power infrastructure, access to broadband internet, transportation and water infrastructure.
“We want to ensure that Colorado continues to punch above our weight in drawing down critical federal funds. By offering support for grant writing and project planning, local governments and Tribes will have more tools to access funding and create a stronger future for our great state,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
State-hired consultants will be on-call to help local governments with grant writing and technical assistance for project planning, such as permitting and stakeholder engagement. Those consultants can help with an independent review of an already-written proposal, co-writing, full writing or full project planning.
The state hopes the program will help governments with limited capacity be competitive for federal dollars. Projects in disadvantaged or disproportionately impacted communities will be prioritized.
State Senate bills in 2022 and 2023 established the IIJA Cash Fund, and $1 million from the fund will be used for this assistance program. Applications will be taken on a rolling basis until the money runs out.
The application is posted online.