A project proponent within the District’s 15-county boundaries is eligible to apply for the Community Funding Partnership. Project proponents include stakeholders such as individuals, local governments, corporations, private entities such as mutual ditch companies, non-profit corporations, and partnerships.  Completed projects are not eligible for the Community Funding Partnership.

See map HERE for recent project examples.

The program seeks to advance the Colorado River District’s mission “to lead in the protection, conservation, use, and development of the water resources of the Colorado River basin for the welfare of the District, and to safeguard for Colorado all waters of the Colorado River to which the state is entitled.”

Projects should be within the River District’s boundaries and fit within the District’s Mission, Strategic Plan and the Board of Director’s policy statements. Community Funding Partnership funding may be made in the form of a grant, loan and/or investment in a project. Program funds shall not be the sole source of funding for any project. Project applicants and supporters should contribute funds and use District funds to leverage additional state, federal or private funds to the project.

The program framework prioritizes multi-use projects that meet needs in one or more of the following categories:

• Productive agriculture projects could include multiple-use storage that addresses regional priorities; developing innovative and functional water leasing; suitable agriculture efficiency and conservation approaches; technical assistance and technological innovation; and dedicated resources for increasing community literacy about irrigated agriculture and supporting agricultural market growth. The District will not utilize these funds to permanently or temporarily fallow irrigated agriculture;
• Infrastructure projects could include upgrading aging infrastructure while incentivizing new storage and delivery projects that collaboratively address multiple needs, such as improved flows to meet demands, stream and watershed health, and habitat quality; multi-purpose projects and storage methods that are supported in the Water Plan and the Basin Implementation Plans;
• Healthy rivers projects could include those identified in stream management plans or similar projects that support and sustain fish and wildlife, healthy aquifer conditions as they connect to healthy streams, economically important water-based recreation, wetland habitat, fish passage construction for new or revised water diversion structures, stream restoration projects, and environmental and recreational enhancements for new or revised water supply projects;
• Watershed health and water quality projects which could include projects identified in collaborative and science-based watershed management plans that reduce the risk from and increase resilience to fires and/or floods, rehabilitate streams, or make landscapes resilient to climate change, including, but not limited to science-based mechanical forest treatments and prescribed fire, projects that address drinking water quality for under-resourced communities, and projects that address pollutants such as selenium, salts, and others, as well as mine remediation activities; and
• Conservation and efficiency projects could include supporting agricultural water infrastructure that increases reliability and efficiency; municipal and industrial projects that promote efficiency, water conservation, green infrastructure, and outdoor landscaping to reduce consumptive use; increase leak detection for infrastructure repair and replacement; assisting communities with water-smart community development and water conservation programs; and targeting smaller, fast-growing, and communities with older infrastructure with strategic, incentive-based investments.

1. Review the Community Funding Partnership Guidelines, Community Funding Partnership Framework, Application and Budget Worksheet prior to setting up an inquiry phone call.
2. Contact the River District through the link above to schedule a 15-min Inquiry Phone Call to find out if your project is a good fit for our program.
3. Following your Inquiry Call, Staff will review and determine whether to set-up a site visit or pre-application meeting (virtual or in-person options).
4. If approved, staff will work with the applicant to complete an application and attach supporting documents via the grant portal.

The Community Funding Partnership is a rolling program, and therefore, applications and requests for partnership funding can be submitted at any time. Applicants should anticipate four to six weeks for internal applications review, analysis and funding recommendation, contingent upon receiving a complete application.

For funding requests that require Board approval, a completed application and all supporting materials must be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled District Board meeting. The River District’s regularly scheduled quarterly meetings fall on the third Tuesday of January, April, July, and October.

• For funding requests that require Board approval (typically applications over $50,000), a completed application and all supporting materials must be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled District Board meeting. The River District’s regularly scheduled quarterly meetings fall on the third Tuesday of January, April, July, and October.

To ensure sufficient time for staff review and analysis, CRD recommends the following deadlines for applications that require Board approval:

• November 15th (January Board Meeting)
• February 15th (April Board Meeting)
• May 15th (July Board Meeting)
• August 15th (October Board Meeting)

To discuss application deadlines, we encourage applicants to arrange for inquiry phone call about your proposed application.

• Please visit our grant portal to begin the application process and submit supporting documents. If you have any questions and/or would rather submit a word/pdf version of the application instead of using the portal, please contact Melissa Wills at mwills@crwcd.org.
• CFP Application Portal Instructions (.pdf)