June 25, 2026

One year ago today, Communities Lead Communities Thrive (CLCT) launched the Colorado State Grant Database for Nonprofits. The database was created in response to a challenge nonprofit leaders across Colorado told us they were facing every day: finding and tracking state grant opportunities was often difficult, time-consuming, and frustrating.

The goal was simple: create a one-stop shop where organizations could easily find state grant opportunities and spend less time searching for funding information and more time serving their communities.

Organizations were spending valuable time searching for state grant opportunities across dozens of agency websites, navigating different formats, tracking multiple deadlines, and trying to determine whether funding opportunities even existed. For large organizations with dedicated grant staff, the process was challenging. For small, rural, and community-based nonprofits already stretched thin, it could be overwhelming.

Again and again, nonprofit leaders told us the same thing: finding state grant opportunities shouldn’t be this difficult. CLCT heard those concerns and, in the absence of any solutions from the State of Colorado, we decided to take action.

What began as a community-informed solution has since grown into a statewide resource. Over the past year, the database has helped connect nonprofits across Colorado to state funding opportunities by bringing information from multiple agencies together in a single, searchable location.

We’re proud that since our launch, our database has made a real difference for nonprofits across Colorado. Here are some of the stats from our first year:

• 175 grant opportunities featured from 25 state agencies and departments
• Visited over 11,000 times
• Accessed by nearly 1,300 unique users from 51 counties across Colorado

As nonprofits began using the database, they also helped shape its future. Their feedback informed updates and improvements designed to make the tool even easier to navigate and more useful for organizations seeking funding opportunities.

In early 2026, CLCT launched an updated version of the database with enhanced search and filtering capabilities, making it easier for users to identify opportunities that fit their needs and track upcoming grants – and we’re continuing to improve it.

Today, CLCT is proactively reaching out to state agencies and departments, encouraging them to share grant information through a standardized process that can make opportunities more transparent, accessible, and easier to find. While the database was created to help nonprofits navigate a fragmented system, we also believe there is an opportunity to improve how grant information is shared in the first place.

This work reflects a broader lesson we have seen throughout our Funding the Frontlines Policy Agenda: communities often identify challenges long before policymakers do. And when communities come together to solve those challenges, they can build practical solutions that make a real difference.

The Colorado State Grant Database exists because nonprofit leaders told us there was a problem. It has continued to grow because nonprofit leaders continue to use it, improve it, and advocate for a better system. That’s what community-led solutions look like.

As we celebrate one year of the Colorado State Grant Database, we’re grateful to every nonprofit leader, grant seeker, and partner who helped make it possible. And we’d love to hear from you!

Has your organization found or received funding through the Colorado State Grant Database? Share your story with us at cograntsdatabase@coclct.org as we continue working to make state grant funding more accessible for nonprofits across Colorado. We also welcome your questions and feedback so we can continue to improve!