Best El Paso County Grants for Nonprofits in Colorado

The Building Foundation Grants by Catholic Extension aim to support essential pastoral and administrative functions in under-resourced communities. These grants provide salary subsidies and operational funding to ordained, religious, and lay ministers, ensuring access to Catholic services. Prioritizing areas with significant financial need, this initiative seeks to sustain the church's presence where it is most critical, enabling continued ministry and outreach for those who may otherwise be underserved.

The FHL Foundation Giving program focuses on Animal & Human Welfare in its Winter 2026 Grant Cycle, from December 7, 2025, to January 7, 2026. Interested organizations should email to discuss potential trackable projects. Grants are awarded to 501(c)(3) organizations in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, with clear objectives that can be measured. The foundation meets quarterly to review proposals across various focus areas, ensuring accountability in grant spending.

The Mary K. Chapman Foundation Grant supports various program areas, including arts, education, healthcare, and social services, primarily in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Eligible projects may focus on community enhancement and nature conservation. Funding can be used for general operations, capital needs, and capacity building. However, event sponsorships and support for individuals are not eligible. Applications must be submitted by the first of the month prior to board meetings held quarterly.

Ent Credit Union

Ent’s mission is to improve our members’ financial quality of life. We make the communities we serve more vibrant and believe it is part of our responsibility to make a lasting, positive impact through our work as a financial cooperative and as a philanthropic partner. We foster mutually supportive relationships with, and strive to amplify the message of, the charitable organizations we support. 

Community Advocacy

By definition, a “community advocate” has a vested interest in the development of a neighborhood or community. At Ent, we believe that being an advocate for the numerous neighborhoods and communities we serve across the Front Range is crucial for our communities to thrive. 

Helping our communities across Colorado

For decades, Ent has contributed millions of dollars to support communities across Colorado as a part of our mission to improve our members’ financial quality of life. As a “community advocate” we have a vested interest in supporting the communities where our owner-members live, work and play.

We are partnering with the Pikes Peak Community Foundation to help us raise awareness of the funding available to organizations through Ent, identify volunteer opportunities for Ent employees and to maximize the impact of our financial contributions.

Ent provides funding to various nonprofits along the Front Range that fall into any of the following impact categories:

• Youth: Primary program impact focuses on children under the age of 18 with emphasis on impact in housing, food, behavioral and/or mental health.
• Education: Primary program impact supports classroom learning at all levels, with an emphasis on organizations that design and manage these educational initiatives. For higher education, the focus is primarily on providing scholarships to students attending Colorado-based universities and community colleges.
• Community: Primary program impact addresses major community issues with a focus on community enrichment, food banks, homelessness, and/or poverty.
• Legacy: Primary program impact does not fit into any categories above but may continue to receive support based on Ent’s Colorado Springs heritage.

Applicants who have received Community Advocacy and/or YES Grants funding within the same calendar year may still qualify for an additional grant. However, if funding is limited, priority will be given to new applicants. Applicants may reapply if their initial application is denied.

The EASI: Exploration Supports Route, initiated by the Colorado Department of Education, provides streamlined funding for school improvement efforts in alignment with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). By consolidating grant applications, Colorado aims to efficiently match schools' needs with evidence-based strategies. This planning phase allows Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to explore diagnostic reviews and community engagement, ultimately enhancing educational outcomes for schools designated under state accountability measures.

The EASI initiative by the Colorado Department of Education focuses on empowering districts to enhance school improvement strategies. Through the District Designed and Led route, districts can leverage tailored implementation support and major improvement strategies. This approach encourages collaboration with external partners, fostering sustainable improvement systems and building staff capacity aligned with effective educational frameworks. The goal is to ensure that schools in need receive the support necessary for meaningful and lasting change.

The Turnaround Leadership Development Program, initiated in 2014, aims to enhance leadership training for low-performing schools in Colorado. Modified in 2018, it became part of the School Transformation Grant program, which funds support for educational improvement. This program identifies participants through the EASI application, targeting schools needing assistance under state accountability measures and ESSA. It aligns with the Colorado Department of Education’s broader strategy to boost student performance across the state.

