In support of Colorado Governor Jared Polis' Early Childhood Education and Health Care goals, the Department of Local Affairs will:
- Allocate no less than $2M in grant funding towards projects that support the development of infrastructure for early childhood programs.
- Provide funding to support increased access to and reduce the cost of health care throughout the state.
For information on how you may access this funding, please see details below.
- Access to Early Childhood Education Funding
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Funding Available
Division of Housing
Housing Development Grants and Loans: Gap financing through grants and loans to developers, public housing authorities, and community organizations to fund affordable housing development, homelessness prevention, and rental assistance. While these funds cannot be used for the development of ECE centers, such centers may be co-located in housing facilities as long as they are funded with other sources.Division of Local Government
Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Fund (EIAF) Grant program: Severance tax dollars - no specific set aside of dollars, but funding is available through the regular EIAF grant cycles.Community Development Block Grant, Public Facility, (CDBGPF) program:Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds - no specific set aside of dollars, but funding is available through the annual CDBG grant cycle.
Purpose
Housing Development Grants and Loans
The purpose of these grants and loans is to increase the availability of housing for Coloradans who face the greatest challenges to accessing affordable, safe, and secure homes. Projects include the construction or rehabilitation of rental properties which may include ECE centers funded with other sources.EIAF Grant Program
The purpose of this program is to incentivize eligible entities with reduced match of up 25% per project on all Tier I (up to $200,000) and Tier II ($200,001 to $1M) grants to improve access to early childhood education in communities. Projects considered will be those that respond to needs and opportunities identified by the local government. Examples of projects include: planning, design, engineering for ECE construction projects, construction of ECE centers, including those in recreation or community centers (for example, a community or recreation center that provides year-round or summer ECE services).CDBGPF, Grant Program
The purpose of the CDBGPF program grants toward ECE is to improve access to early childhood education in communities that meet the national objectives for the program. Projects considered include public property acquisition, construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation. Projects must be ECE centers that are publicly owned, or that are owned by a nonprofit and open to the general public. Fifty-one percent of the families the facility serves must be low-to moderate income and the facility must be able to document this information. There is no required match for CDBGPF funds, however, local participation is highly encouraged. - Saving People Money on Health Care
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Funding Available
Division of Housing
Home Modification Tax Credit: Households are eligible for up to $5,000 as a state income tax credit to offset the costs of home modifications for the purpose of improving home accessibility. Up to $1,000,000 in tax credits may be issued in any one tax year.Housing Development Grants and Loans: Gap financing through grants and loans to developers, public housing authorities, and community organizations to fund affordable housing development, homelessness prevention, and rental assistance. Approximately $45M per year is available through June 30, 2021. As of July 1, 2021 up to $115M will be available per year.
Homeless Prevention Activities Program: Funded through income tax check-off contributions, the available Homeless Prevention Activities Program funding varies from year to year. In the 2019 grant cycle, the maximum grant award per organization was $25,000. Grantees use the funds to provide assistance to individual households. Approximately $125,000 was available in 2019.
Emergency Solutions Grants: These are federal funds awarded to the state Division of Housing from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that are regranted through a competitive process. In recent years, approximately $1.8M has been is available each year.
Housing Vouchers: The Division of Housing manages almost 8,000 state- and federally-funded housing vouchers. Most are issued through partner agencies across the state.
Division of Local Government
Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Fund (EIAF) Grant program: Severance tax dollars - no specific set aside of dollars, but funding is available through the regular EIAF grant cycles.Community Development Block Grant, Public Facility (CDBGPF) program: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds - no specific set aside of dollars, but funding is available through the annual CDBG grant cycle.
Contacts
Local Governments:
Contact your Regional Managers
Kristen Toombs
Director
Office of Homeless Initiatives
kristin.toombs@state.co.us
303-864-7828