Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and the Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) are pleased to announce the release of the 2025 Conservation Service Corps grant cycle with up to $1.2 million in funding for outdoor recreation, stewardship, and restoration projects completed by conservation service corps members.
Donor Name: Great Outdoors Colorado
State: Colorado
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/15/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The goal of these funds is to employ youth and young adults (ages 14-25) throughout the state on critical outdoor recreation and natural resource stewardship projects using the network of conservation service corps accredited by CYCA.
Conservation service corps crews complete a variety of projects, including:

Trail construction and maintenance
Tamarisk, Russian olive, and other invasive species mitigation – chainsaw crews, including pesticide/herbicide application, are available
Fence installation and de-construction
Wildlife habitat improvement
Riparian restoration
Beetle kill hazard mitigation – chainsaw crews available
Forest health – chainsaw crews available

Eligibility Criteria

Colorado municipality or county
Title 32 special districts eligible to receive distributions from the Conservation Trust Fund
Political subdivision of the State of Colorado that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas
501(c)(3) non-profit land conservation organization that includes in its mission the identification, acquisition, or management of open space and natural areas, e.g., land trusts

Project/Property Eligibility

Applicants must apply for a minimum of two weeks of conservation service corps work. One week of work consists of a minimum of 320 hours of labor (8 people for 40 hours each, for example) inclusive of one-way travel and 4-5 hours per week of on-site education activities for the crew.
The project’s primary objective must consist of enhancing/restoring open space, wildlife habitat, or other ecosystem (e.g. noxious weed removal, forest health, fire recovery, flood recovery, riparian restoration, etc.) or constructing/enhancing/restoring trails or other passive recreational infrastructure including signs, fences, tent pads, etc. Please note: They welcome forest health projects with impacts beyond defensible space where outcomes enhance or restore open space, wildlife habitat, or improve other ecosystem considerations.
The project must occur on land owned or controlled by a:

municipality, county, or other political subdivision of the state;
land trust or other private party when the land is permanently protected by a conservation easement or other permanent use restriction; or
federal agency

Projects must provide a public benefit and comply with any conservation easement, other use restriction, or government policies or procedures concerning management of the property’s resources.
Applicant must demonstrate capacity to host a conservation service corps crew, and coordinate closely with the corps in advance of submitting a proposal, to ensure the project is appropriate.

For more information, visit GOCO.