Resilient Colorado Grant

The Resilient Colorado Grant is administered by the Colorado Department of Law through its Division of Community Engagement and Opioid Response Unit. The Department of Law manages and distributes opioid settlement funds received under the Colorado Opioid Settlement Memorandum of Understanding. The State Share represents 10 percent of Colorado opioid settlement funds, and the Resilient Colorado Grant is the third round of funding through that share. The program supports local and statewide efforts to prevent and respond to opioid use and its impacts in Colorado. Funding is available across six Target Priority Areas: promoting youth well-being and prevention through connection and healthy behaviors; addressing gaps in substance use treatment and recovery for youth; growing Colorado's rural and underserved behavioral health workforce; building recovery and reentry systems for justice-involved individuals; supporting families, caregivers, and children affected by substance use; and empowering and sustaining Colorado peer leadership. Priority is given to projects that incorporate people with lived experience into project management, design, or implementation; serve communities or populations most affected by opioid use disorder; or have statewide reach, represent multiple communities, or increase equitable access to care. Projects must use State Share opioid funds only for Approved Purposes aligned with Exhibit E, Schedule B of the National Opioid Settlements. Up to $12,000,000 is available for the funding period, and no individual award may exceed $750,000. The anticipated grant period is 36 months, from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, although the actual period will coincide with award and grant execution and may vary. Funding operates on a reimbursement basis, so only actual expenditures consistent with the approved budget will be reimbursed. Expenses must be project related. Eligible budget categories include personnel, materials and supplies and operating expenses, travel, equipment, contracts and subgrants, and indirect costs. Unless an applicant has a federally negotiated indirect rate accepted by DOL, indirect costs may be up to 15 percent of eligible proposed personnel costs. Supplanting is prohibited. Unallowable expenses include capital expenses, vehicle or real property purchases, lobbying expenses, and fundraising costs. No cost-share or matching requirement is stated in the RFA. Eligible applicants include Colorado counties, Colorado municipalities, Colorado State agencies, Colorado's Federally Recognized Tribes, Colorado Regional Opioid Abatement Councils formed under the MOU, schools, school districts, Boards of Cooperative Education Services, nonprofit organizations in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State, and for-profit organizations in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State. Individuals are not eligible. Multi-agency partnerships are allowed and encouraged, but one organization must serve as the Applicant and be responsible for receiving the award, managing funds, and submitting required reports. Other participating entities receiving grant funds are treated as Implementing Organizations or subgrantees, and the primary Applicant is responsible for their compliance. Applications may be declined when financial viability or program sustainability cannot be demonstrated or when the proposed work does not fall within Approved Purposes. Applications were required through the DOL Salesforce funding opportunity. The application included an online Application Form with applicant and contact information, project details, an executive summary, annual operating budget, three-year funding request, Target Priority Area, geographic focus, and implementing organizations. Supporting documentation included a Project Narrative of no more than 3,000 words or approximately six single-spaced pages, a Budget Worksheet, applicable Subgrantee Budget Worksheets, a Work Plan, a Financial Management Questionnaire, the organization's current-year budget, previous-year Profit and Loss statement, most recent audit or financial review, Certificate of Good Standing, and nonprofit tax-exempt documentation when applicable. The narrative addressed the problem and population served, project design and activities, evaluation and data collection, lived experience and equity, collaboration, organizational capacity, and project resiliency. The RFA was published October 15, 2025. An optional pre-application webinar was scheduled for November 12, 2025, and an optional Notice of Intent to Apply was due November 14, 2025; entities that did not submit the notice remained eligible to apply. Written inquiries were due December 16, 2025 to Mackenzie Owens at procurement@coag.gov. Completed applications were due through Salesforce by 11:59 p.m. MST on December 18, 2025. The estimated evaluation period ran from December 2025 through April 2026, estimated award notification was May 2026, and the estimated contract effective date was July 1, 2026. The solicitation identifies this as a one-time funding opportunity rather than a recurring cycle. DOL first reviews applications for required information and documentation. Technical review considers the soundness of the proposed approach and the applicant's understanding of the requirements, while experience and qualifications are considered in relation to the likelihood of successful and timely performance. An Evaluation Committee conducts independent reviews and recommends applicants for award, with final review and approval by the DOL Custodial Fund Committee. Grantees must participate in capacity-building activities, including quarterly online Learning Forums, and submit comprehensive quarterly progress reports using required learning and progress metrics associated with their Target Priority Areas. Annual expenditure information is also required. The Department of Law's general telephone number listed in the RFA is 720-508-6000.

Align the project clearly with at least one Target Priority Area and Approved Purposes; incorporate lived-experience voices and address populations most affected by opioid use disorder; show a clear connection among the Project Narrative, Work Plan, and budget; provide an evaluation and data-collection approach aligned with Appendix C metrics where possible; demonstrate organizational capacity and sustainability beyond the one-time funding cycle; do not supplant existing funds; verify budget calculations and use the most specific Approved Purpose for each budget line; monitor official DOL notices for modifications and clarifications