Best Grants for Foster Care Group Homes in Colorado

The Colorado AmeriCorp Operational Grant, administered by Serve Colorado, aims to enhance community service through AmeriCorps funding. It supports programs targeting workforce development, health care, and green infrastructure, focusing on underserved communities. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to priority areas, ensuring high-quality program designs to improve lives and foster civic participation. This grant empowers organizations to engage AmeriCorps members in impactful service, promoting economic mobility and advancing racial equity, while addressing local community needs.

About Serve Colorado

Serve Colorado works under the leadership of the Governor’s Commission on Community Service to distribute and administer Colorado AmeriCorps State funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency. The mission of AmeriCorps is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic participation through service and volunteering.

Planning Grants

This Notice is for organizations interested in applying for a 2026-2027 Serve Colorado AmeriCorps State planning grant. An AmeriCorps planning grant provides organizations with resources to assess the feasibility, readiness, and design of a potential AmeriCorps program or to explore opportunities to deepen the reach, scale, impact, or effectiveness of existing service models. The goal is to develop a strong, sustainable program model that is responsive to community priorities and positioned to pursue future AmeriCorps operational funding. 

Serve Colorado is seeking planning grant applications in the following areas: 

• State Service Plan Alignment and Program Strengthening
• AmeriCorps Program Expansion into Colorado

Funding

Serve Colorado awards planning grants up to $150,000. The project period will be co-determined by the applicant and Serve Colorado based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the applicants’ familiarity with AmeriCorps organizational capacity, and proposed timeline. Per statute, the planning grant award may not last more than 365 days and cannot be extended for any reason.

Colorado K–12 school districts, BOCES, and eligible education agencies serving highly mobile students can apply for the Colorado Department of Education’s Educational Stability Grant to fund academic and social-emotional supports. Programs assisting foster care, homeless, or migrant youth in Colorado group homes or related settings may be eligible if they address school stability and improved outcomes.

Nonprofit and community-based youth programs in Colorado that create culturally responsive, out-of-school spaces for BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and other youth facing inequities can apply for the Colorado Health Foundation’s Developing Agency, Identity, and Belonging grants, with awards up to $125,000 per year. Foster care group homes offering sustained, identity-affirming programming may be eligible.

Grants help Colorado health clinics and public agencies cover contraception costs, especially long-acting methods, for uninsured, underinsured, or confidential-care patients. Grants from Caring for Colorado Foundation support reproductive healthcare access and reduced financial barriers, which may benefit foster care group homes partnering with safety-net clinics to serve young people facing health inequities.

Greenawalt Foundation

Our Mission

The Greenawalt Foundation advances opportunities in the skilled trades through funding for accredited pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, workforce training initiatives, and youth career exploration experiences. These programs promote technical readiness and connect STEM education to modern trades careers, building a stronger, more sustainable workforce. Foundation support focuses on expanding access and creating equitable pathways to prosperity for individuals pursuing skilled trades careers. Through these efforts, the Foundation helps develop the next generation of skilled professionals who will shape the future of our communities.

Community Grant

The Greenawalt Foundation extends its commitment to opportunity and well-being through community grants that support nonprofit organizations serving women, children, and vulnerable populations. These grants focus on programs that promote safety, stability, and self-sufficiency, including initiatives supporting domestic violence recovery, foster care, the working poor, and animal welfare. Foundation support strengthens the social fabric of communities and expands access to essential resources for those in need. Through these efforts, the Foundation helps build stronger, more compassionate communities where individuals and families can thrive.

Areas of Support

We focus our community grants on initiatives that align with our mission of compassion, opportunity, and empowerment. Areas of support may include:

• Domestic violence prevention and survivor support
• Programs for women and children
• Family assistance and poverty relief initiatives
• Foster care, youth development, and educational support
• Animal welfare and community-based rescue programs

Students with financial need pursuing higher education, including those from foster care backgrounds in Colorado, can apply for the Kenneth and Ardyce Heiting Scholarship. Marshfield Area Community Foundation provides support to help cover educational costs, with preference given to applicants who have been in the foster care system and face financial barriers to college access.

Colorado students pursuing higher education, especially those connected with foster care or Hospice services, can use this scholarship to support college costs. Central Kentucky Community Foundation’s Dr. Gary King Sharp Memorial Scholarship requires at least a 2.5 GPA and prioritizes first-generation college students, which may benefit youth from foster care group homes planning postsecondary study.