The School Transformation Network Grant, led by the Colorado Department of Education, aims to enhance student achievement in low-performing schools through targeted support and resources. This initiative fosters collaboration between local schools and their respective educational authorities, providing professional development and personalized learning opportunities. Schools will benefit from specialized guidance and funding, ensuring a robust improvement framework focused on culture, instruction, talent, and leadership development, ultimately driving sustained educational success.

The EASI: Other Services Route, introduced by the Colorado Department of Education, streamlines school improvement funding through a single application process. It targets districts with schools needing comprehensive and targeted support as mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act. This initiative focuses on aligning federal and state accountability while providing resources to enhance educational outcomes. Key routes include Exploration Supports and District Designed Services, fostering effective strategies tailored to local needs.

Great Plains Grassland Fund

The Great Plains Grassland Fund is a public-private grant fund that helps protect and sustainably manage the native grasslands of the Great Plains by pairing land protection strategies with technical and financial assistance for ranchers. The program aims to permanently conserve high-value grasslands at risk of conversion through easements and other durable land protection tools; support ranchers and communities with resources to improve grazing management, maintain working lands, and keep grasslands intact; and build a durable funding mechanism that leverages public and private capital, supports qualified implementation partners, and advances community-led conservation projects across the region.

Summary

The Fund will operate as a funding mechanism to facilitate capital aggregation and disbursement to strategically protect grasslands across the Great Plains. The primary objectives for this Fund include:

• Permanently protect land using conservation easements in areas with high conservation value, high conversion risk, and strong community buy-in
• Leverage technical and financial resources to improve grazing land management in and around the areas under protection status
• Engage local communities in identifying sites for protection and planning conservation and grazing land management
• Measure and report key progress indicators for conversion, biodiversity, water and rancher livelihoods

Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program

COSWAP funds can be spent on all land ownership types.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Executive Director’s Office is the primary manager of the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program. Per statute, the Colorado State Forest Service, Division of Fire Prevention and Control and DNR work collaboratively on program design.

The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) is designed to support wildfire risk reduction efforts in Colorado to protect life, property, and infrastructure. COSWAP was created after the devastating 2020 fire season by the Colorado legislature through the bi-partisan supported SB21-258. After a successful grant cycle, the program was permanently funded in the 2023 legislative session. While housed within the Department of Natural Resources, COSWAP was collaboratively designed by representatives from the Colorado State Forest Service and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. This partnership helps ensure the program aligns with other state work and priorities.

Focus

All projects must be focused on reducing wildfire risk to life, property and critical infrastructure. SWIFT and conservation corps projects must be appropriate for hand crew work. This includes, but is not limited to, forest thinning, fuelbreaks, chipping, biomass removal, and pile or broadcast burning. Funding includes Awards of conservation corps or State Wildland Inmate Fire Teams crew time to complete on the ground fire mitigation work, as well as a cash grant for project management expenses. Cash awards for fire mitigation workforce development training. No defensible space projects. 

The Strategic Focus Areas include Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties plus Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas.

Funding

We typically fund 6 to 25 weeks of crew work or up to $100,000. A 25% match is required for cash awards, with the exception of tribal entities.

Nonprofits, fiscally sponsored groups, and tax-supported entities in El Paso County, Colorado can seek up to US $5,000 for capacity-building projects that strengthen organizational skills, systems, and structures. With a mission to improve community health, Colorado Springs Health Foundation supports initiatives tied to healthcare access, suicide and trauma prevention, food, physical activity, and affordable housing.

The Black Hills Charitable Giving Program supports community growth by providing sponsorships and donations to eligible organizations. Focused on thriving communities, conservation, and nurturing future leaders, it invites applications from 501(c)(3) organizations and schools. Funding priorities include critical needs like food security and education, while requests benefiting individuals or political causes are generally not funded. Applications are accepted year-round, with decisions made within 120 days.

