Learn about our funding areas, eligibility, and apply for a grant today.

We meet our grantees where they are and help them grow from there. As a partner and a resource, our goal is to help our grantees build capacity where they say it’s most needed.

JULY
Grant Cycle
Opens

MID-AUGUST
Application
Due

EARLY-SEPTEMBER
Application
Review

OCTOBER
Board Approval
of Grant Awards

EARLY NOVEMBER
Grant Award
Announcement

LATE NOVEMBER
Grant Agreements Signed & Awards Disbursed

APPLY FOR A GRANT

Our Four Priority Areas We Fund

Culture

Culture is the heart of Native identity and belonging, and cultural preservation is essential for future generations. We support initiatives rooted in Colorado Plateau Native cultures that reinforce the intergenerational transmission of language, traditional arts, and preservation, as well as efforts to acquire and maintain access to sacred places.

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental stewardship is the responsibility to care for land, water, plants, and animals as living relatives and to sustain nature’s balance, which has been made vulnerable by climate change. We support initiatives that meet this responsibility through hands-on, on-the-ground work that elevates tribal voices and safeguards the Colorado Plateau for generations to come.

Community Foodways

Community foodways center on the needs of both food producers and consumers to create sustainable regional (Colorado Plateau) food systems that ensure healthy, secure food for Plateau communities. We support sustainable community-based agriculture and Native food system knowledge holders, all of whom provide healthy foods that contribute to community food sovereignty.

Leadership Innovation

Empowered leadership enhances organizational frameworks and enriches community potential. We support Native-led organizations that cultivate Native leadership at the organizational and community levels on the Colorado Plateau through mentorship and knowledge-sharing to develop and retain future community leaders.

Eligibility

Does your organization or project qualify
for a Capacity Building Grant from CPF?

Who We Fund

CPF supports native majority-led Non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, Tribal governments with IRS 7871 status, and organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor within the tribal nations on the Colorado Plateau.

What We Fund

CPF supports proposals in the range of $1,000-$25,000 to build local capacity and long-term sustainability of your organization, addressing at least one of the four priority areas: culture, environmental stewardship, community foodways, and leadership innovation. 

What We Do Not Fund

  • Hosted fundraising events
  • Individuals (organizations only)
  • Non-Native majority led organizations
  • Businesses

Frequently Asked Questions

CPF also funds Tribal government programs and Native-led organizations with qualifying fiscal sponsors.

Yes, our capacity-building grants allow the flexibility to support needs assessments that inform your strategy. If your organization is in the beginning stages of a project or goal, state precisely the steps you will take toward the end goal.

Here are a few examples of using capacity-building funds to strengthen internal operations: succession planning, board development, fundraising planning, staff training, strategic planning, organizational audits, purchasing accounting software, and purchasing equipment.

CPF practices trust and honesty as a grantmaker, and we strive to meet your organization and community needs through relationship building. We provide general operating support to previous CPF grantees who are in good standing. Good standing includes informing the Program Officer immediately or before mid-year of any adjustments necessary to your projected goals, such as reallocating funding to follow through with intended goals. Be sure to attend Learning Community and Learning Journey Interviews, and invite our staff to attend your gatherings when appropriate. These opportunities allow us to learn more about your work and community and how we can best support you long-term.

There is no longer a written requirement for an end-of-year report. Instead, a video conference with Program Officer Marissa Nuvayestewa will be scheduled to discuss grant outcomes and share mutually beneficial information. The virtual meeting will take approximately 30 minutes.

CPF considers these factors in the evaluation of a submitted proposal: 

  • The proposal was submitted within the grant deadline
  • The proposal meets our eligibility criteria
  • All requested proposal documents were provided by the deadline
  • The organization is currently in good standing with CPF 
  • The goals and objectives align with the request 

If all criteria have been met, the Program Officer will recommend the proposal for consideration by CPF staff and approval by the CPF Board of Directors.

If proposal information is missing, the Program Officer may email or call the primary contact to request necessary information for clarification. If you do not reply, the proposal will be considered incomplete and declined. If the proposal deadline is not met, the proposal will be declined in fairness to those who submitted theirs in time. 

We will consider every proposal received that meets our criteria, and CPF will follow the same evaluation standards noted above.

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.

Meet Our Grantees

2026-02-09T23:21:37+00:00

Toohnii Binaneest’ą’ Ałtaas’éí Alliance (Fiscal Sponsor Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico)

Toohnii Binaneest’ą’ Ałtaas’éí Alliance (Fiscal Sponsor Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico)

About: Toohnii Binaneest’ą’ Ałtaas’éí ’began meeting as farmers with common concerns in the winter of 2019 and saw the scope of our collective concerns needed a concerted effort to seek solutions. [...]

See All Grantees