Child welfare and foster care organizations in Colorado can access funding to provide home studies and post-release services for unaccompanied children through the US Dept. of Health & Human Services: Administration for Children & Families, with awards from US $1,000,000 - US $50,000,000. Grants from this federal program support safe placements, community connections, and ongoing case support.

Youth who are or were in Nevada foster care and pursuing college, trade, or vocational programs can apply for the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada’s Foster Children Education Scholarship, awarding $1,000 - $5,000 for one year. Colorado foster care organizations may share this opportunity with eligible former foster youth who meet the academic and financial-need criteria.

Young people exiting foster care or living in poverty in North Carolina who want to attend accredited postsecondary institutions in the U.S. can receive more than US $1,000 through the Joyce Price Johnson’s Samaritan Fund. Administered by North Carolina Community Foundation, primary consideration goes to students from Wayne County and neighboring counties, which Colorado foster care organizations may reference when advising eligible youth.

The EMF Family Building Grants, offered by the Expect Miracles Foundation, support young adult cancer survivors in their fertility treatment and family-building efforts. These grants are designed for applicants with a clear family-building plan and financial strategy, helping bridge the gap in costs associated with fertility preservation, assisted reproductive technologies, and related services. By prioritizing those actively engaged in their journey, the foundation aims to empower survivors to pursue their dreams of family.

Orphaned or former foster care students planning full-time undergraduate study, including those from Colorado, can receive college tuition support, mentoring, and leadership training through the ISF New Student Scholarship. Grants from Investing in the Success of Foster Youth help young adults with strong character and a 2.5+ GPA pursue higher education and personal growth.

Colorado foster youth and emancipated young adults pursuing post-secondary education can receive US $1,000 - US $10,000 scholarships to help cover college or vocational costs. The Denver Foundation provides this funding for individuals who spent at least 12 months in Colorado’s foster care system and demonstrate academic potential and financial need.

Colorado child and youth services organizations working in areas like foster care, homelessness, or related systems may be eligible for support to strengthen programs and organizational capacity. Laird Norton Family Foundation funds U.S.-based nonprofits through youth-focused human services, arts in education, climate, and watershed stewardship programs; interested groups must first review priorities and then email a brief description of their work.

Colorado 501(c)(3) organizations supporting foster children, domestic violence survivors, or sexual assault victims can seek funding to provide shelter, counseling, education, and related services. Grants from When Georgia Smiled help U.S. child foster care and adoption services expand programs, improve facilities, and strengthen outcomes for children and families in crisis.

Colorado 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving children and youth affected by child abuse and neglect can apply for In-N-Out Burgers Foundation grants of US $10,000 - US $50,000 to support programs or general operations. Foster care and adoption service providers, including group homes in eligible Colorado counties, may be competitive if they closely match the foundation’s mission.

Colorado 501(c)(3) and similar child welfare and foster care organizations can receive US $2,000 - US $10,000 to support general operations, specific projects, or occasional capital needs. McGraw Foundation primarily funds greater Chicago–area nonprofits, so Colorado foster care group homes may be eligible only if their work or presence aligns with the foundation’s stated geographic focus.

With a mission to advance plasma science and engineering, National Science Foundation provides Colorado research institutions and STEM-focused organizations with support for fundamental and translational plasma research. Projects in chemistry, physics, materials science, or space science that address clear societal or technological needs may be eligible, including those at HBCUs, MSIs, and EPSCoR-eligible institutions.

The Caring for Pueblo County Grant Program aims to promote equity for children, youth, and families by funding initiatives in four key areas: Basic Needs, Social & Emotional Well-Being, Behavioral Health, and Economic Stability. The program recognizes the importance of nurturing environments for young people's development and success. It seeks to address critical needs such as safety, nutrition, and housing, while fostering resilience and well-being through community-driven support and flexible funding opportunities.

The Family Unification Program (FUP) aims to assist families and youth at risk of homelessness by providing Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) assistance. It targets families facing housing issues that could lead to out-of-home placement for children and youth aged 18-24 who have aged out of foster care. The program offers flexible voucher durations, with extensions available under specific conditions, ensuring support for those in need of stable housing.

The Residential Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children program, funded by the US Department of Health & Human Services, aims to provide safe and child-centered care for unaccompanied minors. This initiative supports organizations that can offer 24/7 services and are licensed to provide necessary care, including group homes and transitional foster care, particularly in areas near the U.S. southern border, ensuring the well-being of vulnerable children.