The T. Rowe Price Foundation, established in 1981, primarily supports nonprofit organizations in Baltimore, Colorado Springs, San Francisco, and New York. While most grants are by invitation, unsolicited proposals are also considered. The foundation emphasizes community engagement, collaboration, and unrestricted funding to enhance the operational capacity of nonprofits, enabling them to address critical social issues effectively. With over $194 million in grants awarded, it focuses on fostering strong leaders and equitable solutions in the communities it serves.

About PPCF

Community foundations are tax-exempt public charities that help guide people’s philanthropy and are dedicated to improving the quality of life in the areas they serve. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations work with community foundations to create charitable funds that help meet the challenges of changing times. The foundation invests and administers these funds.

For donors, community foundations offer a range of charitable giving options that provide tax benefits and strategic advice about philanthropy. For the geographic region they serve, community foundations provide leadership, expertise and capital to address social issues and serve as a resource for nonprofit, civic, government and philanthropic organizations.

Pikes Peak Community Foundation (PPCF) offers several Community Funds dedicated to supporting the important work of front-line nonprofit organizations in the Pikes Peak Region (El Paso and Teller Counties). We invite submissions that align with resident priorities our vision of a thriving, resilient, sustainable Pikes Peak Region with a vibrant quality of life for all. Projects that maximize impact measured both qualitatively and quantitively.

Pikes Peak Fund for the Outdoors

Living near and around Pikes Peak creates a love for the natural beauty of our region. The purpose of the Pikes Peak Fund for the Outdoors is to advance growth, stewardship, preservation, and responsible use of outdoor spaces in the Pikes Peak Region.

Previous grantees include:

• El Paso County Parks
• Palmer Land Conservancy
• Trust for Public Land

About PPCF

Community foundations are tax-exempt public charities that help guide people’s philanthropy and are dedicated to improving the quality of life in the areas they serve. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations work with community foundations to create charitable funds that help meet the challenges of changing times. The foundation invests and administers these funds.

For donors, community foundations offer a range of charitable giving options that provide tax benefits and strategic advice about philanthropy. For the geographic region they serve, community foundations provide leadership, expertise and capital to address social issues and serve as a resource for nonprofit, civic, government and philanthropic organizations.

Pikes Peak Community Foundation (PPCF) offers several Community Funds dedicated to supporting the important work of front-line nonprofit organizations in the Pikes Peak Region (El Paso and Teller Counties). We invite submissions that align with resident priorities our vision of a thriving, resilient, sustainable Pikes Peak Region with a vibrant quality of life for all. Projects that maximize impact measured both qualitatively and quantitively.

Pikes Peak Fund for the Arts

Art and culture are essential to the human experience and contribute significantly to overall quality of life. Since inception, the Pikes Peak Fund for the Arts has awarded more than half a million dollars to enhance arts and culture in the Pikes Peak Region. Pooling resources from multiple funding sources allows for investment in projects with significant impact that advance a diverse arts and culture environment creating a vibrant quality of life for all our residents.

Previous grantees include:

• Colorado Springs Philharmonic
• Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region
• Rocky Mountain Highway

About PPCF

Community foundations are tax-exempt public charities that help guide people’s philanthropy and are dedicated to improving the quality of life in the areas they serve. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations work with community foundations to create charitable funds that help meet the challenges of changing times. The foundation invests and administers these funds.

For donors, community foundations offer a range of charitable giving options that provide tax benefits and strategic advice about philanthropy. For the geographic region they serve, community foundations provide leadership, expertise and capital to address social issues and serve as a resource for nonprofit, civic, government and philanthropic organizations.

Pikes Peak Community Foundation (PPCF) offers several Community Funds dedicated to supporting the important work of front-line nonprofit organizations in the Pikes Peak Region (El Paso and Teller Counties). We invite submissions that align with resident priorities our vision of a thriving, resilient, sustainable Pikes Peak Region with a vibrant quality of life for all. Projects that maximize impact measured both qualitatively and quantitively.

