(DENVER) — The Colorado Disability Funding Committee (CDFC), housed in the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO) within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) intends to award $2 million through New and Innovative grants to fund ideas that will improve the independence and quality of life for Coloradans experiencing a disability. The committee received 191 applications requesting a total of more than $15 million to fund a wide variety of ideas that spanned technology-enhanced job training, creating accessible outdoor recreational spaces, service dog training, afterschool programs, and more.
"The significant response to this grant cycle makes one thing clear: Colorado’s disability community is full of innovation, talent, and vision — and they deserve the resources to match,” said Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera. “Through this funding, we’re investing in organizations pushing boundaries, meeting people where they are, and creating more inclusive opportunities statewide. I’m proud of the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office and the Colorado Disability Funding Committee for their continued leadership in driving access for Coloradans with disabilities.”
The CDFC considered grant requests for “new and innovative” projects that involve novel or original concepts, as defined by C.R.S. 8-88-204. Organizations requested up to $100,000 for brand-new projects, or changes to existing concepts, programs, projects, products or fields.
“While the committee had a difficult job in narrowing down the $15 million requested to the $2 million we have available to award, the high demand we’re seeing in these applications is a testament to Colorado’s commitment to serving the disability community across the state,” said CDOO Director, Danny Combs. “The committee evaluated the originality and innovation of each request and the number of people who would be impacted — particularly those in rural communities and other historically underserved parts of the state — and we’re very excited to see these projects come to fruition.”
The grantees that CDOO intends to award are listed below:
- Deaf Overcoming Violence through Empowerment
- Innivee Strategies, Inc.
- NeuAbility
- Prospect Academy of Colorado
- State of Colorado - Governor's Office of Information Technology - Technology Accessibility Program
- Sunshine Home Share Colorado
- Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC)
- Always Choose Adventures
- Audio Information Network of Colorado
- Adaptive Adventures
- Ascendigo Autism Services
- Aspiritech NFP
- Colorado Center for the Blind
- El Paso County Parks Naturalist Docent Org.
- Inside the Orchestra
- Motodemption
- Pediatric Holistic Wellness, LLC
- The Colorado Employment First Speakers Bureau LLC
- Blind Institute of Technology
- Partners4Housing. INC
- University of Colorado Anschutz / Denver
- Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities, Inc.
- Glow Up Counseling & Consulting, LLC
- Our Own Lives
- Neurodiversity Community Center
- Domino Service Dogs
- Atlantis Community, Inc.
- Colorado Consumer Health Initiative
- Home Builders Foundation of Metropolitan Denver
- Canine Partners of the Rockies, Inc.
- Dabrowski Center
- Generation Schools Network
- Center for Independence Inc.
- Neurodiversity Works
This round received a record-breaking number of applications, and CDOO is looking into ways to make the process more streamlined for both applicants and the committee. The CDFC currently plans to open the next round of grant applications in late summer or early fall.
About The Colorado Disability Funding Committee (CDFC)
The Colorado Disability Funding Committee is made up of 13 Governor-appointed members, with the requirement that at least seven members must identify as living with a disability or have first-hand experience working with someone who does. Members oversee the distribution of grant funds which are used to invest in new and innovative initiatives working to increase the quality of life and independence of Coloradans with disabilities, and to assist Coloradans with disabilities apply for programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicaid.
About The Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO)
Established by HB24-1360 in 2024, the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO) is the point of contact for state agencies, private sector organizations, and the public to advance the integration and inclusion of the disability community. CDOO sits at the intersection of policy development and implementation, and HB 24-1360 ensures that CDOO leadership continues to advise the Governor and his team on disability policy, ensure cross-agency collaboration, and provide funding through the CDFC to disability organizations and businesses.