What is GrantCorps?
GrantCorps is Dedicated to Building Grant Access Equity across Colorado.
GrantCorps provides information, training, and technical support to nonprofits across Colorado in grant development and management so that funding gets to the organizations that need it most. All GrantCorps services are provided at no cost to eligible organizations. We support small, rural, and systemically marginalized communities, as well as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led organizations so they can more equitably access private and government grant funding.
Our goals are to:
- Increase the amount of grant funds awarded to small, rural, and systemically marginalized communities.
- Enable more equitable sharing of grant information and resources provided to organizations that face barriers to grant access.
- Help small, rural nonprofits working with historically under-resourced and systemically marginalized communities to improve their fund-development capacity and systems.
- Improve grant making practices across Colorado to be more equitable.
What we do…
Our programming includes the following activities:
Access to Grant Resources and Information
This includes directing partners to tools on grant development such as the Colorado Common Grant application, grant research resources and other grant-related databases available in their own communities, such as in public libraries, and to CRC’s grant resources, mainly the Colorado Grants Guide (CGG) and CRC’s educational offerings and other programs, including GrantCorps.
Grant Training
GrantCorps offers 3-5 training workshops per quarter, which cover a wide range of topics including grant narrative development, grants research, and grants management. Workshops are offered both virtually and in-person and are intended to reach as many as 200 organizations per year. Beginning in April 2023, GrantCorps offers simultaneous Spanish language interpretation for virtual training events.
Short-Term Grant Coaching
GrantCorps offers 3-8 hours of short-term coaching to with up to 30 eligible organizations per year. Coaching activities vary, and may include:
- Completing state, federal, and private grant research.
- Providing a funder-research coaching session and a customized report on prospective funders with whom they are a match.
- Assessing government grant readiness and recommendations for areas to build organizational capacity.
- Assessing systems for tracking, evaluating, and reporting outcomes, financial reporting, and general grant management.
- Reviewing, editing, and providing feedback on an already-written grant application.
Deep Grant Consultation
GrantCorps offers 20-50 hours of longer-term consulting support with up to 20 eligible organizations per year. Consulting activities vary, and may include:
- Working collaboratively with organization contacts to write private and public grant applications, attachments, program and financial grant reports.
- Providing tools and coaching to organizations to develop achievable grant development and management systems.
- Developing partner Memorandum of Understanding documents (MOUs) and other efforts to document grant partnerships and collaboration, including opportunities for match funding.
- Other organizational supports as needed, drawing our expertise in nonprofit grant management.
Documenting Barriers and Making Recommendations to Funders
GrantCorps is dedicated to collecting information from small, rural, and BIPOC-led nonprofits about the barriers they experience accessing public and private grant funding and to sharing this information with grant makers in an effort to build greater grant access equity. Activities include:
- Publishing a whitepaper on recommendations to address barriers in partnership with the Colorado Workforce Development Council and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
- Partnering with Philanthropy Colorado to gather information from nonprofits and private grant-makers about the Colorado Common Grant, the barriers organizations experience accessing grant funds, and the recommendations these communities have to build more equity and access in the process.
Upcoming Training and Information Sessions
May – December 2023
Get Grants (2 Parts)
July 12 & 14 | 9:00AM-12:00PM | Zoom
Government Grant Reporting
August 17 | 9:00AM-12:00PM | Zoom
Finding Funding on the Web
October 5 | 9:00-10:30AM | Zoom
Pen-to-Paper (3 Parts)
October 10, 24 & November 7 | 9:00AM-4:00PM | Denver (In-Person)
Government Grant Development
December 7 | 9:00AM-12:00PM | Zoom
Are you eligible?
Are you a Colorado-based initiative or organization connected to workforce development, looking for support in grant seeking, development, and management? If so, then you need to fulfill one or more of these eligibility criteria to qualify for services:
- Do you work in an organization that is Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led (BIPOC) and/or is primarily serving BIPOC communities?
- Are you located in a rural community?
- Is your annual budget less than $1M?
- Do you currently experience challenges accessing private and government grant funding?
To qualify for services, you must meet one or more of the criteria listed. The more criteria you fill, the more services you are eligible for through the GrantCorps program. All services offered by GrantCorps are free of charge. In order to apply for services, please complete this interest form and we will follow up with you!
Meet the GrantCorps Team!
Katy Pepinsky (she, her, ella)
Director of Grant Services
email hidden; JavaScript is required
Read Katy’s Bio
Katy Pepinsky (she/her/ella), Director of GrantCorps, works to build the capacity of Colorado nonprofits to access and manage public and private grant funds. Katy started with CRC in June 2022. Prior to her current position, Katy worked as the Executive Director of a youth services organization in La Plata County. For over twenty years, she has worked with a diverse array of non-profit and service organizations to help build more resilient communities including La Plata Youth Services, Cooking Matters Colorado, Growing Partners of SW Colorado, Mercy Hospital, Peace Corps, and Colorado State University Extension. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Katy holds a master’s degree in Extension Education from Colorado State University and a Professional Non-Profit Management Certificate, from Fort Lewis College. Katy lives in Durango and enjoys reading, gardening, practicing yoga, and exploring the rural rivers and trails of the Southwest with her two kids, husband, and dog. Ella habla español.