Pikes Peak Fund for a Thriving Community

The Pikes Peak Fund for a Thriving Community funds emerging needs and opportunities in our region. It fully aligns with our vision of a thriving, resilient, sustainable community with a vibrant quality of life for all. It provides everyone, regardless of their giving capacity, the opportunity to engage in high-impact philanthropy, addressing our community’s greatest needs and opportunities.

Previous grantees include:

• Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
• Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience
• Peak Education

Colorado Springs Health Foundation provides El Paso County, Colorado nonprofits, public agencies, and fiscally sponsored groups with funding to support multi-organization collaborations addressing complex community health challenges. Eligible projects must focus on areas like healthcare access, suicide or trauma prevention, food, physical activity, or affordable housing, and serve residents of El Paso and/or Teller Counties.

The KeyBank Foundation offers Community Sponsorships to support local organizations in their fundraising efforts. These sponsorships range from $500 to $5,000 and can fund events or provide general operating support. Applications are accepted from January to October, with a decision made within 90 days. Eligible nonprofits must serve areas where KeyBank operates and adhere to strict ineligibility criteria, including no support for individuals or organizations that discriminate based on various identities.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, fiscally sponsored groups, and tax-supported entities in El Paso County, Colorado can apply for Colorado Springs Health Foundation’s capacity-building grants to strengthen organizational systems, planning, and effectiveness. Funding supports discrete projects like strategic planning, evaluation, training, restructuring, process improvement, or one-time technology that enhance health-related programs serving El Paso and/or Teller Counties.

Nonprofit organizations working on food access, physical activity, or affordable and transitional housing in El Paso County, Colorado can seek general operating, program, or capital support. Colorado Springs Health Foundation prioritizes experienced organizations addressing community health inequities with evidence-based or innovative approaches and clear plans to measure impact; current open grantees are not eligible.

The Rural Arts Initiative Grant Program, established by the Laura Jane Musser Fund, aims to support nonprofit arts organizations in rural communities. The program encourages access to the arts through scholarships, community engagement, and innovative activities. Priority is given to organizations located in areas with populations under 20,000, ensuring that artistic opportunities are available to both adults and children. Applications are accepted for one year of funding, with potential for up to three consecutive years.

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits in El Paso County, Colorado working in STEM education or supporting military personnel, veterans, and their families can seek community investment funding. BAE Systems provides grants to organizations with strong financial health and a solid Charity Navigator–style rating, emphasizing future workforce development and youth engagement in science, engineering, technology, and math.

The Bee Vradenburg Foundation Grant supports equity and inclusion in the arts within the Pikes Peak region. It aims to advocate for the importance of arts education, support diverse artists and art forms, and foster resilience among local arts organizations. With a straightforward application process, the foundation encourages community engagement and partnerships, making it easier for applicants to contribute to the region's cultural landscape. Grants are reviewed quarterly, and applications are accepted year-round.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative's Charitable Giving Program focuses on supporting communities across its nine-state service territory. The program reviews funding requests periodically and allocates donations to various categories, including education, health services, civic betterment, and cultural initiatives. Additionally, it offers matching funds for member donations and contributes surplus office equipment to organizations in need. This commitment to community growth and sustainability reflects Basin Electric's mission to enhance the well-being of its members.

BOK Charitable Contributions aims to enhance community life and economic wellbeing across several states, focusing on four key pillars: United Way, economic development, education, and basic needs. The foundation supports organizations that address poverty, education, and community health. Their strategic approach ensures impactful contributions, and they welcome grant applications year-round. BOK Financial's commitment is evident in its partnerships with local nonprofits, fostering sustainable growth and development in the regions they serve.

The Building Leaders Grants by Catholic Extension aim to enhance the recruitment, education, and ongoing formation of church leaders. This initiative provides critical funding for the professional development of both ordained and lay leaders in mission dioceses. By fostering partnerships with various organizations, it addresses the need for trained ministers and supports various funding areas, including seminarian sponsorship and diaconate formation, ensuring a robust future for church leadership.