The Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District (MCFMLD) announced that their applications for the fall 2017 grant cycle are available as of August 1. The fall grant cycle is open, and applications from eligible entities must be submitted by September 8. 

The MCFMLD has around $350,000 to use in this fall grant cycle. The funds come from royalties collected from mineral extraction on federal lands. Agencies that are eligible to apply are those funded by taxpayers, such as School District 51, Mesa County Public Libraries, or the Fire Departments. 

There are two grant programs. One is a mini-grant, which is up to $50,000. The traditional grant program is for larger projects over $50,000. “Since 2011, we’ve awarded over 7 million dollars to entities here in Mesa County. So, this money is our money for our county and our residents to benefit from, and we really encourage people to apply,” said Dusti Reimer, the grant program administrator for the Federal Mineral Lease District. 

The grants are awarded through a scoring process after the open presentation on September 13 at 2 P.M. in the Community Room of Home Loan State Bank. Recipients of the grants will be selected at the Board meeting on October 11. To find out more about the current grant cycle visit http://www.mesafml.org/current-grant-cycle/.

The MCFMLD could have their amount for the fall change, due to a public comment period and approval of the new Investment Policy that is being drafted by the Board. This is because House-Bill 17-1152 was signed into state law. Federal mineral districts in Colorado can now establish permanent funds for their areas by investing a portion of the money gathered. This would give the district a chance to build a larger grant fund for the future. 

A copy of the draft can be found here http://www.mesafml.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/MCFMLD-Investment-Policy.pdf.