Needs Assessment.

The Needs Assessment Committee was formed in order to better equip our Roundtable members for funding opportunities. The Needs Assessment Chair will help you through the grant writing and submission process. 
Contact
Gracy Goodwin | Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District | 719-539-5425
arkneedsassessment@gmail.com.

Needs Assessment Committee's Goal

The goal of Needs Assessment is to make sure that every grant that is applied for through the Arkansas Basin roundtable is complete and that the Arkansas Basin Roundtable is supportive of your project.

Water Supply Reserve Fund Grant (WSRF)

What is the Water Supply Reserve Fund Grant (WSRF) Program? 
The WSRF Program provides grants and loans to assist Colorado water users in addressing their critical water supply issues and interests. The funds help eligible entities complete water activities, which may include competitive grants for: ­ 
  • Technical assistance regarding permitting, feasibility studies and environmental compliance; ­
  • Studies or analysis of structural, nonstructural, consumptive and nonconsumptive water needs, projects or activities; and ­
  • Structural and nonstructural water projects or activities.
Requests for funds from the Account must be approved by at least one of Colorado’s nine basin roundtables.  The request is then forwarded to the CWCB to evaluate and make final funding decisions.

​All new WSRF grants must be submitted to arkneedsassessment@gmail.com first for review and then in the CWCB Grant Portal for official submission (linked below) along with the current "Exhibit A and Exhibit B Budget & Schedule" and Roundtable Letter of Support.
WSRF applications require a 25% match and greater weight is given to projects with a higher match. It is important to investigate all funding options available for your project and review the WSRF guidelines prior to filling out the WSRF application. Please choose a funding source that best suits your projects needs and contact a Needs Assessment Chair if you have questions. 
Click here for a downloadable Grant Guidelines
Downloadable version of checklist

Arkansas Basin Roundtable Letters of Support

​Requests for Arkansas Basin Roundtable Letters of Support must be submitted to the Needs Assessment Chair according to the WSRF Needs Assessment Schedule for Statewide WSRF Funds. Letter of Support Requests for Colorado Water Plan grants will need to make a short presentation to the Needs Assessment Committee according to the WSRF schedule. After the meeting, the Needs Assessment Chair will let the applicants know if they will need to present to the full Roundtable or if a Letter of Support will be provided at that time.
If you have any questions or would like to submit an application, please contact the Needs Assessment chair by emailing arkneedsassessment@gmail.com.

Federal Funding

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)- Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act
Funding will leverage public and private investments to keep lead and other contaminants out of drinking water and upgrade aging water infrastructure.
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
NRCS offers voluntary programs to eligible landowners and agricultural producers to provide financial and technical assistance to help manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. Through these programs the agency approves contracts to provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns or opportunities to help save energy, improve soil, water, plant, air, animal and related resources on agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land.
United States Bureau of Reclamation
Water and Energy Efficiency Grants provide cost-shared funding for projects that save water; increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy in water management; support environmental benefits (i.e., make conserved water available in-stream or otherwise address endangered species issues);mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply sustainability in the western United State. ​

Reclamation is in the process of updating the Water Conservation Field Services Program and has issued a temporary Reclamation Manual Release. The goal of this Temporary Reclamation Manual Release (TRMR) D&S is to ensure consistency and efficiency in the process the Bureau of Reclamation uses to carry out financial assistance as part of the Water Conservation Field Services Program. This TRMR provides that financial assistance will be available under the WCFSP for water conservation planning, development of system optimization reviews, designing water management improvements, and demonstration projects. 

The Bureau of Reclamation's new Drought Response Program supports a proactive approach to drought. It will provide assistance to water users for drought contingency planning, including consideration of climate change information and to take actions that will build long-term resiliency to drought. 
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Humanity is reliant upon the physical resources and natural systems of the Earth for the provision of food, energy, and water. It is becoming imperative that we determine how society can best integrate across the natural and build environments to provide for a growing demand for food, water, and energy while maintaining appropriate ecosystem services. The overarching goal of INFEWS is to catalyze well-integrated interdisciplinary and convergent research to transform scientific understanding of the FEW nexus (integrating all three components rather than addressing them separately), in order to improve system function and management, address system stress, increase resilience, and ensure sustainability. 

United States Department of Agriculture
The USDA has several grant/loan programs. Use the link to the right to see the full list of programs and then navigate to existing grants using the links provided on the website. 

State Funding

  • Colorado Water Plan Implementation Grants The purpose of the Water Plan Grant funding is to make progress on the critical actions identified in the Colorado’s Water Plan (CWP) and its Measurable Objectives. All applications will be assessed based on funds available for a particular CWP Measurable Objective category.
  • Water Project Loan Program: Provides low-interest loans to agricultural, municipal and commercial borrowers for the design and construction of raw water projects in Colorado.
  • Colorado Watershed Restoration Grants: Provides grants for watershed/stream restoration and flood mitigation projects throughout the state.
  • Agricultural Emergency Drought Response Program: Provides loans or grants for emergency drought-related water augmentation purposes to Colorado’s agricultural water users.
  • Fish and Wildlife Resources Fund Grants: Provides grant money to existing water supply facilities to help preserve a balance between development of the state’s resources and the protection of the state’s fish and wildlife resources.
  • Weather Modification Grants: Provides state grants to water providers and local governments to assist in funding ground-based wintertime operational cloud seeding programs.
  • Non-Reimbursable Project Investment Grants: Funds water-related projects or studies of statewide impact or importance and Feasibility Studies and projects designed to address statewide, region-wide or basin-wide water issues.
  • Wild and Scenic Rivers Fund: Provides information about obtaining funds for developing alternatives to wild and scenic river designation.
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
GOCO invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state's parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. Our independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has committed more than $917 million in lottery proceeds to more than 4,800 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. 

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Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment


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​Colorado Department of Local Affairs

Private Funding

New Belgium Brewing
Partnering with non-profit organizations and community involvement have always been a part of New Belgium. In 1995 when the philanthropy program was conceived, we began donating $1 for every barrel of beer sold to non-profit organizations in the communities where we sell our beers. This effort spurred the establishment of a philanthropy committee that, to this day, remains the backbone of the program. This inter-departmental group, open to all interested coworkers, researches, reviews and allocates funds to worthy organizations doing important work across our areas of distribution. Since its inception, New Belgium Brewing has donated more than $8 million through our grant programs and in 2015 co-workers donated over 2773 hours of volunteer time to their community. 

CO Bank
CoBank works with water and wastewater not-for-profit associations, municipalities, and investor-owned utility companies to provide the funding required to meet their needs. Many rural Americans depend on CoBank's water customers every time they turn on the tap. Not only are many of their customers in the business of providing clean, safe drinking water to rural areas, but others also process wastewater and deliver other services.