Communities deserve the best quality of life possible. GOCO invests in the processes and projects to give people greater access to the outdoors. Apply to this program to help develop and revitalize parks, trails, schoolyards, fairgrounds, environmental education facilities, and other outdoor projects important to your Colorado community.

We fund community-driven projects of all sizes in communities big and small through this flexible program. We collaborate with grantees to support efforts through all phases, concept to completion. For example, funding might support local capacity for project management, land acquisition for development, community-centered planning and design, and project implementation—and all within a single grant. In the end, through this program, we celebrate the incredible and unique impacts the outdoors has across Colorado’s diverse communities.

Matching requirements and project timelines will be customized to our partners and your projects. While there is no maximum request amount, we expect most requests to fall below $1 million for any given grant cycle.

Who can apply

• Colorado municipality or county
• Title 32 special district eligible to receive distributions from the Conservation Trust Fund
• Political subdivision of the State of Colorado that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas
• 501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas, e.g., land trusts
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife

When to Apply

First Cycle

• Concepts accepted up to: August 4, 2022
• Applications invited: August 17, 2022
• Applications due: September 15, 2022
• Grants awarded: December 9, 2022

Second Cycle

• Concepts accepted up to: November 3, 2022
• Applications invited: November 18, 2022
• Applications due: January 5, 2023
• Grants awarded: March 2023

Third Cycle

• Concepts accepted up to: February 2, 2023
• Applications invited: February 15, 2023
• Applications due: March 20, 2023
• Grants awarded: June 2023

Apply to this program

If you’re thinking about applying to this program, now is a great time to connect with your regional program officer to discuss your project. We recommend touching base with your regional officer and reviewing our frequently asked questions prior to submitting a concept paper.

Please read through the entire application before you start filling it out. In particular, review the eligibility information to ensure that your project meets all the necessary requirements. Our reviewer guidance speaks more to the merits considered when evaluating proposals.