Silas Babilonia (he, him, his)
GrantCorps VISTA Member – Grantwriting Specialist
Read Silas’ Bio
Silas Babilonia (he/him/his), Grant Writing Specialist, works to help non-profits across the state of Colorado receive the funding and resources necessary to thrive through the function of grant-writing. Silas started with CRC in October 2022. Prior to his current position, Silas has worked in the non-profit realm in various capacities. He has served previously with AmeriCorps, working with CRC to combat the COVID pandemic as a Contact Tracer/Case Investigator. Before that, Silas also served as both a case manager and overnight assistant at several different facilities run by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. Silas grew up in Aurora, Colorado, and considers the state his home. He is a lifelong traveler, having been across Europe and the United States; however, Colorado always had a special place for him. He is currently located in the Capitol Hill area of Denver and spends his time with family and friends, works on making and producing electronic music, and spends time with his Guinea pig named Jim.
Matthew Romanyk (he, him, his)
GrantCorps VISTA Member – Grantwriting Specialist
Read Matthew’s Bio
Matthew Romanyk (he/him/his), AmeriCorps Grant Writing Specialist VISTA, is helping build capacity, facilitate connections, and provide support for rural non-profits across underserved Colorado communities through grant development and organizational maintenance. Matthew started his service with Americorps and CRC in October 2022. A central New York native, Matthew found his home in southwest Colorado last year, and brought with him a love for expansive nature, music and solitude. In his free time, Matthew can be found participating in local open mics, reading, writing, hiking with his boxer-mix Martha, and thinking about what fundamental improvements could be made to the world around us. Matthew plans on using his research and education background to foster understanding and equity throughout Colorado.
Terry Hessner (he, him, his)
GrantCorps VISTA Member – Statewide Data Analyst
Read Terry’s Bio
Terry Hessner (He/Him/His) is a Statewide Data Analyst Vista working with GrantCorps at the CRC. As a Data Analyst he acts as a resource for Colorado nonprofits to access funding for their organizations and navigate the Colorado Grants Guide. Terry started as a Vista at CRC in October 2022. Before joining the GrantCorps team he spent several years working in hospitality and food service, including three years helping to manage the food program at a Denver based youth shelter organization. Terry is from Lafayette, Colorado and lives there still. His hobbies include reading, writing, playing piano and watching movies.
Eugene Davis (he, him, his)
GrantCorps VISTA Member – Statewide Data Analyst
Read Eugene’s Bio
Eugene Davis (he/him/his) is currently working as a Data Analyst for the AmeriCorps Vista Program with CRC to build capacity in the rural Colorado nonprofit ecosystem. Eugene began working with CRC in late October after graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in environmental policy and globalization. Eugene has previously worked as a Communications Assistant for the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides in Eugene, Oregon, and has experience working with rural communities during his time in the University of Oregon Environmental Leadership Team. On his days off Eugene enjoys playing music and basketball as well as spending time with his close friends and family members.
Jhon F. Londoño, Ph.D. (he, him, his)
Executive Director, RTL Foundation
Strategy Consultant, Community Resource Center
Read Jhon’s Bio
Jhon F. Londoño, Ph.D., brings more than 30 years of corporate, entrepreneurial and non-profit experience, including nearly 20 years in executive and leadership positions in the non-profit sector, working primarily with non-profit organizations that serve Latino, BIPOC, and systemically underserved communities. Over this time Jhon has raised more than $50 million dollars from a diverse pool of funding sources including federal, state, and municipal grants and state and federal legislator appropriations, as well as from private sources including private and corporate foundations, donor advised funds, community and family foundations, individual donors, corporate sponsors, and special events.
Most recently, Jhon was Vice President of Development and Communications for Warren Village in Denver, an organization that provides transitional housing and education services to single parent families and their children, the vast majority of whom are BIPOC and Latino, who are poor, have recently exited homelessness and/or are about to become homeless – much like Jhon’s lived experience growing up poor and undocumented in New York. In this role Jhon led all fundraising including from federal, state, municipal and private sources. During his tenure Warren Village’s revenue reached an all-time high of $11 million.
Previously Jhon was Director of Development and Communications for Focus Points Family Resource Center in north Denver, an organization that provides early childhood and adult education, mental health and behavioral services, wrap around family programs, workforce development and social enterprise programs, and food access for Latino, BIPOC, Asylee and Refugee families. During his tenure funding from federal, state and municipal grants increased, as well identifying over $3 million in funding from new private sources.
