The Health Disparities and Community Grant Program (HDCGP) is funded by the Colorado state tobacco tax revenue as mandated by Amendment 35 (A35) and by funds appropriated by the general assembly as mandated by Colorado SB21-181. The program typically conducts its funding cycle according to the state fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). All funding is contingent upon Colorado State Board of Health approval, spending authority of the program and appropriations by the state legislature each year. The Health Equity Commission assists in the review of the grant program.
Current Funding Opportunities
Health Disparities and Community Grant Program (HDCGP)
Senate Bill (SB)21-181 Request for Application (RFA) 42396
The deadline for application submission is Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time.
The Office of Health Equity (OHE) administers the Health Disparities and Community Grant Program (HDCGP), including the A35 grant and the Senate Bill 21-181 (SB181) grant. A primary purpose of the Office of Health Equity is to implement strategies tailored to address the varying and complex causes of health disparities, including the economic, physical, and social environments. HDCGP grant-making, grantee projects, and evaluations shall align with Healthy People 2030 (HP2030), specifically the five Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and their corresponding goals.
To improve social infrastructure and health outcomes that eventually lead to the reduction of health inequities and disparities, organizations, including grassroots organizations, must-have resources, partnerships, universal and social design, and community engagement or community power-building skills. Funds are explicitly intended for projects that create and/or launch a foundation for making changes to public, systems-level, and/or organizational policies, practices, rules, laws, and regulations that influence the health of underrepresented communities. For each funded category, implementation efforts will be used to evaluate the efficacy, and as such, projects should consider efforts from design and planning to implementation and subsequent evaluation. Funded categories that build a foundation to implement systems and/or policy change include:
- Strategic planning, is the process of setting goals and creating a blueprint for an organization's future, such as developing and administering a community needs assessment, creating a community-led policy or systems change development plan, creating a plan for community engagement and leadership, or creating a plan for community organizing;
- Building staff and volunteer capacity, the process of working toward improving an organization's staff/volunteer effectiveness, such as various trainings including community leadership, community-led strategic planning, community engagement, community power-building, community organizing, theory of change, social determinants of health, health equity, racial equity, universal and social design, working at the policy and systems levels, and project sustainability;
- Providing technical assistance, the process of providing targeted support to an organization with a development need or problem, such as hiring a subcontractor to support implementation of a strategic plan, coalition development, community leadership development, multi-sector partnership development, grant writing, building the fiscal capacity of community organization to manage a contract with the state, etc.;
- Operational support, the process of assisting with managing and optimizing various aspects of an organization's operations within a community-led policy/systems project, such as implementation of a policy/systems project that has a developed strategic plan, community engagement strategy, hiring a subcontractor to assist with project implementation, etc.
Informational Webinar
How to Apply
- Online applications should be submitted using the HDCGP SB181 RFA application survey on REDCap.
- The online application survey for this RFA, including all required application questions and Attachment Documents, must be submitted through the same REDCap survey platform.
- Applicants should reference the PDF version of the application form (Appendix A: Application Narrative) to help prepare responses for the questions that will be asked in the application survey.
- Applicants must upload the following documents into the REDCap survey platform.
Submitting Questions
- Applicants may submit written inquiries only via email to obtain clarification of requirements concerning this RFA. No inquiries will be accepted after the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Send all inquiries to: cdphe_hdcgp@state.co.us
- Clearly identify your inquiries with:
- RFA 42396
- RFA Title
- The RFA page number and section title the inquiry applies to and detail your question(s).
- Responses to applicant inquiries will be published on the HDCGP Funding Opportunities website: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hdcgp-funding-opportunities by close of business on the dates listed on the Schedule of Activities. Applicants are not to rely on any other statements that alter any specification or other term or condition of the RFA.
For information on grant writing:
RFP #202400108 - Health Disparities and Community Grant Program (HDCGP) Program Evaluation
The application period is now closed for RFP RFP #202400108.
RFA #35913
The application period is now closed for FY22-23 funding (April 2022 through June 2023) for HDCGP RFA #35913. You may still view the following:
- The full application packet.
- Watch the recording of the Funding Opportunity Informational Webinar held on November 1, 2021 | view the presentation slides.
- View responses to written inquiries.
RFA #33306
The application period is now closed for FY22-25 funding (January 2022 through December 2024) for HDCGP RFA #33306. You may still view the following:
- The full application packet.
- Watch the recording of the Funding Opportunity Informational Webinar held on April 7, 2021 | view the presentation slides.
- View responses to written inquiries.
For questions about the application process, please contact cdphe_healthequity@state.co.us.