Equitable Community-Designed Outdoor Spaces in Colorado

funding@coloradohealth.org
grants@coloradohealth.org
303.953.3600

The Colorado Health Foundation will provide planning grants for the design and construction of outdoor spaces, such as playgrounds and parks across Colorado that allow children, youth, and families to become co-designers of their own spaces for physical activity while fostering a sense of community, agency, and belonging.

Awardees will undertake a planning process that includes deep community engagement bringing community members together to actively co-design spaces that reflect the community's needs, history and culture, and encourages positive physical activity and psychological safety. Projects may utilize the Community Engagement Spectrum or Equity-Centered Community Design models or another relevant model to support the planning and design process.

Priority will be given to projects in low-income, communities of color, and rural communities.

Eligible applicants include:

• Community based groups or nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status
• Organizations that can demonstrate a substantial commitment to community-identified and community-led efforts to address complex health-related issues and/or challenges

$25,000 - $50,000

Approved costs include personnel, meeting space needs, stipends for community members, administrative costs, meeting materials, translation, and interpretation costs, among other needs. Landscape architects selected by the Foundation will provide technical assistance to support communities through the design process, as needed.

At the conclusion of the planning grants, projects may be invited to apply for capital grant support for construction of shovel-ready projects.

Links to additional guidance, application instructions, and the online application portal are available on the program website.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation to discuss the project before submission.