DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife is accepting new applications for its Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Program, which will distribute $1.3 million in funding this fall.
Gov. Jared Polis signed the program into Colorado law last year with a goal of increasing access to outdoor opportunities for all Coloradans and to provide resources to underserved youth and communities.
“The first round of grants were distributed earlier this summer and then we're opening the second round of grants, which will be distributed early next year and 2023,” said Andrea Kurth, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Equity Grant Program manager. “This grant program is really focused on increasing access to communities of color, LGBTQ youth, native and Indigenous youth, and youth with disabilities and low-income youth. Some of the barriers that those groups might face might be a lack of gear, lack of access to gear, lack of access to information, (and) transportation is a really big issue."
Kurth said any organization that is focused on increasing access to outdoor activities can apply.
“It doesn't have to be going out to climb a fourteener or going skiing. It can be something on the playground or in the community garden and in your neighborhood. So we really encourage organizations to define what outdoor access means to them and bring that to the outdoor equity grant board to show them that this is going to be really impactful.”
Crystal Egli, Hunters of Color board member, said her organization was awarded a grant earlier this year.
“Hunters of Colors is a nonprofit based out of Oregon, but they are a national nonprofit. We are a 'for-us-by-us' organization where hunters of color, or people who want to be hunters and are folks of color, can come to us and we do a lot of mentorship to get people out into the woods and to get them those hunting licenses,” Egli said. “We got $50,000 awarded from the outdoor equity grant... and it was just amazing to be selected as part of the recipients. It's going to allow us to launch our programming efforts and have some mentor-mentee relationships to start growing here in the fall.”
Egli said her organization is also working to dismantle social barriers.
"One thing we hear a lot of people say is, 'I don't know anybody else who hunts or I don't know anybody else who could take me hunting,' and we're here to dismantle that 100%. We'll take you out and we'll tell you what you need. And we're going to do it safely," Egli said.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 30, 2022.