Larimer OEM Community Mitigation Grant Program

Grants for Community-Led Mitigation Projects

Larimer County has a long history of disasters. In fact, Larimer County has had the most federally-declared disasters out of all counties in the State of Colorado since 1965. Hazard mitigation is key to reducing risk - protecting life, preventing property loss, and minimizing disruption to daily life. In addition, studies have found that hazard mitigation is extremely cost-effective, with every single dollar spent on mitigation saving multiple dollars more in avoided future losses.

The Larimer County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) recognizes that the upfront cost of hazard mitigation can be a barrier in this important risk-reducing and cost-saving work. To remove this barrier to communities in Larimer County, the Community Mitigation Grant Program was created in 2022.

Learn more about the program, previously funded projects and the impact to our communities by viewing our Community Mitigation Grant StoryMap.

2024 Grant Cycle

Applications for 2024 cycle Community Mitigation Grant funding are no longer being accepted.

Awards have been made for the 2024 cycle!

How to Apply

Apply here: 2024 Community Mitigation Grant Application
Please use the online form to submit your application. We recommended that you save your proposal and the answers to the application questions, outside of the online form, just in case there are any issues with your online form submission.
An informational webinar was provided February 22, 2024. The webinar slides are available here.

Applicant Eligibility

Eligible applicants include community groups, local non-profit organizations and charitable foundations.

Funding Limitations

The following will NOT be accepted as eligible requests for funding:

Salaries or staff capacity.
Project planning expenses.
Road maintenance and repair.
Food and beverages.

Important Dates

2024 application period opened January 10, 2024 and closed at 11:59pm on March 15, 2024.
Intent to award notices are made following the close of the application period, with awards announced on or before May 1, 2024.

Additional Eligibility Detail

Eligible applicants include community groups, local non-profit organizations and charitable foundations. Small grassroots community groups will take priority over larger non-profits.
Projects must be located in Larimer County and must mitigate the risk from one or more hazard(s).
Applicants may submit applications for proposed project funding up to $10,000.
Applicants may submit applications for only one project per grant cycle.
Applicants can only be awarded twice in a three year period. Why? Fundamentally the Community Mitigation Grant program aims to remove financial barriers and catalyze grassroot efforts for mitigation activities at the community scale. We seek to help build momentum and help contribute to a community sense of agency for longer term self-sufficiency in this important risk reduction work. Meaning, this program provides funding that is intended to be supplemental, not supplanting. Additionally we want to create opportunities for all communities across Larimer County, giving us a chance to spread this supplemental funding support around to all corners of the county.
Important Note: Successful applicants will demonstrate community support and community engagement with their proposed project. Preference will be given to projects including multiple stakeholders, with large community buy-in and participation. This grant program is designed to incite community collaboration, reward neighbors helping neighbors and improve social capital - ultimately increasing resilience to future disaster or disruption.

Grant Criteria

Grant funding will be awarded via a competitive process. Proposals will be scored by Larimer County OEM using a points-based system. Points are given based on the following:

1. Overall contribution to community resilience and risk reduction as a result of the project. (5 points)

- Community resilience: How, and to what extent, will this project improve the community's ability to cope with disaster?

- Risk reduction: How, and to what extent, will this project reduce future hazard impacts to the community?

2. Community involvement and buy-in, both for the proposed project and for future mitigation efforts. (5 points)

- Community involvement: Will there widespread participation in the project all in the community or neighborhood, or rather only a small number of people?

- Community buy-in: Are there other funds being contributed to the project? Will there be contribution of in-kind resources to the project (such as volunteer time, use of community/community-member owned equipment, etc.)?

- Future efforts: What are the long term plans to continue or build on the efforts proposed in the application? Is this proposal part of a larger related project?

3. Partnerships developed or maintained during the planning of the project. (5 points)

- Collaboration: Who did you collaborate with (and how) during the development of this proposal?

- Stakeholder support: Who are the stakeholders to this proposal and how were their interests represented during the development of this proposal?

Total of 15 points available.

If the proposal is not awarded due to a low score relative to other proposals, applicants are welcome to inquire about suggested project and proposal improvements for future consideration.

Grant Administration

Grants will be awarded on a reimbursement basis. However, in extenuating circumstances, Larimer County OEM is willing to negotiate with the applicant the provision of funds up front if the applicant cannot complete the project due to lack of available funding capacity. Again this is only in extenuating circumstances and will be determined on a case by case basis; there is no guarantee that this is possible and may require in-depth justification and assurance.
If selected for award, an Agreement between Larimer County and the grant recipient is required prior to finalizing the award and receiving funds. The Agreement will include the amount of the grant award, and will address the scope of the funding award, the timeline for project completion, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other conditions.
After receiving and finalizing an award, and prior to any project work beginning, a community project kick off meeting with all stakeholders involved must occur. OEM must be made aware of the meeting and attending stakeholders prior to the meeting occurring. An OEM representative will attend if able.
If a funded project changes from the initial application and budget, a written change request is required and OEM must approve the change before any dollars are spent, in order for those expenses to be eligible for reimbursement.
The award recipient must keep track of all project expenditures and submit receipts or proof of payment for all items purchased to be eligible for reimbursement.
Pictures of the project activity (before, during and after) must be taken and submitted to OEM.
OEM may request a site visit prior to, during, or after the project’s completion.
OEM reserves the right to request any detail or clarification on the project.
A final report on the project, its outcomes and all substantiating documentation for expenses must be submitted by 11:59pm on November 3rd, 2024.
Any grant funded project work or activity occurring on private property MUST be allowed and permissible by the property owner(s). The appropriate permission from the property owner must be granted in writing to the community member or person/entity managing the community project.

2023 Grant Awardees

Award Amount	Award Recipient	Project Name	Hazard Mitigated
$7,000	Big Elk Meadows Association	Wildfire Mitigation	Wildfire
$2,300	Carriage Hills Property Owners Association	Slash Disposal	Wildfire
$10,000	Crystal Lakes Road and Recreation Association	Hidden Park Mitigation and Emergency Vehicle Staging Area	Wildfire
$5,000	Community Mitigation Volunteers	Mitigation Tool Library	Wildfire
$10,000	Horsetooth Lake Estates	Wildfire Mitigation and Preparedness	Wildfire
$5,700	Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District	Community Mitigation Initiative and Mitigation Demonstration	Wildfire
$10,000	Red Feather Highlands Maintenance Association	Slash Removal	Wildfire
$5,000	Riverrock Estates Homeowners Association	Defensible Space Project	Wildfire

2022 Grant Awardees

Award Amount	Award Recipient	Project Name	Hazard Mitigated
$10,000	Crystal Mountain Road Association	Post-Fire High Water Diversion	Flood
$8,000	Estes Valley Watershed Coalition	Marys Lake Forest Health and Wildfire Mitigation	Wildfire
$8,000	Glacier View Meadows Road and Recreation Association	Slash Chipping	Wildfire
$1,362	Glen Haven Association	Chipping Program	Wildfire
$8,000	Horsetooth Lake Estates Homeowners Association	Wildfire Mitigation	Wildfire
$6,000	Lazy D Corporation	River Debris Clean Up	Flood
$5,368	Red Feather Highlands Maintenance Association	Wildfire Mitigation	Wildfire
$3,000	The Retreat Landowners Association	Chipping Program	Wildfire