Jhon’s non-profit experience includes leading organizations such as LIFC in NY, which raised funds to build housing for impoverished, single moms, most of whom were Latina; as well as leading Development and Communications for Puertorriqueños Asociados for Community Organization (PACO), a non-profit that provides low-income housing, low-income energy assistance, after-school programs and small business development services to Latino, BIPOC, and systemically underserved communities in Jersey City, NJ.
A native of Colombia, Jhon is fully bilingual, was raised poor and undocumented in New York and was the first in his family to graduate college and later earn a Ph.D. in engineering. His combined impact in corporate, entrepreneurial endeavors, and the non-profit sector stands at $170 million.
Jhon holds Ph.D. and Masters degrees in engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a proud 2019 alumni of the Latino Leadership Institute at the University of Denver, an Executive Leadership program anchored on providing Latino leaders in Colorado with the knowledge to impact Latino and BIPOC communities throughout Colorado, to place more Latinos in leadership roles throughout corporate and non-profit sectors in the state, and to provide access to leaders in government, corporate and non-profit sectors.
Jhon is the proud father of two boys and a rescue puppy, and enjoys road trips with his family throughout Colorado and the United States, having already driven coast-to-coast several times and visited 42 States on his way to visiting all 50 States.
Lori Sharp (she, her, hers)
Principal, ThinkSharp! Consulting
Grant Consultant, GrantCorps
Read Lori’s Bio
Lori is the founder of ThinkSharp! Consulting. Lori has over 10 years of grant management and NPO consulting experience, and her work has led to increased and stable funding for each client she works with. She prides herself on her client and funder relationships, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to represent her clients with integrity and passion.
Felicia Tapia (she, her, hers/ella)
Consultant, GrantCorps
Read Felicia’s Bio
Felicia joined Community Resource Center in December 2022 as a Consultant focused on supporting and expanding the capacity of the GrantCorps Program. She was born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology with a minor in Creative Writing from Colorado State University-Pueblo. Her background in nonprofit behavioral health and writing center work in higher education naturally led her to working with nonprofits and grant writing. Growing up on the eastside of Pueblo, a population experiencing low socioeconomic status and high health disparities, Felicia experienced the power and impact of nonprofit programs and grant-funded initiatives. She feels fortunate to be able to work alongside nonprofits, especially small nonprofits belonging to marginalized communities, and is excited about her partnership with CRC. Aside from working with nonprofits, Felicia enjoys dark skies and open spaces, reading anything from a good meme to a book from the stack, writing poetry, memoir, and fiction, and listening to eclectic music with her husband and their two cat friends.
Resources
This Toolkit has been established to assist smaller nonprofits serving rural communities and organizations that focus efforts on underserved workforce populations, in navigating the State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund grant application and reporting process. The guide was developed in partnership between Community Resource Center & the Colorado Workforce Development Council.
Helpful Links
State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Info Session Video: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, national, state, and local governments are being charged with supporting communities in their response and recovery. The State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, or SLFRF, is one mechanism that is directing funds to state, local, and Tribal governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from COVID-19. In this session we cover the offerings, eligibility, and requirements of the State & Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) as well as resources to assist nonprofit organizations with limited fund development capacity to seek and apply for these government grants.
Colorado Grants Guide: developed by the Community Resource Center (CRC), is the state’s leading online resource for funding research. This database contains hundreds of profiles of local foundations and trusts, corporations, national funders, government agencies and religious organizations that support Colorado nonprofits. These profiles are updated regularly, so as to always provide the most relevant information available.
Have questions?
Contact Us!
Katy Pepinsky, Director of Grant Services: email hidden; JavaScript is required, tel: 720.885.9889. Ella habla español.
GrantCorps FAQ
My organization does not meet all of the criteria listed in the GrantCorps eligibility section, should I still fill out an interest form?
Yes! Even if you do not meet ALL of our eligibility criteria you may still qualify for services.
Is GrantCorps free?
Yes, GrantCorps services are available free of charge to eligible non-profit organizations.
The GrantCorps program is able to do its work free of charge because it is funded by grants from the following organizations: AmeriCorps, Boettcher Foundation, Colorado Workforce Development Council, and the Kenneth King Foundation.
Once I fill out an interest form, what happens next?
The GrantCorps team will process your interest form and then reach out to you via your preferred method of communication, either to let you know that you are eligible and inform you of what the next steps are, or to let you know that you are not eligible and refer you to some helpful resources.
What kinds of services does GrantCorps provide?
There are four tiers of GrantCorps services: Consultation, Coaching, Training, and Access to Information. For more information, please see the “Our Services” Section above.
What am I (my organization) expected to provide to participate in the program?
In order to participate, partners will be asked to provide:
- A completed GrantCorps Interest Form,
- A contact person within the organization who is ready and willing to participate in the program, and
- A signed Services Agreement, sent to the contact person after their intake meeting, that outlines the terms and expectations of both participants and the GrantCorps team during service.
2023 Funders of GrantCorps
