Colorado Trust Building and Bridging Power Grant: Strengthening Communities

Community organizations and grassroots initiatives play a pivotal role in advancing social justice, equity, and community empowerment. The Colorado Trust’s Building and Bridging Power Grant offers critical financial support to groups working to strengthen their advocacy efforts and build bridges across diverse communities in Colorado. If your organization is focused on creating positive, lasting change through advocacy, coalition-building, or community organizing, this grant is a valuable resource to help you expand your reach and impact.

In this blog, we look at what the grant will fund, the eligibility criteria, and how to apply for funding to support your advocacy work.

What is the Building and Bridging Power Grant?

Building and Bridging Power Grant The Colorado Trust amplifies the voices of historically marginalized communities by magnifying grassroots organizational efforts throughout the state. The grant represents part of an overarching commitment within this foundation to take up the challenge of systemic inequity through helping empower local advocates and community leaders.

Accordingly, through funding of community-led advocacy, the grant will foster collaboration, long-term relationships-building techniques, and devising sustainable solutions that address social injustices. The program provides comprehensive resources that capacitate organizations toward effective change in their communities through coalition building, policy advocacy, or movement building toward racial, economic, and health equity.

Why This Grant Matters to Communities in Colorado

The issues that commonly arise are from communities all across Colorado and are related to inequity and a lack of representation in decision-making processes. This requires great understanding of each group's different struggles and the power to advocate on behalf of meaningful change.

The Building and Bridging Power Grant is intended to resource community-driven advocacy that can turn these challenges into opportunities for advancement. In empowering local organizations around a leadership role in addressing the systems perpetuating inequities, The Colorado Trust is dedicated to building a different future in which each Coloradan has a voice.

These grant investments have equipped organizations with much stronger networking, developed their leadership capabilities, and thus involved the communities through the pathways of collective action leading to long-term sustainable change.

Who Can Apply for the Building and Bridging Power Grant?

The Colorado Trust is interested in investing in community focused organizations that demonstrate leadership and the pursuit of agitating for policy changes on social issues. Below are the main considerations for the Building and Bridging Power Grant:

• Advocacy as Focus: The grant is meant to provide support for organizations whose focus is in advocacy with special interest in issues dealing with equity, social justice and human rights.
• Community-Led Projects: There needs to be a community-driven process in which historically marginalized groups all over Colorado are organized and empowered.
• Collaboration and Coalition-Building: Organizations working together with other organizations and building coalitions for larger-scale advocacy efforts.
• Geographic Location: The applicant shall operate within the state of Colorado and focus on local communities.

The grant program will be a good fit for organizations experienced in community organizing, leadership development, or policy advocacy. Whether your group works on racial equity, economic justice, or public health advocacy, this grant may provide key funding necessary to grow your work.

Key Objectives of the Grant Program

The Building and Bridging Power Grant is designed with the following in mind:

1. Empowerment of Marginalized Communities: This grant funds initiatives that provide resources and develop tools to empower historically marginalized communities to represent themselves and participate in policy and decision-making processes.
2. Building Sustainable Advocacy Networks: This would involve the strengthening of the community-based organizations through more sustainable collaboration and coalition building.
3. Advancing Systemic Change: Through funding advocacy projects, The Colorado Trust works to dismantle system inequalities in the issues of racial, economic, and health equity.
4. Promoting Social Justice: The grant is aligned with broader efforts to combat injustices such as disparities in social, economic, and health spheres, so as to make sure everyone is in a position to prosper.

How to Apply for the Building and Bridging Power Grant

The application process for the Building and Bridging Power Grant will be quite straightforward. Here are the steps your organization should pay attention to in applying:

Step 1: Review the Grant Priorities

Carefully review the purpose of your organization and the proposed project to see if they are in line with the grant objectives. The Colorado Trust is particularly interested in projects that can focus on advocacy, coalition-building, and the strengthening of marginalized communities.

Step 2: Prepare Your Application Materials

Make sure your application clearly demonstrates the following:

• Need of your project: Clearly state the problems your organization is trying to address and how your advocacy efforts are going to benefit the community.
• Alignment of the project to the grant objectives: Describe how your proposed project falls within the scope of either the focus areas that the grant represents, such as social justice, health equity, or community empowerment.
• Measurable goals: Explain how you will measure the impact of your advocacy work in terms of both the short-term and long-term outcomes.
• Collaboration and leadership: Emphasize any partnerships or coalitions you will be building and showcase your organization's leadership in these efforts.

Step 3: Submit Your Application

All Building and Bridging Power Grant applications must be submitted via the Colorado Trust website. Be sure to complete your application by the deadline so it will be considered for the funding round.

Step 4: Acknowledgement and Follow-Up

Once an application is submitted, candidates will receive a confirmation email upon receipt of application materials. If a confirmation is not received within a period of 48 hours, candidates are asked to contact Colorado Trust to confirm.

If you have any questions during the application process, you can reach out to Johanna Ulloa Girón, the advocacy program manager, at (303) 539-3129 for further assistance.

How Fluxx Simplifies Grant Management

The Colorado Trust uses the Fluxx grant management platform because it is a Fluxx customer, bringing ease to the applicant in one line. Fluxx enables organizations to easily submit applications, upload the appropriate documents, and track the real-time status of grant requests. The platform reduces administrative complexity and makes the process transparently efficient-not only for the grant applicants but most importantly for the team at the Colorado Trust.

Fluxx also allows for seamless communication and, therefore, provides the opportunity for an organization to receive important updates or to request complementary information right within the platform, which helps ensure ease with deadlines and requirements.

Drive Change with the Building and Bridging Power Grant

Providing the fuel necessary to scale deep work, the Building and Bridging Power Grant invests in community organizations addressing some of the most complex social justice and equity issues. If your group is working to empower marginalized communities, build advocacy networks, or foster long-term change in Colorado, this grant can provide needed fuel for your efforts.

By applying for the Building and Bridging Power Grant, your organization can acquire necessary financial support to extend its reach, strengthen advocacy, and ultimately catalyze transformative, lasting change.

To learn more about the grant and how to apply, visit The Colorado Trust’s Building and Bridging Power Grant.