Grants

Yampa/White/Green Basin Roundtable Water Supply Reserve Fund (WSRF)
Grant Application Guidelines

The Water Supply Reserve Fund Grant Program (WSRF) is one of the grant programs that the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) operates.  The WSRF grant program consists of money set aside to complete basin projects in accordance with the Basin Implementation Plan (BIP) and Colorado Water Plan (CWP).  Each of the nine basins have their own account.

The Yampa-White-Green Basin WSRF account is overseen by the YWG BRT.  The Basin Roundtable will review the project to verify that it meets the BIP or CWP goals for the objectives of the basin.  Applicants requesting funding from this account will also be reviewed by CWCB to confirm that their evaluation criteria are met.

The proposed water project shall be evaluated using the WSRF Guidelines and the criteria for state support in Colorado’s Water Plan. In general, the proposal will be evaluated on how well it aligns with the respective Basin Implementation Plan(s). Preference is given to projects that have multiple benefits, multiple purposes and involve multiple stakeholders. Consideration is also given to the timing of projects with priority given to projects with an earlier start date.

Timeline for the Yampa-White-Green Basin Roundtable Water Supply Reserve Fund Grant Cycles

Application Steps

Discovery Phase

• Review the YWG BRT Guidelines
• Review the CWCB WSRF Instruction, Criteria and Guidelines
• Review the YWG RT BIP Goals/Process/Outcomes
• For WSRF grant application that includes Statewide Funds review the Colorado Water Plan
• Decide if project will meet the requirements of the CWCB and YWG RT BIP Goals
• If needed, a short presentation can be given to the YWG RT to see if there is support from the YWG BRT.  To set up a presentation please contact the Grant Committee Chair

UNDER $10K GRANT APPLICANTS:

Step 2

Present at the RT Grant Committee Meeting

• A presentation about the project will be given to the grant committee
• A typical presentation is no more than 15 minutes, with about an additional 10 minutes for questions by the committee
• The applicant will have two weeks

Step 3

For a small grant request, draft out the CWCB Application including Exhibits in case there are questions that may arise about the application during the full BRT meeting

Step 4

Present a short three slide presentation to the full BRT

• The Roundtable will try to have the second presentation the month following the first presentation, but this is not a guarantee depending on agenda or issues with the application
• This presentation is limited to three slides and 7 minutes, followed by 7 minutes of questions then 1 – 2 more minutes for motions and voting. A total of 15 minutes per grant is the maximum time that will be allowed for grant decisions
• The RT will vote to award or not to award the grant request

Step 5

Submit the full CWCB application to the CWCB (Small grants will have to finalize the CWCB application before submitting to CWCB)

• The applicant must ensure that the Roundtable Chair submits a letter of recommendation to the CWCB

Step 6

CWCB approval

• Grant amounts up to $50,000: the CWCB Director may sign those independent of a CWCB Board meeting
• Grants from $50,001 to $99,999 will be placed on the CWCB meeting consent agenda
• Grants $100,000 or more will require a presentation to the CWCB board
  The CWCB board will vote yes or no on the Grant Request

Step 7

Contract with the State after the CWCB approves of the Grant request

• For grants under $100,000, doing a Purchase Order (P.O) may be the best option, and typically takes from 2 to 3 months after CWCB approval to acquire the funds
• For grants over $100,000, contracting is required and can take 4 to 6 months or longer depending on size and complexity of the project
• Recognizing the limited resources of certain entities, past expenditures directly related to the water activity may be considered as matching funds if the expenditures occurred within 9 months of the date the contract or purchase order between the applicant and the State of Colorado is executed

Reporting and Completion

The CWCB requires a six-month progress report and a final report at the completion of the project

• The applicant will be responsible to meet all the CWCB requirements
• On-going 6 month reports and a final report/presentation will be provided to the YWG RT
• The applicant is responsible to update the RT if the projects change during implementation, requesting time on the RT agenda, and preparing reports and presentation to the RT