CDA Climate Resilience Grant Program 2025

The 2025 Agricultural Climate Resilience Grants, administered by the Colorado Department of Agriculture through its Drought & Climate Resilience Office, aim to support farmers and ranchers across Colorado in improving their operational resilience in response to climate-change-induced disasters. The program is designed to bolster climate resilience in agricultural operations and strengthen the broader agricultural supply chain across the state. Resilient operations include practices that prepare for or recover from disasters such as drought, severe storms, or wildfires through soil health improvement, water efficiency, and diversified crops or supply chains. This grant provides up to $30,000 per award to eligible individuals and organizations implementing projects that increase resilience on farms, ranches, or associated processing and manufacturing operations. Project types may include recovery from previous disasters or proactive planning for future risks. Notably, projects showing previous climate-related impacts within the last three years may receive higher evaluation scores. Although there are no match requirements, leveraging additional funding sources will enhance the application’s competitiveness. Eligible applicants include individual farmers and ranchers, tribal or local governments (including conservation districts), 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and university extension or field offices. Funded expenses may cover equipment, construction, labor, travel, permitting, assessments, and indirect costs up to 10% of the award. Applicants seeking support for renewable energy projects are directed to the separate ACRE3 grant program. The application period opens on April 18, 2025, and submissions must be completed through a Google Form by May 29, 2025. An informational webinar will be held on May 7, 2025. Final award decisions will be made on July 16, 2025, by the Colorado Commission of Agriculture. Contracts will be distributed in August 2025, and all funds must be expended by June 30, 2027. Final reports are due by September 2027. Applications will be evaluated based on several criteria, including benefit to producers, impact, demonstrated need, vulnerability, feasibility, budget justification, and alignment with priority project types—specifically wildfire, snow events, and drought resilience for the 2025–2026 cycle. Required reporting includes quarterly progress updates and a comprehensive final report. Questions and completed applications should be submitted to Rosie Skovron at [email protected].