NWCCOG Economic Development District

Resources Bulletin

April 2, 2024

All Resources Bulletins are archived HERE.

Registration is Open!

Thursday, May 2 |NWCCOG Regional Economic Summit | Silverthorne Pavilion

REGISTER HERE. Angela Belden Martinez, Denver Regional Office Director, U.S. Economic Development Administration will kick things off, followed by a presentation by Elizabeth Garner, State Demographer on regional, state, and national demographic and economic trends. The day will also includes speakers and interactive discussions on the most current and pressing topics impacting our regional economy. Registration is $25, includes coffee, continental breakfast and lunch.

Training Opportunities & Events

LEADING EDGE™ Strategic Planning Series: Redesigned with Rural Entrepreneurs in Mind

April 4 - May 23 | Details and Register here. This program is offered by the Colorado Small Business Development Center. The 8-week LEADING EDGE™ Strategic Planning Series includes: 10 on-demand learning modules; 8 live weekly forums hosted by expert SBDC consultants; Unlimited one-on-one, confidential consulting; 4-month subscription to LivePlan ($160 value). The LivePlan business planning software platform simplifies common challenges of traditional business planning templates. Participants will incorporate expert instruction, consulting, and cohort feedback with the intuitive functionality of LivePlan to develop a business plan they can confidently present to a lender or investor and use to guide their business. 

Founder's Fireside Chat

April 11 | 5:30 – 8 pm | EVO3 Workspace, 620 E. Main, Frisco | Register here. Offered by the Summit Economic Partnership and Startup Colorado. Bringing together Summit County Founders, Mentors & Innovators.

Harnessing the Power of Industry Clusters: Unlocking Colorado’s Economic Potential

April 17  | 10:30 a.m. – noon | Register here. Offered by the Economic Development Council of Colorado. If there was one lesson that came out of the pandemic, the power of collaboration and connectivity has led to incredible advancements in today’s economy. EDCC continues its tradition of fostering a network of economic development professionals in this webinar that will serve to strengthen the performance of Economic Development Organizations (EDO), cultivate industry connections, and promote the industry and profession that will contribute to a robust constellation of EDO’s across Colorado.

Legal Considerations for Growing a Business: Selling Equity

April 18 | 11:00am | Register here. Offered by the SBDC. The are some important items to consider when it comes to growing your business. Along with financial and operational considerations come legal considerations like legal entity characteristics, documentation like management or vendor agreements, and more. Get a better understanding of what legal considerations to think about if you're planning for growth.

HR Checkup: Building Employee Handbooks

On Demand Training | Find it here. Join Reagan Freed, Human Resources executive and SBDC consultant, for practical advice designed for businesses without an HR representative. Creating an employee handbook from scratch can seem like a daunting task, but having one is essential to creating transparency and consistency across your organization. An employee handbook and the policies it includes set clear expectations for employees while also stating your legal obligations and defining employee rights. It can also help protect your business against employee lawsuits and claims. 

Planning and Zoning, Removing Barriers to Solar Deployment 

May 16 | 10 - 11:30 am | Register here. Offered by NADO. Local government planning and zoning regulations can help facilitate the rapid expansion of solar energy and associated technologies, including energy storage and electric vehicles, within a community. This virtual training will review best practices in integrating solar energy into local planning documents and zoning regulations. We will discuss how to develop solar goals and strategies through local planning and best practices for stakeholder engagement. This training will include how and why to allow rooftop solar as an accessory use by-right, how to avoid creating unintentional barriers to solar in your zoning rules and processes, and best practices for incorporating ground-mount and large-scale solar arrays into planning and zoning regulations.

Permitting and Inspections, Learning Safe and Best Practices for Solar

June 6 | 10 AM - 12:30 PM | Register here. Offered by NADO. This training will review best practices for conducting field inspections for small solar PV systems. This training will discuss the goals of inspection, including relevant codes and standards. Inspection staff will learn about the value of a solar inspection checklist and how to ensure systems are installed in accordance with plans and specifications. While this training focuses primarily on rooftop solar systems, we will briefly discuss inspection best practices related to solar+storage and large-scale solar. 

2024 NWCCOG Economic Summit

May 2, 2024 | Silverthorne Pavilion | Register here!

