Local Match Program (Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act)

Applications are made through the Division of Local Government Online Grants Portal, available through the Notice of Financial Availability (NOFA) published on the DOLA website.

Members of the state review committee (made up primarily of the Governor’s Office and Recovery Office leadership) will each review and score the application according to the scoring matrix:

• Alignment with Governor’s Policy Priorities; 
• Justification of Need;
• Projected Equitable Impacts;
• Impacts on Workforce/Job Creation;
• Long-term Community Impact Depth;
• Shovel-Ready Status; and
• Exceptional Circumstances.

The matching funds requested must be proportional to the total federal funds that the local government plans to apply for and with documented requirements from a federal agency specifying the total percentage of non-federal match funds needed to be eligible for a program created in the federal IIJA legislation.

The minimum threshold for a local government application is $250,000 of matching funds.

• The Colorado Infrastructure Coordinator will convene all members of the state review committee to discuss application scoring and assign a final score to the application. Depending on the score, the state review committee will decide to:
• Approve the application in full (25-35 points on the scoring matrix)
• Approve the application at a partial amount of the total requested (15-25 points on the scoring matrix)
• Deny the application (0-15 points on the scoring matrix)

Approved Awards

DOLA will provide a conditional award letter within 30 days of application, stipulating that an award agreement is conditional upon the successful receipt of federal funds, as documented by official notice of award or allocation by the disbursing federal agency.

• The local government will notify DOLA within five days of hearing from the federal agency about the approval or denial of their grant application. If unsuccessful in winning the federal grant award or only partially funded for the requested amount, the local government will be issued a letter rescinding the award, and no grant agreement will be issued.
• If successful in receiving the federal grant award, the local government will submit to DOLA documentation and materials outlining the specific uses and timeline for spending the funds provided by the appropriate federal agency.
• DOLA will draft an award agreement stipulating the terms of the scope of work. Funds will then be made available to awarded local governments through an advance.
• The local government is then responsible for providing DOLA with any necessary information needed for reporting related to implementation and compliance reporting, including but not limited to reports to the Joint Budget Committee.
• At a minimum, agencies should be prepared to report to DOLA the following on a quarterly basis:
  • Amount of total project funding, by funding source, that has been encumbered and expended to date, and
  • Projected timeline for the full expenditure of funds.

Denied Awards

The Infrastructure Coordinator will notify the local government that their application has not been approved for funding.

Program FAQs (PDF)

What is the IIJA Local Match (LOMA) Program? 

The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), that was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021, authorizes $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending. Funding from the IIJA is expansive in its reach, addressing energy and power infrastructure, access to broadband internet, transportation, water infrastructure, and more. Some of the new programs funded by the bill could provide the resources needed to address a variety of infrastructure needs at the local level.

The General Assembly passed S.B. 22-215 (creating C.R.S. 24-75-232), the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Cash Fund, which allocates approximately $80 million in state General Funds for local match support for the non-federal match requirements included in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA.) Of this total, $60 million was appropriated for the F.Y. 2022-2023 year. 

From this bill, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), in collaboration with the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Governor’s Office, have created the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Local Match grant program (LOMA) to be used for local governments to support their non-federal match requirement when they are applying directly to the federal government for an IIJA Program.

Who is eligible to apply?

Those eligible to apply are Colorado Counties, Municipalities, Special Districts, and federally recognized tribes who have or intend to apply for a federal IIJA program that requires a non-federal match.

How will my award be determined?

Once an application has been completed and accepted through the DLG Online Grants Portal, members of the state review committee (made up primarily of the Governor's Office, OEDIT Recovery Office, and DOLA leadership) will review and score the application using a Scoring Matrix.  

The strongest applications for the LOMA program will: 

• Align with the Governor’s IIJA Policy Priorities;
• Clearly define Justification of Need;
• Demonstrate equitable impacts, targeting disproportionately impacted communities (strongest applications will align with or exceed the 40% threshold per federal Justice40initiative);
• Create new jobs or workforce demand;
• Demonstrate projected long-term permanent impact on the health and safety of the community or region;
• Shovel-ready with a scope clearly defined; and
• Offer “Exceptional Circumstances” significantly leveraging the federal opportunity in a remarkable way.

When will the program be available, and how do I apply?

Applications will be made through the DLG Online Grants Portal. The application is expected to be open in late August or early September and will remain open until all funds have been committed.

Where can I find a list of federal IIJA programs?

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has made it easy to track the notices of funding on a Funding Opportunity Tracker page.

What documents do I need to apply?

The application will be available in late August or early September. 

A detailed list of application questions can be found in the IIJA Local Match 2022 Application. The only required attachment is a proposed project budget for the federal IIJA grant application. 

The proposed project budget should include planned uses for all funds for this project (federal, state match, and any other funds.) If you do not have this documentation prepared as part of the federal application, please provide a high-level project budget. The budget must specify the proposed use for IIJA State Matching funds.

Where can I find additional support related to the federal IIJA programs?

• Additional support for counties can be found on the National Association of Counties (NACO) website.
• Additional support for municipalities can be found on the National League of Cities (NLC) website.

Who do I contact if I need assistance on the LOMA program application?

For assistance on the LOMA program application, contact Tamra Norton, DOLA Financial Assistance Director: tamra.norton@state.co.us. 

Who do I contact if I need assistance regarding IIJA project development?

For assistance on IIJA project development, contact your DOLA Regional Manager.

Who do I contact if I have general federal IIJA questions?

For general questions related to federal IIJA, contact Meridith Marshall, OEDIT IIJA Coordinator: meredith.marshall@state.co.us.