The Noxious Weed Management Grants are funded through the Noxious Weed Management Fund and the United States Forest Service (USFS) State & Private Forestry Grants.
Approximately $700,000 of Noxious Weed Management Fund is available for the 2025 grant round. Approximately $40,000 of United States Forest Service (USFS) State & Private Forestry (SPF) funding is also available.
The primary objectives of the Noxious Weed Management Fund (WMF) grant program are to:
- Provide additional financial resources to entities engaged in cooperative efforts to eradicate and/or contain state-listed noxious weeds,
- Produce measurable outcomes across Colorado for noxious weed management, and
- Assist new or underfunded weed management programs, especially in regions where additional resources are needed.
Federal funding
Approximately $40,000 of United States Forest Service (USFS) State & Private Forestry (SPF) funding is available for projects funded this cycle. Applicants may indicate whether all, some, or none of their grant could be funded by the SPF fund in the Grant Application.
SPF projects may not occur on federal land and must have relative proximity to National Forest Service lands. A 1:1 match is required for SPF funds and cannot come from federal sources. Grantees that receive SPF funds must inform and collaborate with their local USFS Representative throughout the project.
The primary objectives of this collaborative grant program are to:
- Provide additional financial resources to local communities engaged in cooperative efforts to eradicate and/or contain state, regionally, or locally rare noxious weed species/populations,
- To prevent high priority weed populations from advancing onto USFS property, and
- To facilitate participation between local weed managers and National Forest land managers in a cooperative and coordinated approach to managing these high priority weed problems.
Timeline
This estimated timeline is for information and planning purposes only and may be subject to change depending on the needs of the State.
Friday, November 1, 2024
RFA Release Date
Friday, December 6, 2024
Deadline to submit questions to CDA via email by 5:00 pm MST
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Q&A Posted Online (no later than) 5:00 pm MST
Monday, December 16, 2024
Application Submission Deadline at 5:00 pm MST
Friday, February 14, 2025
Estimated Notification of Award
February 15 - May 31, 2025
Statement of Work Development Period
March 15 - May 31, 2025
Estimated Contract Issuance Period
How to apply
Applications must follow all the requirements presented in the Request for Applications (RFA) document to be considered for funding.
You must submit a fully completed and signed application via email to weeds@state.co.us by 5 pm on Monday, December 16, 2024.
All applications must include the following:
- Signed Application Form
- Species Table
- Budget Table
- Proposed treatment map(s)
Read more about the required documentation below.
Submission Instructions
All required documents should be emailed together with the subject “2025 CDA Grant Application - ORGANIZATION NAME”. If items are too large, you may package all the materials together in a Zip file you or may upload them to a Google Drive Folder and email your google link as your application.
Applications must be received on or before 5 pm on Monday, December 16, 2024. Late applications will not be accepted.
To submit your application, please email all documents to weeds@state.co.us with the email subject “2025 CDA Grant Application - ORGANIZATION NAME”
Applicants will receive an email confirming the receipt of their application materials within 3 business days. If you do not receive confirmation within 3 business days, contact one of the CDA staff members listed below.
All materials submitted will become public record and open to inspection after the Award notice is issued.
Required Documentation
Before submitting an application, please read the full Request for Applications to learn what is required as part of the application. Below, you'll find the sample documents, which you can download and use to prepare your application. You can find the Supplemental RFA here.
Application Form
Download the application form your computer. Open the saved document, named 2025_Application_ORGANIZATION.pdf and change the word ORGANIZATION to your organization’s name. The application may be signed by electronic signature. It should be signed by a person who is legally authorized to bind the applicant to the application.
Species Table
YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THIS FORM IN ORDER TO EDIT.
Download the sample species spreadsheet to your computer. Open the saved document titled 2025_Species_ORGANIZATION.xlsx and change the word ORGANIZATION to your organization’s name. Include your Project Name at the top. This form must be submitted as a spreadsheet.
Download the Species spreadsheet
Budget Table
YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THIS FORM IN ORDER TO EDIT.
Download this spreadsheet to your computer. Open the saved document titled 2025_Budget_ORGANIZATION.xlsx and change the word ORGANIZATION to your organization’s name.
The sheet must contain all applicable spending requests and minimum 1-to-1 match (cash contributions, personal services or in-kind services).
Proposed Treatment Map(s)
You must include at least one map illustrating all proposed treatment areas with your application. The map should have a legend, north arrow, title, vicinity map (if necessary), etc. so that anyone looking at the map can tell exactly where the project is located. Maps should be finished products and not just GIS data files such as shapefiles or kml files.
If one map cannot clearly show all species and treatment areas, provide separate maps by individual species, or by listing status (A, B, C, or Watch List). If part of the grant proposal includes mapping species, a vicinity map of where this will occur must at least be included at the time of application.
Maps of species treatment locations will be required as deliverables for every project. If you are applying for partial or full U.S. Forest Service funding, your map needs to show vicinity to National Forest Services lands.
Name your map: 2025_Map_ORGANIZATION (replace ORGANIZATION with your organization’s name). If you have more than one map, add numbers to the document names (Map1, Map2, etc.)
Have additional questions?
First, please review the Noxious Weed Grants Frequently Asked Questions page to see if your question has already been answered. If it hasn't, submit a question to weeds@state.co.us with the subject line: "2025 Grant Question." All official communication will be posted at the Grant FAQs website.
Eligibility
“Local governing bodies,” as defined in the Colorado Noxious Weed Act, Title 35-5.5-103(11), are the primary focus of this grant program. These include counties and municipalities. Other eligible entities include conservation districts, non-profit organizations, and organized private entities such as road associations, and homeowner’s associations. Grantees must demonstrate adequate capacity to carry out effective noxious weed management projects. State and federal agencies are eligible to receive NWF (but not SPF) funding if they are significant project partners. State and federal agencies cannot be the project applicant.
All eligible entities must meet the requirements described below. All awarded funds must be used for noxious weed management efforts within the State of Colorado.
All counties and municipalities receiving grant funding must be in compliance with the Colorado Noxious Weed Act prior to reimbursement, specifically the following:
- Adopt and actively administer a noxious weed plan covering the entire jurisdiction (Sections 105, 106),
- Appoint a local advisory board (Section 107),
- Carry out sufficient measures to eradicate any List A and/or List B species subject to eradication
in the county (Section 108.5), and - Ensure that public Rights-of-Way are in compliance with the Act (Section 112)
All conservation districts receiving grant funding must be in good standing with CDA and with the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).
Please contact CDA if you have any questions about eligibility prior to submitting a grant application. Grantees not in compliance with these eligibility criteria during the funding period of their projects may receive partial or no reimbursement for projects.
Contact the Noxious Weed Program
The CDA Noxious Weed Program employees are the sole points of contact concerning this RFA. During the solicitation process for this RFA, applicants may use the program email (weeds@state.co.us) to contact staff regarding the RFA or application process. Specific project questions cannot be answered during the solicitation process, unless it is referenced in the RFA that applicants need to discuss the matter with staff prior to applying.
Questions must be submitted via email only to weeds@state.co.us and the subject line of the email must read: “2025 Grant Question.”
All official communication with applicants will be posted at the Grant FAQs section this website. This may include answers to inquiries received, clarifications to requirements, and changes to the application process. Information posted here supersedes any contradictory information that is given over the phone or email.
Applicants should monitor this page carefully and regularly for changes.
CDA Staff Contact Info:
- Patty York, Noxious Weed Program Manager
- Emily McGrath, EDRR Specialist
- Emily Gilbert, Grants & Outreach Specialist