Intersections Grant

NoCo Foundation's Intersections Grant is one of two annual grant opportunities offered through the Foundation's Community Funds. The Community Funds support organizations working to address pressing needs across Berthoud, Estes Valley, Fort Collins, and Loveland. These funds are made possible by donors investing in the long-term strength of their communities. NoCo Foundation states that its competitive Community Fund cycles represent roughly 2 percent of its total grantmaking, with the majority of grants distributed through Donor Advised and Designated funds. Because Community Funds are limited, the Foundation seeks to maximize their impact by directing funding toward priority areas identified through regional data and community input. Funding priorities are informed by the Northern Colorado Intersections Report, developed in partnership with Colorado State University, as well as ongoing input from local community members. The Intersections Grant is a larger, community-focused general operating grant for organizations whose work strongly aligns with one or more of the community's priority areas. It is best suited for organizations with clearly demonstrated impact in the community, strong alignment with priority areas, and a need for a larger general operating investment. Intersections Grant awards average around $20,000. The source does not establish a minimum or maximum award amount. Final award amounts and the number of awards vary each year and are confirmed in mid-July. All Community Fund grants, including Intersections Grants, provide general operating support. No matching or cost-share requirement, total program funding amount, fixed number of awards, performance period, indirect cost limitation, or other specific spending limitation is stated in the supplied material. Applicants must apply for only one Community Fund grant type per year, choosing either an Intersections Grant or a Community Grant, and may apply within only one community per year. Applicants must clearly demonstrate impact in the community where they are applying, align with the funding priorities for that specific community, and have no outstanding follow-up reports for previous NoCo Foundation grants. Eligible organization types are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored organizations, and government or quasi-government entities. For 2026, government and quasi-government organizations are specifically ineligible to apply within Loveland. Organizational size or budget does not otherwise disqualify an applicant, and organizations may receive NoCo Foundation funding in multiple years. NoCo Foundation does not fund individuals, lobbying or political campaigns, special events or fundraising events, religious proselytization, businesses or for-profit entities, or private foundations through the Community Funds. The supplied information does not provide additional fiscal sponsorship requirements such as a written agreement or separate budget, nor does it specifically address 501(c)(4) organizations, 501(c)(6) organizations, social enterprises, educational institutions, tribal organizations, or other organization types beyond the expressly stated eligibility provisions. The Intersections Grant uses a two-step application process. Organizations must first submit a Letter of Intent, or LOI. Selected organizations are then invited to submit a full Intersections Grant application. Organizations that are not invited to move forward following the LOI may still apply separately for a Community Grant. For the 2026 cycle, the Intersections Grant LOI period ran from June 15 through July 2. The invitation-only Intersections Grant application period ran from July 28 through August 23. The supplied material does not provide the individual LOI questions, full application questions, required attachments, application portal, evaluation scoring rubric, or a named program contact. Decisions for the 2026 Community Fund cycle are scheduled for late October. As of August 27, 2026, both the July 2 Intersections LOI deadline and the August 23 invitation-only application deadline have passed. The source states that organizations may apply for these opportunities each year, establishing an annual recurring cycle. Using the known June 2026 opening of the Intersections LOI period as the recurring-cycle anchor, the next anticipated cycle is June 2027, with an internal monitoring date of June 1, 2027. The exact 2027 dates have not been announced in the supplied material. No individual contact name, email address, telephone number, or direct PDF guidelines URL is provided.

Demonstrate clear impact in the community where applying and strong alignment with one or more of that community's priority areas. Apply within only one community and for only one Community Fund grant type per year. Intersections Grants are best suited for organizations with clearly demonstrated community impact seeking a larger general operating investment.