Garfield County FMLD now accepting spring 2020 grant applications
Thomas Phippen / Post Independent
The Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease District’s spring 2020 grant cycle is currently open to eligible applicants.
Garfield County’s Federal Mineral Lease District was established in 2011, and awarded its first grant dollars shortly thereafter in 2012.
To date, the district has awarded over $25 million to various entities and has two grant cycles per year, one in the fall and one in the spring.
“In each of those grant cycles we have two grant programs,” Andrew Gorgey, Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease District general counsel, said. “We have a traditional grant program and we have a mini grant program.”
The traditional grant program awards a maximum of $1 million to any given entity and has a matching requirement of 30%. The mini-grant program awards a maximum of $25,000 per recipient and has no matching requirements but does not fund planning grants.
According to Gorgey, the law specifies that only the state or its political subdivisions will be considered eligible for FMLD grant dollars.
“So, that’s a city or town, or school district or special district,” Gorgey said. “It’s not a requirement that they have to be in Garfield County but as a matter of history we’ve never awarded a grant to any entity that wasn’t.”
Additionally, eligible applicants may apply for one traditional grant and one mini grant per grant cycle.
A three-person board of directors consisting of Board President Gregg Rippy, Garfield County Commissioner Mike Samson and Steve Rippy ultimately decide where to allocate grant dollars.
The deadline to apply for either a traditional or mini Garfield County FML District grant as part of the spring cycle is noon Feb. 28.
“You have to have it in our hands by that day and time,” Gorgey said.
The 2020 spring grant application can be downloaded here.
According to Gorgey, the board of directors has approved $1.4 million for the 2020 spring grant cycle and recipients will be announced no later than April 15.
“Every cycle is always very competitive,” Gorgey said. “The district has never awarded all of the grant amounts requested.”
During the 2019 spring traditional grant cycle the board awarded over $1.32 million in grants to entities ranging from the Roaring Fork School District to the Garfield County Housing Authority.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.