Partnering with Communities

Caring for Colorado considers applications from organizations that benefit the people of Colorado and are:

• Charitable, nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt classification from the Internal Revenue Service; or
• Tax-supported institutions including state and local governments and schools.

New or emerging organizations or for-profits are permitted to apply through a tax-exempt organization acting as a fiscal agent. The most common type of fiscal agent arrangement is between a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization and a non-tax-exempt group. The fiscal agent has the ultimate authority and responsibility to see that the funds are used for the intended purpose; it cannot simply be a pass-through organization.

Caring for Colorado does NOT fund:

• Organizations or projects that unlawfully discriminate with regard to employees, volunteers, delivery of programs or services, or clients based on age, sex, religion/creed, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, pregnancy, or genetic information.
• Individuals.
• Activities supporting political candidates.

Once you confirm basic eligibility, be sure to thoroughly review each funding opportunity for additional eligibility requirements, grantmaking guiding principles, timelines, and funding types.

Each funding opportunity announcement provides resources to help you complete your application, such as a recorded webinar, an application template with guidance, and the opportunity to sign up for a virtual meeting with our staff.

Caring for Colorado utilizes a two-part online application process. The Part 1 application is designed to provide grant-seekers with a quick, low-barrier opportunity to share basic information about the organization and proposed work. Staff reviews Part 1 applications to determine eligibility and alignment with the funding opportunity. Based on this review, Part 1 applicants are either invited to submit a full application or declined for moving to Part 2.

The Part 1 application is submitted online and does not require that you register in the Caring for Colorado grantmaking portal. Follow the directions on the online form to complete the application. Important note: You cannot save your work while working on the Part 1 online form. A Word document with all Part 1 application questions is provided with each funding opportunity. For best results, we suggest that you use Google Chrome as your web browser.  Please read the directions carefully.

If you are unable to complete an online application, please contact our grants management team at grants@caringforcolorado.org to discuss alternative options.

Application review begins after the submission deadline. Proposals submitted prior to the deadline will not be reviewed early and those submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed. All applicants will be notified via email within one week of submission to confirm the successful receipt of the application and to share the review timeline.

If your application is not selected to move forward in the review process, a member of our Philanthropy Team will email you to share why your request was not approved. Depending on the volume of requests, there may be an opportunity to speak directly to a staff member about the decision.

Applicants moving forward in the review process will receive an email invitation outlining the next steps in the application process within four weeks of the Part 1 deadline date.

Part 2 applicants need an account in our online grants portal. If your organization has previously registered for an account, you can log in and complete Part 2. If you have not applied previously, you will receive instructions for creating an account via email after you are invited to move forward to Part 2. Please contact grants@caringforcolorado.org if you do not receive login instructions within three business days of receiving an invitation.

Our Part 2 application has five primary sections. Click here to see an example PDF of a recent Part 2 Application. (link to highlight)

1. Proposal Objectives and Outcomes: Each applicant will be asked to identify at least one objective and a subsequent outcome. The purpose of this section is to identify the focus of the proposed work and to be outcome oriented. (for example, , changes that occurred for participants, increased capacity, progress on organizational strategy/goals, or skills developed). If selected for funding, these outcomes will be used in evaluating the success and challenges of your work through required reporting.
2. Demographic Information: Caring for Colorado collects demographic data to help us better understand our grantmaking and evaluate the effectiveness of our work in advancing our mission and commitment to equity. The information collected serves as one data point, among many, in our efforts to understand how our partners are working to equitably build a healthier future for Colorado’s young people and their families. We recognize that requesting this information adds to the amount of time it takes to complete the application, and we appreciate your willingness to share this information with us. We understand that you may not have the demographic data for some or all the sections in this form. If you do not collect any demographic data on your board, staff, or communities served, you may indicate that in the template. If you collect some demographic data, please complete the applicable sections.

   Click here for an Excel template (link to file) you may use to gather your organization’s available demographic data. Please note that all demographic data must be input into the online application.

3. Financial Summary:
   In the financial summary section, you will be asked to provide the following amounts for two full fiscal years: total assets, total liabilities, total revenue, and total expenses. In addition, depending on your organization’s business type, you will need to attach certain financial documents (see required attachments section below).
4. Narrative Questions:
   Narrative questions may vary based on the funding opportunity. We will provide a Microsoft Word template with required narrative questions and guidance about what we hope to learn from your responses.
5. Required Attachments:
   Not all funding opportunities require the same attachments. At most, you will be required to upload the following attachments:
   • Board of Directors: List of the board of directors, with titles and terms
   • Key Staff: List of key staff, with titles and tenure
   • Major Contributors: List of the major contributors to the organization and contribution amounts for the previous fiscal year
   • Current-year annual operating budget
   • Program/Project Budget: This form is submitted as an attachment in the portal (link to excel document in WP) and is NOT required for general operating requests. The budget consists of three parts: projected expenses, projected income, and a narrative description of expense items.
   • Financials:
     • Tax-exempt organizations requesting more than $25,000 submit audited financials for the most recently completed fiscal year-end. If audited financials are unavailable, please provide your most current IRS Form 990/990EZ. If you do not file an IRS Form 990 or 990EZ, please provide an internal fiscal year-end balance sheet and income statement.
     • Governmental entities do not need to provide additional financial attachments (please still provide your current-year operating budget above).
     • For fiscally sponsored projects, submit the fiscal sponsor’s audited financials for the most recently completed fiscal year-end.

A member of our team will email you to discuss the next steps of the process. Some of our funding opportunities will include site visits. Following board approval, funding decisions will be shared with applicants via phone or email. All applicants who complete a full application but are not awarded funding will be offered the opportunity to connect with a member of our team to discuss the decision.