Rapid Response Grants

Colorado Plateau Foundation’s rapid response grants support Native-led organizations responding to critical and urgent needs and unforeseen opportunities in the Colorado Plateau region. The grants provide up to $10,000, can be applied for at any time, and are separate from CPF’s annual grant cycle.

Applicants for Rapid Response Grants must meet the following criteria:

  • You are a Native-led organization in-service to tribal nations on the Colorado Plateau working in any of the CPF priority areas: protection of water, protection of sacred places and threatened landscapes, preservation of Native languages, and food security through sustainable community-based agriculture

  • You are a Native-controlled organization (majority of the governing board and staff are Native)

  • You are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, a tribal government with IRS 7871 status, or an organization with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

  • You are in good standing with grant reports if you are a past CPF grant recipient.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants must apply through the CPF Foundant portal. You will provide the amount of funds requested and the intended use. The CPF Program Officer will email the decision to the applicant’s primary contact within 10-12 business days of submission. All grant recipients must share grant outcomes with the CPF Program Officer within six months after receipt of funds.

For questions regarding Rapid Response grants, please email mnuvayestewa@coloradoplateaufoundation.org

The following activities and costs are not eligible for Rapid Response grants:

  • Fundraising events
  • Individuals (we support organizations only)
  • Non-Native majority-led organizations
  • For-profit businesses
  • Operating expenses, including existing staff salaries 
  • Expenses or activities that have already occurred 
  • Equipment, land acquisition, or research 
  • Education programs or scholarships 
  • Capital campaigns 
  • Literary or film projects 
  • Fees to attend conferences.
APPLY FOR A RAPID RESPONSE GRANT