Learn about our funding areas of priority, 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.

Our 4 Priority Areas

  • Protection of Water
  • Protection of Sacred Places & Endangered Landscapes
  • Preservation of Language
  • Sustainable, Community-based Agriculture
APPLY FOR A GRANT
APPLY

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 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

Clarification on Tax Exemption Documentation Requested

  1. If you are a 501(c)(3) organization, please submit your IRS tax exemption letter stating your 501(c)(3) exemption status.
  2. If you are a Tribal Government Program/Department, please submit your IRS tax exemption letter stating your 7871 exemption status.
  3. If you are fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization, please submit the fiscal sponsors’ IRS 501(c)(3) exemption letter and a brief description of your relationship and history with your fiscal sponsor (150 words max).

Do I need to submit an organizational budget?

Yes, an organizational budget is required. If you are a fiscally sponsored organization, then submit your fiscal sponsors’ organizational budget. The same goes for a Tribal Government, submit your Department budget.

Our 4 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.

Rapid Response Grants

The 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.

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. 

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  

Frequently Asked Questions
For All Grants

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.

Meet Our Grantees

See All Grantees
APPLY FOR A GRANT
APPLY