AmeriCorps VISTA

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Natasha Couoh, VISTA Member in the blue shirt, at the Leadership Pueblo 3-Day Leadership Retreat in January - Teambuilding event to build the largest tower of pasta that they won!

Clara Hernandez, VISTA Member in red, at the Colorado Community Land Trust Conference

Caroline Hoge, VISTA Member with the Good Food Collective, carrying potatoes locally grown as part of the organization's Farms to Food Access Program

VISTA Members in Denver attending the DiSC Training

Natasha Couoh, VISTA Member on the right, with Janelle Quick, Supervisor at Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation, at the Festival of Trees Fundraiser where they decorated and auctioned this tree for $125

Arleen Colorow, VISTA Member on the right, with Gregory Felsen, Supervisor at CSU Extension, at Bear Dance, a cultural celebration and preservation of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Purpose

To address emergent needs of organizations across Colorado, CRC launched GrantCorps in 2022. GrantCorps AmeriCorps VISTA Members provide information, training and 1:1 technical support to nonprofit organizations in grant development across Colorado. Nonprofit organizations are defined as those with 501(c)3 status and/or working under the fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)3 organization. GrantCorps focuses on working with organizations with less capacity, experiencing barriers accessing public and private grants so they can better secure funding for their communities long-term. 

By focusing on high-demand career pathways in the non-profit sector, such as Data Analysts and Grant Writers, CRC helps prepare VISTA members with the tools they need to succeed in the areas of non-profit fund development. Since 2014, CRC has hosted a Rural VISTA Intermediary Project. The goal of the project was to provide national service members with the opportunity to deliver indirect services to build the organizational, administrative, and financial capacity of nonprofit organizations. In 2024, CRC closed its Rural Intermediary VISTA Project and started a new Standard Project partnership with VISTA, with four members per year serving at CRC in the GrantCorps VISTA project.

Impact

Over the past few years, eleven VISTA Members have served in GrantCorps, with the first four members beginning in October 2022, a second cohort of three in August 2023, and four members starting in January 2025. 

Since June of 2022, the GrantCorps program impacted 241 unique organizations. 35 organizations have received grant information & resources, 338 individuals have participated in training, and 48 have received 1:1 coaching & consultation. As a result, organizations have developed $4.8M in new grants and raised $1.1M in grant awards to date.

Moving forward, CRC’s goal is to build on the success of the GrantCorps project by continuing to host GrantCorps VISTA Members, and work alongside organizations to increase their grant development capacity, and to build greater grant access across Colorado.  

Current VISTA Positions at CRC (Filled)

Statewide Data Analyst GrantCorps VISTA

The Statewide Data Analyst GrantCorps VISTA provides critical grant research, tools, and resources to under-resourced nonprofits, to increase their financial and organizational capacity. These efforts will address poverty by building a funding pipeline for low-income rural communities to ensure sustainability of services. Specifically, the Statewide Data Analyst GrantCorps VISTA will:  

1) Gain skills and receive training in nonprofit grant research. 
2) Utilize CRC’s Colorado Grants Guide® (CGG) and other grant research databases to identify funding opportunities, deadlines, and key donor details and to develop customized recommendations for nonprofits.
3) Strengthen a volunteer program to engage statewide community members in grant research and to perform regular updates to the CGG including updates and expansions of CGG profiles and content.  
4) Plan and initiate outreach campaigns. 
5) Improve efforts to engage statewide funders and nonprofits in research on effective grant application and reporting tools. 
6) Research robust funding opportunities. 
7) Engage with GrantCorps team to create grant tracking and CRM systems, developing recommendations for CRC and partner organizations to effectively utilize these tools. 

GrantCorps Grantwriting Specialist VISTA

The GrantCorps Grantwriting Specialist VISTA increases participating nonprofits’ fundraising capacity through strategic grant planning and development, collaboration, and systems building. Greater financial stability will allow organizations to access critical resources necessary to alleviate poverty and address other community needs. Specifically, the Grantwriting Specialist VISTA will:

1) Gain skills and receive training in nonprofit grant development. 
2) Develop resources for organizations to utilize in grant applications. 
3) Utilize CRC’s collection of statewide funding data to identify relevant grant opportunities for organizations.
4) Collaborate with GrantCorps team and partner organizations to draft, edit, and submit grant narratives and reports. 
5) Leverage relationships with state-wide private and public grant makers to increase access for organizations to grant funding. 
6) Engage collaboratively with GrantCorps team to create grant tracking and CRM systems to collect and interpret program data and to develop recommendations for program quality to better meet the needs of more partner organizations.
7) Work with GrantCorps team to develop community-based volunteer opportunities, grant applications, fundraising, and collateral that will ensure the long-term sustainability of GrantCorps. 

More information on VISTA can be found here: AmeriCorps VISTA | AmeriCorps
To apply for open VISTA Member positions across the country, visit: https://my.americorps.gov/
Or contact AmeriCorps VISTA Headquarters at: email hidden; JavaScript is required

For questions about CRC’s AmeriCorps GrantCorps VISTA project, please contact:

Alex McHenry | Director of Programs & Development, email hidden; JavaScript is required