Applications due by Aug. 5

Key Points

• Applications for Boulder County’s 2027 Worthy Cause IV capital funding are now open. The application deadline is 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.
• Questions can be submitted through the Q&A Form by 4 p.m. on July 13, 2026.
• There will be a Worthy Cause Question & Answer meeting at 10 a.m. on July 16, 2026. Visit the form to register for the online meeting.

• To receive this information in another language, email Deanna Byar dbyar@bouldercounty.gov.

Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County is now accepting applications for 2027 Worthy Cause IV capital funding, continuing a long-standing commitment to supporting the infrastructure needs of local nonprofit human service agencies and housing authorities.

Applications must be completed in their entirety and submitted through the county’s online application system no later than 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Funding Projects Since 2000

Since 2000, Boulder County has distributed tens of millions of dollars in Worthy Cause funding to its community partners. From 2019 to 2026 alone, the county invested an average of roughly $4 million each year and awarded funding to 60 percent of the Worthy Cause IV applications it received. That track record reflects both the strength of local proposals and the steady demand for capital support across the county.

Over that period, those dollars have gone where the community needs them most:

• Housing: 58 percent of funding

• Human Services: 25 percent of funding

• Child Care: 17 percent of funding

In the most recent cycle, the county awarded Worthy Cause funds to 16 agencies, supporting capital projects such as facility improvements, property acquisition, new construction, and debt reduction.

The current version of the program, Worthy Cause IV, was approved by voters in 2017 with 79 percent support, continuing the 0.05 percent sales and use tax allocation that makes this funding possible.

What Worthy Cause Makes Possible

Behind every percentage point is a building, a service or a family with a more stable place to turn. Recent Worthy Cause awards show what that looks like on the ground.

TEENS, Inc. early education and childcare center in Nederland. The county helped fund construction of a new early education and childcare center in the Town of Nederland, serving children from infancy through age 7. The project adds 65 childcare slots in West Boulder County, an area where families have long faced limited options.

OUR Center (Outreach United Resource Center). The award supports an expansion of the Community Market food pantry, along with a new community gathering space for classes and meetings and a new children’s play place. Together, those additions broaden both the capacity and the welcome the center can offer the families it serves.

Boulder County Housing Authority, Willoughby Corner IDD building. Phase 2 will offer a new building with 32 one- and two-bedroom units for individuals and households with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their caretakers. Both floors feature amenity space designed specifically for residents with IDD, including sensory pods, a lounge, kitchen, classroom, service room and a private patio with a walking path and a designated ride pick-up area. The building is slated for completion in early 2027, with residents expected to move in during the first quarter of the year.

How to Apply

The 2027 application is available now on the Boulder County Worthy Cause webpage. Applications must be submitted online no later than 4 p.m. on Aug. 5, 2026.

Questions and Information Session

Applicants are encouraged to submit questions in advance and to join a virtual information session to learn more about the application process:

• Submit your questions through the Q&A Form no later than 4 p.m. on July 13, 2026.

• Join the Worthy Cause Question & Answer with Community Partners meeting at 10 a.m. on July 16, 2026. Register here for the meeting, and the meeting link will be sent the day before.

Boulder County values inclusion and access for all participants and is committed to supporting every applicant in completing the Worthy Cause application. If you experience any issues with the online application, contact Carlene Okiyama at cokiyama@bouldercounty.gov.

If you have a disability and require an accommodation, please see the county’s ADA and EEO Notices.