Large Building Decarbonization Showcase Grant Program

The Large Building Decarbonization Showcase Grant Program is administered by the Colorado Energy Office. The program was designed to resource, accelerate, and share example solutions that cost-effectively reduce emissions from large buildings. Funding originates from a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant implementation grant awarded to the Colorado Energy Office by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in July 2024. Across two funding rounds, the Colorado Energy Office plans to distribute $35 million through the Large Building Decarbonization Showcase. For Round 2, $8.5 million in total funding is available. Round 2 is focused on implementation-only projects and is intended to support projects capable of achieving compliance with their Building Performance Colorado emissions reduction target before the applicable deadline or reducing emissions beyond the building's selected target. Round 2 awards range from $500,000 to $2 million per award. Grant funding reimburses 50 to 65 percent of implementation costs, up to the $2 million award ceiling, meaning projects must support the portion of implementation costs not covered by the grant. Eligible project costs may include electrification of fossil-fuel-based heating and water heating systems; installation of high-efficiency electric HVAC and heating equipment; implementation of measures identified in the required Emissions Reduction Assessment; onsite renewable energy and energy storage systems; building technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions; commissioning of installed equipment; and administrative costs directly associated with project implementation, such as project management and contractor oversight. Weatherization or building envelope measures identified in the completed Emissions Reduction Assessment may also be funded when combined with other system upgrades that allow the building to achieve or exceed its Building Performance Standard target. Eligibility is based on the building and its status under Building Performance Colorado. An eligible building must be a covered building of at least 50,000 square feet under the state's Building Performance Colorado program, be in good standing with benchmarking and fee requirements, have selected a Greenhouse Gas Intensity compliance pathway at the time of application, and have completed an Emissions Reduction Assessment using the U.S. Department of Energy scope and checklist before applying. Building owners that have applied for and received non-covered building status are not eligible for Large Building Decarbonization Showcase funding. The source does not limit eligible building owners to a specific organizational class such as nonprofit, business, local government, or institution, so eligibility is principally defined through the qualifying building requirements. Additional conditions apply to public buildings. A public building is eligible to apply only if it underwent a qualifying renovation after October 15, 2023. The renovation must have cost at least $500,000, affected at least 25 percent of the building's square footage, and complied with Executive Order D 2025 05. Public buildings must submit documentation demonstrating that the qualifying renovation occurred. Acceptable documentation may include construction documents, architectural drawings, project invoices, or contracts. These requirements supplement the general Building Performance Colorado, Greenhouse Gas Intensity pathway, and Emissions Reduction Assessment conditions applicable to the program. Round 2 opened on August 7, 2026 and applications are due October 2, 2026. The Round 2 Request for Application documents became available on August 7, 2026, and applicants are directed to review those documents for the application process. The program page also provides mechanisms to submit questions and review Round 2 question-and-answer responses. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified in the supplied source. The Colorado Energy Office scheduled office hours from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mountain Time on August 26 and September 2, 2026, and also made recordings of two webinars concerning the Round 2 Request for Application and funding terms and conditions available as informational resources. For Round 2, the Colorado Energy Office will select awardees to maximize the emissions reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of funded measures. Selection will prioritize projects demonstrating a high level of readiness and leveraging a significant amount of funding. These stated priorities indicate that applicants should substantiate the emissions-reduction impact, cost-effectiveness, readiness for implementation, and amount of non-grant funding leveraged by their proposed projects. The supplied source does not state the number of Round 2 awards, award notification date, performance period, or a recurring future application schedule. Program contacts identified for questions are Jesse Roehm at jesse.roehm@state.co.us and Brittney VanCuran at brittney.vancuran@state.co.us.

Demonstrate strong emissions reduction potential and cost-effectiveness; show a high level of project readiness; leverage a significant amount of funding.