Community Funding Partnership Issues 2023 Annual Report
Colorado River District grant program rounds out 2023 with over $7 million in funding awards.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Glenwood Springs, Colorado — On Wednesday, January 17, staff from the Colorado River District’s Community Funding Partnership (CFP) program presented the 2023 Annual Report to the District’s Board of Directors. Approved by voters in 2020 through ballot measure 7A, the Community Funding Partnership provides funding to water projects across the River District’s fifteen counties in five categories: Conservation & Efficiency, Watershed Health & Water Quality, Infrastructure, Healthy Rivers, and Productive Agriculture.
“The Community Funding Partnership serves as strong evidence of our constituents’ interest and dedication to protecting and conserving water on Colorado’s Western Slope,” said Amy Moyer, Colorado River District Director of Strategic Partnerships. “It has become apparent to all of us just how integral the CFP program is to the District’s work to serve our water users.”
In 2023, the CFP funded 30 projects in fifteen counties for a total of $7.8 million in awards. This funding was able to help leverage $17.1 million from other sources such as state and federal grant money, and other local funding sources. One reason for this success was the Accelerator Grant program, which was new to the CFP in summer of 2022. This unique funding program allows local water users to receive preliminary financial support while navigating the time-consuming and often costly application requirements for federal water project dollars available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. To-date, six Western Slope water projects successfully secured $9.1 million in federal funding after receiving Accelerator or general CFP awards totaling $228,000.
“Our water providers and irrigators face unprecedented challenges as our climate, infrastructure, and economy change daily,” said Melissa Wills, Community Funding Program Manager. “Facing these odds, they have implemented solutions that will be long lasting and serve as models for other water users. We are proud that our program is often their first stop in building the financial support they need to fully realize these critical and timely projects.”
Since 2021, the Community Funding Partnership has funding over 100 projects for a total of $13,956,567 and leveraged over $66 million. The 2023 Annual Report includes a comprehensive look at the scope of the program, as well as focused case studies of successful grantees in various project categories. The full report is available for viewing and downloading on the Colorado River District’s website: www. Coloradoriverdistrict.org/annual-report.
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