Turf Replacement Grant Program

The Colorado Water Conservation Board Turf Replacement Grant Program was established to support new and existing community programs that help eligible entities replace nonessential, high-water-use turf and reduce outdoor water use. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, or CWCB, is a Colorado state agency whose mission is to conserve, develop, protect, and manage Colorado's water for present and future generations. The program was created in connection with legislation passed in 2022 and supports transformative landscape change through voluntary turf replacement. As of March 2025, CWCB is no longer accepting applications for the Turf Replacement Grant Program. Following the application round that closed February 28, 2025, CWCB stated that it expects available Turf Replacement Grant Program funding to be exhausted and is unaware of additional cash infusions into the program. The program provides matching funds to eligible entities to incentivize voluntary replacement of high-water-use turf with water-wise landscapes incorporating functional and efficient irrigation systems. Awarded matching funds may support programs and projects in the ways specified in the Turf Replacement Grant Program Guidelines. The supplied program information does not state an award minimum, award maximum, total amount of program funding, number of awards, or a specific required match percentage or ratio. It does, however, explicitly characterize the awards as matching funds. Applicants and other interested parties are directed to the July 2024 program guidelines for program requirements, payment information, and additional details governing eligible projects and expenditures. Eligible applicants include Colorado local governments, including statutory or home rule municipalities, counties, and cities and counties. Eligible districts include water districts, metropolitan districts, special districts, water and sanitation districts, water utilities, and water conservancy or conservation districts. Organizations with 501(c)(3) nonprofit status may apply when they have prior work in water and can support turf removal programs. Colorado's federally recognized tribes, specifically the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian Tribes, are also eligible. Single-family homeowners, homeowners' associations, multifamily properties, and commercial, industrial, and institutional entities are not directly eligible unless an entity otherwise fits one of the expressly allowed applicant categories. Individuals and homeowners interested in turf replacement are directed to work with a local government, water provider, or another eligible entity that has received funding. Applications were required to be submitted through the CWCB Portal. A complete submission was to include a Statement of Work in Word document format and a Budget and Timeline in Excel format. Applicants, including organizations that had applied previously, were instructed to review the July 2024 Turf Replacement Grant Program Guidelines for applicant eligibility, the general program process, payment information, application process information, and program requirements. Portal registration information was also provided. For assistance specifically with forgotten portal passwords or nonfunctioning password resets, applicants could contact Carolyn Kemp at carolyn.kemp@state.co.us and were advised to allow one to two business days for assistance. The grant review process was described as competitive and driven by best practice criteria. The published schedule identified two application deadline patterns: October 31, followed by qualifying grants being posted December 1 and Board review at the January Board Meeting; and February 28, followed by qualifying grants being posted April 1 and Board review at the May Board Meeting. The latest identified application round closed February 28, 2025, with the associated April 1, 2025 date appearing in the program schedule for qualifying grants and a May Board Meeting review. Although the page states that, if funding becomes available, application windows are from August 31 through October 31 and December 31 through February 28, it simultaneously states that program funding is expected to be exhausted, no additional cash infusion is known, and applications are not being accepted. Accordingly, no future application cycle is currently established by the supplied information. The named point of contact on the program page is Jenna Battson. The Colorado Water Conservation Board's general office is located at 1313 Sherman Street, Room 718, Denver, Colorado 80203, and the general agency telephone number listed is (303) 866-3441. The program page also directs interested parties to Engage CWCB for information about turf replacement funding and transformative landscape change. Organizations seeking other funding for landscape transformation are directed to consider the Colorado Water Plan Grant Program and Water Supply Reserve Fund Grant Program. The source notes that the Colorado Water Plan Grant Program has two annual application deadlines and may support collaborative, multi-beneficial water conservation projects, but that is a separate funding opportunity from the Turf Replacement Grant Program.

Review the July 2024 program guidelines and ensure the applicant meets an expressly eligible entity category. Align the proposed program or project with voluntary replacement of high-water-use turf using water-wise landscapes and functional efficient irrigation systems. Address applicable best practices because the grant review process is competitive and driven by best practice criteria.