Program Purpose

To provide financial assistance grants annually to local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys through the local governments for the investigation and prosecution costs associated with unlicensed marijuana cultivation or distribution operations.

By filling out the online portal application, Colorado County and Municipality applicants are opting into the grant program. Grant amounts will be determined by population formula.

The grant program has four (4) funding priorities:

Rural areas;
Large scale operations;
Organized crime operations; or
Operations that divert marijuana outside of Colorado.

In accordance with statute, CRS 24-32-119, rural areas will receive priority funding. To achieve this, rural area population figures will be weighted heavier. Rural areas are defined in C.R.S. 24-32-119 as:

A county with a population of less than 200,000 people, according to the most recently available population statistics of the United States Bureau of the Census; or
A municipality with a population of less than 30,000 people according to the most recent available statistics of the United States Bureau of the Census, that is located 10 miles or more from a municipality with a population of more than 50,000 people.

DOLA will confirm applicants meet the “rural area” definition at the time of submittal.

Total Funding Available:

$900,000 - FY 21-22

Application Timeline:

August 6, 2021: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) distributed and applications posted through the online grants portal.
September 17, 2021: Application due date

Online Application Process

Important Details:

In order to receive a grant, local governments apply annually. Those that do apply must agree to:

Spend funds on statutory priorities,
Cooperate with district attorneys to cover prosecution expenses as defined in the statute,
Report annually on how funds were spent and the effectiveness of the program.

This is a financial assistance grant for investigations and/or prosecution expenses of unlicensed marijuana cultivation or distribution operations. Some examples may include:

Personnel/overtime
Contractual services
Equipment and supplies
Travel
Pre-trial incarceration expenses
Medical expenses related to injury or exposer during a marijuana investigation
Purchase of information (informants) or evidence (contraband)

To ensure you develop a complete application please read:

C.R.S. 24-32-119

Application Overview:

A. Applicant/Contact Information

1. Local Government name (All applicants must be county or municipal local governments)

2. Chief Elected Official (i.e. Mayor, County Commissioner Chairman)

3. Principal Representative

4. Designated contact person/Responsible Administrator for the application

B. Honorific / Title

C. Applicant Affirmations

D. Board Approval / TABOR

1. Official board action: Every application must provide the date the city/town/county board, council or trustees authorized the submittal of the grant application.

2. TABOR: The funds for the Gray & Black Market Enforcement Grant program are state funds and may be subject to TABOR. Local jurisdictions are responsible for their own TABOR compliance. Please consult with legal counsel regarding TABOR limits for the local government applicant(s) before submitting an application.