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.

EARLY AUGUST
Grant Cycle
Opens

EARLY SEPTEMBER
Application
Due

MID-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

Protection of Water

Recognizing the cultural importance of water for tribes across the Colorado Plateau, we support groups stewarding this life-giving resource.

Protection of Sacred Places & Endangered Landscapes

Our lands are part of us, inseparable from our cultures and communities. We support groups integrating tribal voices into landscape management and safeguarding sacred places.

Preservation of Language

We support language preservation because tribal languages – the vessels through which ancestral knowledge is passed to future generations – are threatened with extinction.

Sustainable, Community-based Agriculture

Native foods and traditional farming are essential to the Colorado Plateau’s tribes. We support organizations that are reclaiming sustainable, community-based agriculture.

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: Protection of water, Protection of sacred places and endangered landscapes, Preservation of language, Sustainable, community-based agriculture.

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

See All Grantees