Funding Opportunities

Grant Options

The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) operates several grant programs, some of which require Roundtable approval and others which do not. The Water Supply Reserve Fund Grant Program (WSRF) consists of money set aside to complete basin projects in accordance with the Basin Implementation Plan (BIP) and Colorado Water Plan (CWP). It is this grant program that requires Roundtable approval of an application. However, there are two subsidiary pots of money in this program – the Basin Account and the Statewide Account.

The Basin Account is overseen by the Roundtable. Applications requesting funding from this account will also be reviewed by CWCB, but only to confirm that the Threshold Criteria are met. The Threshold Criteria essentially consist of that the applicant is an appropriate entity, that the application helps meet BIP and CWP needs, that the application was approved by the appropriate Roundtable, and that the required percent match is met or waived.

The Statewide Account is overseen by CWCB, but still requires Roundtable approval. Because it funds projects across the state, it is more competitive and has more stringent Evaluation Criteria (link). Projects may also seek funding from both accounts, particularly if their budget exceeds what the Basin Account can accommodate.

Statewide vs. Basin:
What’s the difference?

The Statewide and Basin Accounts are two pots of money for the same grant, and both require Roundtable approval. However, the Statewide Account grants are only approved two times a year, and grantees compete with others across the state.

In addition to the WSRF Program, the CWCB administers eleven other granting programs with different focuses, ranging from environment- or agriculture-specific to the broad Colorado’s Water Plan Grants Program. The CWCB also offers low-interest loans to agricultural, municipal, and commercial borrowers to help complete water projects. More information about these grant programs can be found here.

CWCB Community Portal

The community portal is CWCB’s newest tool to provide external stakeholders with resources for grant and loan applications, a comprehensive project database, and more. Visit the portal and register for access here.

Types of Projects

The Roundtable funds all sorts of projects, provided they further the Basin Implementation Plan objectives. Some common examples are irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation projects, conservation easements, river restoration work, and environmental education. Visit our projects page to see what we’ve funded in the past, and contact the Roundtable Executive Committee to see if your project is a good fit for our program.

Our Projects

Exploring Funding Opportunities

Over the last several years, significant funding has become available to support water resource management, including increased resilience and infrastructure improvements. Collectively, state and regional funding sources, along with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contain potentially billions in funding to increase the pace and scale of wetland and riparian restoration and conservation efforts in the San Luis Valley. The Valley is uniquely positioned to capture these funds, given previous planning efforts and ongoing coordination on wetland projects.

The searchable database below houses a combination of state, regional, and federal funding programs that could support projects in the San Luis Valley. Use the table below to explore potential funding opportunities for your project. The database includes funding programs at the state, regional, and federal levels across many different agencies. Funding is available for many programs which support water conservation, climate resilience, and adaptive agricultural strategies.

Project Categories

Grant funding opportunities are sorted into the following categories to assist in identifying funding sources relevant to projects. Some funding opportunities are included in more than one project category as there is flexibility in what programs will fund. Note, there is flexibility within these categories and we recommend reaching out to contacts below to learn more.

Restoring Watershed Health

This includes strategies such as riparian restoration, riparian revegetation, wetland restoration, instream restoration, low-tech process based restoration, wet meadow restoration, removing invasive species, and streambank stabilization, among other practices.

Forest Management

This includes strategies such as the clearing of understory, addressing overgrowth, restoring river and stream channels, introducing wet meadow habitats, monitoring pests, treating invasive plants, and conducting prescribed burns.

Adapting Agriculture

This includes strategies such as infrastructure (headgates, ditches, etc.) improvements, efficiencies and modernization, crop switching, regenerative agricultural practices, and soil health, among others. It also includes programs
that support market incentives for innovative agricultural practices.

Municipal/Industrial Conservation

This includes strategies such as water user outreach and education, turf removal, water efficiency, low flow appliances, and water reuse and recycling, among others.

Water Administration

This includes strategies to support groundwater sustainability, compact administration, forecasting (such as LIDAR and SNOTEL), augmentation plans, and improving infrastructure, among others.

Rio Grande Funding Database

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Using the Database

The table above can be filtered by various criteria via the lefthand panel, including sorting by different project categories, agencies, etc. Selecting or un-selecting boxes will change the visible programs in the table. Additionally, a “search” feature is available to further refine specific project or program needs. Once the criteria have been selected, funding programs will sort by the soonest closing date. Users are able to move across the funding database left to right and up and down. A summary table for each funding program is available by clicking on a program row to select the program and a pop-up window will show expanded program details including a project description, eligibility, match requirements and agency website links, among other details. The overall list of potential programs, as well as the program summary document, can be easily saved or printed.

Grant Navigation Support

For additional support identifying funding sources or questions regarding potential funding sources, please reach out to:

Emily Wolf, American Rivers

Focuses on opportunities related to watershed health, adapting agriculture and forest management

Elle Benson, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Focuses on opportunities related to watershed health, adapting agriculture and forest management

Cary Aloia and Jenny Nering, Wetland Dynamics

Focuses on opportunities related to watershed health and adapting agriculture

Chris Wolf, Quantified Ventures

Focuses on opportunities to use state revolving funds to support watershed health and forest management

Heather Dutton, San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District

Focuses on opportunities related to water administration and adapting agriculture

Adde Sharp, National Forest Foundation

Focuses on opportunities related to watershed health and forest management

Stacey Beaugh, Strategic By Nature

Focuses on opportunities related to watershed health, adapting agriculture and forest management

Holly Loff, Sage Grant Writing & Consulting

Supports project partners in developing and writing funding applications

Basin Implementation Plan Goals

All applications to the WSRF Program should seek to assist in meeting the BIP and CWP goals. Both plans can be read in full at the links below, but for your reference, here are the five BIP goals:

Healthy watersheds that provide critical ecosystem services, are resilient to disturbances, and benefit from ongoing efforts to protect water sources, improve water quality, enhance aquatic, riparian, wetland, and upland habitat, and maintain connected ecosystems.

Aquifers with sustainable supplies of groundwater for farmers and ranchers, towns, and wildlife habitat.

Vibrant and resilient agriculture, recreation, municipal, and industrial economies that support thriving communities.

Water administration that is adaptive, flexible, and creative while complying with state statutes and the doctrine of prior appropriation, and fully utilizing Colorado’s compact entitlements under the Rio Grande and Costilla Creek compacts.

Engaged and informed citizens who understand the scope and urgency of local, state, and regional water issues and participate in robust and diverse educational opportunities.

Helpful Links

Basin Implementation Plan

Colorado Water Plan

Project Sheet

WSRF Grant Application

WSRF Scope of Work Form