Colorado Municipal League Annual Conference

June 18-21 in Loveland, Colorado | Details here. CML's signature conference draws over 1,200 leaders throughout the state to share the latest information on accomplishments, growth, legislation, and policies that impact your municipality. 

Small Business Development Center

Full events and workshops calendar including webinars can be found HERE.

Funding & Technical Assistance

NWCCOG Regional Grants Navigator

NWCCOG has a Regional Grants Navigator on staff to assist with identifying appropriate grant opportunities, reviewing grants prior to submission, or helping to gather letters of support. Feel free to reach out to him for assistance: Jonathan Godes, NWCCOG Regional Grants Navigator - jgodes@nwccog.org.

Federal Opportunities

Second Chance Act Community-Based Reentry Program: U.S. Dept. of Justice

Deadline: April 29 | Details here. Supports evidence-based responses to improve reentry, reduce recidivism, and support transitional planning for individuals who are currently, or were formerly, involved in the criminal justice system.

State Opportunities

Skill Advance Colorado

Deadline: April 15 | Details here. The Skill Advance Colorado (SAC) program is administered in collaboration with the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) and provides workforce training grants for new or existing employees of Colorado businesses. Please contact your local SAC representative at the link HERE for more information.

Colorado Creates Grant

Deadline: May 29 | Details here. The Colorado Creates Grant helps organizations and communities create art and cultural activities through general operating support funding. Funds are distributed throughout Colorado with a focus on rural communities.

The Advanced Industry Investment Tax Credit (AITC)

Applications accepted on a rolling basis | Details here. Investors making qualified investments in Colorado advanced industry small businesses may be eligible for 25% or 35% of their investment in Colorado state income tax credit. The program has $4 million in tax credits to disburse throughout 2024.

Middle-Income Housing Authority (MIHA) Applications

Applications accepted on a rolling basis | Details here. MIHA is a special purpose authority that is independent from the state, and OEDIT assists with administrative needs. MIHA has the power to issue bonds to finance affordable rental housing projects with AMIs generally between 80% and 120%, or 140% in rural resort areas. MIHA reopened for applications on March 8, 2024 and is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media (COFTM) Tax Credit

Applications close Dec. 31 and is rolling until funds are utilized | Details here. In alignment with HB23-1309, the incentive program will be structured as a tax credit with applications available to review by the Economic Development Commission (EDC). Slated to run for one year, the tax credit program will allocate $5 million in film incentives to support media production within the state of Colorado. Applications close Dec. 31, 2024 and is rolling until funds are utilized.

CHFA Direct Effect Awards

Round 1: Open April 1 and closes April 26. Round 2: Open August 19 and closes Sept. 17 | Details here. CHFA is pleased to announce the dates for its 2024 Direct Effect Awards. Direct Effect Awards are an opportunity for CHFA to recognize and support Colorado nonprofits whose missions align with our work to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development. In 2024, CHFA is celebrating 50 years of strengthening Colorado. To help commemorate, CHFA will additionally award up to five $50,000 Direct Effect Awards in each round of 2024. 

Other Funding & Technical Assistance Opportunities

Latino-Owned Food Industry Grants: Fresh Food Access for All

Deadline: April 19 | Details here. The Kroger Co. Foundation and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) have collaborated to launch the ‘Fresh Food Access For All’ challenge, targeting Latino small businesses, startups, and community-serving orgs addressing food insecurity in their communities by increasing access to healthy and affordable food. Grants are in the amount of $125,000. 

Union Pacific Foundation: Community Ties Giving Program

Deadline:  May 31| Details here. Programs Improving Quality of Life in Railroad Communities. The Union Pacific Foundation’s Community Ties Giving Program aims to build safe, prosperous, vibrant, and inclusive communities where Union Pacific Railroad operates. Funding is provided for direct services and efforts that build the capacity of organizations focused on the following causes: safety, workforce development, community vitality, and environmental sustainability. Within each focus area, the aim is to support programs and organizations working to advance the diversity, equity, and inclusion of underrepresented populations.

Resources

2024 National Small Business Week April 28 - May 4

Details here. Two-Day Virtual Summit | April 30-May 1, 2024 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. As part of the National Small Business Week (NSBW), the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE will cohost the NSBW Virtual Summit that includes a variety of educational webinars, exhibit booths, free business resources, multiple peer-to-peer networking rooms and expert business advice from SCORE mentors.