FAQs

1. Do you provide general operating support?

   No. Because BHS grant funding is funded by sales tax dollars for the specific purpose of providing behavioral health services (directly or indirectly) to Larimer County residents, we do not fund general operating requests and only accept requests for program/project support.

2. Does BHS have a minimum or maximum amount that can be requested?

   Award amounts typically range from $10,000 to $150,000 with a maximum request of up to $250,000. Organizations should request a justifiable amount of financial support to implement the program/project.

   We prefer to not be the sole funder for any project/program. We generally prefer that our funds not exceed 25% of an organization’s budget. We encourage applicants to develop diversified funding streams composed of individual, government, and private funding sources for projects and programs.

3. What is the typical duration of the grants?

   Up to 12 months.

4. What reports are required?

   We require an interim report six months into the grant period and a comprehensive final report at the end of the grant period. The interim report is just a brief progress report to let us know how things are going with your program and if any adjustments may need to be made to the grant award or the period of performance.

5. My organization has a fiscal sponsor. Are there any special guidelines I should know about?

   Yes, a signed agreement between the applicant organization and its fiscal sponsor must be submitted before any grant award is final. The fiscal sponsor’s financial documents must also be submitted with the grant application. Any fiscal sponsor fee should be included in the grant budget and the rate identified in the indirect costs (which is capped at 20% of the requested budget).

6. Does my organization or project have to be in Larimer County?

   Your organization does not have to be located in Larimer County. However, based on our founding ballot language, we only accept applications for programs or projects that serve the residents of Larimer County. Programs or projects with a broader geographic focus may apply, however, the proposal must address its relevance to the behavioral health impact of people living in Larimer County. We can only consider grant funding for the portion of your program or project that serves Larimer County residents.

7. I see that BHS cannot supplant existing funds. What does that mean?

   Grant recipients may not supplant existing federal, state, city, or other local agency funds with funds from BHS. However, our funds may be used to supplement existing funds to expand the scope of an existing behavioral health program or project.

8. Who should register for my organization?

   The Primary Contact. The Primary Contact is the individual responsible for receiving email notifications relating to the application and grant, if awarded. They will be an active “User” in the system and will have access to submit the Application, Application Revisions (if requested), Interim Reports, Final Reports and Amendment Requests. If multiple people need to be notified, we suggest using a shared email alias as the user login so that multiple people can be included in the email notifications. Additional contacts at your organization can be entered into the grant portal upon request, as needed.

9. What funding area should I select for my application?

   Please select the Targeted Grant that best fits your project. If you are unsure of where you best fit, please reach out to bhsgrants@larimer.org and we will be happy to assist. If reviewers and staff believe you fit in a funding area different from where you applied, the application will simply be reassigned to a different funding area for evaluation and consideration.

10. Can I apply for more than one grant?

    We encourage you to submit one application per organization. However, an organization may apply for more than one grant if it is for separate and distinct programs. Your organization or agency may also be listed as a partner on more than one request.

11. Can I reapply for the same program/project as last year?

    Yes, if you are reapplying for the same program/project you will be asked slight variations of questions in the application that focus on the current progress and how the additional funding is needed to further the work on the program/project.

12. Do you fund salary expenses?

    Yes, we allow for requests for salary expenses.

13. Do you give any multi-year grants?

    Not at this time.

14. Does the number of people served by a proposed program matter?

    It is certainly something that the evaluation committees consider, but we also evaluate the success and impact of programs both qualitatively and quantitatively.

15. Do you provide overhead/indirect costs?

    Yes, up to 20%. BHS recognizes it is simply not possible for any organization to deliver successfully on anything funded by program/project grants without supporting the critical infrastructure and functions that support them. That is why BHS allows up to 20% indirect costs as part of the proposed budget.

16. Can I include equipment purchases in my grant request?

    Requests for equipment will generally not be considered. BHS uses the federal definition of equipment (as stated in 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92) that equipment is an article of “tangible nonexpendable personal property…having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit.” However, supplies necessary for a proposed project (e.g., computers or tablets) may be considered, so long as the acquisition cost per unit is less than $5,000.

17. I am a grant writer with multiple clients. How can I access my clients' applications or grants in the Grants Portal?

    We recommend you work through the Primary Contact for each separate organization to access their application. 

18. If I apply for a grant, when will I find out if we were awarded or not?

    Once the application period is closed, the review and approval process will take approximately eight weeks to complete. Applicants will be notified of award decisions (awarded or declined) by email in September.

19. If we are awarded, what are next steps?

    Applicants that are awarded will receive an award letter that includes details about next steps. In some cases, the award amount may vary from your original request. If this happens, revisions will need to be made before contracting. A grant agreement with detailed information about the terms of your grant award will be sent to you through the electronic signature platform, DocuSign.

20. Is feedback available for a declined application?

    Yes. Please reach out to bhsgrants@larimer.org to request feedback.

21. What is considered an allowable or eligible expense in the budget for my program/project funded by the grant?

    In general, expenses must be allowable, allocable, necessary, reasonable, adequately documented and incurred during the approved period of performance for the grant award. Detailed descriptions of each criteria can be found through our Accounting Support page which is found under our Post-Award Guidance. You may also view the list of exclusions for expenses that are not covered by grant funding.

22. Can you explain the direct costs, indirect costs, and total costs that you're looking for in the budget?

    Direct Costs are those costs that are allowable and which can be identified specifically with a particular award and accounted for separately with a high degree of accuracy.

    Indirect Costs are those costs incurred in support of general business operations, but which are not attributable to a specific program or project (also known as 'Facilities and Administrative (F&A)" or "overhead" costs) e.g., the costs of heat and air conditioning, electricity, building maintenance, security, administrative services, etc.

    • Indirect Cost Calculation: A Base Amount is determined by adding together all direct costs (-) minus any items that are potentially exempt from indirect costs (i.e. modified total direct costs). 
    • (Base Amount) x (Indirect Cost Rate) = Indirect Costs

    Total Costs = Direct Costs + Indirect Costs

    Example: 

    $ 75,000 Total Direct Costs (TDC) base

    + $ 15,000 20% Indirect costs on TDC base

    $ 90,000 Total Costs