The Colorado Business Development Foundation has funded and developed small businesses and technical assistance programs since its inception in 2014. Here are just a few examples of CBDF projects, and the impact created as a result of them.
Post-Pandemic Relief Grants
In 2022, the McMillen Foundation provided a generous donation to the CBDF to provide post-pandemic relief grants to for-profit brick and mortar retail establishments within the City of Littleton. Through a selection committee, four businesses were awarded and preference was give to businesses that had received little to no prior COVID relief funding.
GRANTS
4
businesses
$18,000
awarded
Certified Small Business Community PROGRAM
In 2017, the CBDF received a grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to partner with the Colorado Small Business Development Center Network create the Certified Small Business Community (CSBC) program. The CSBC program assists rural communities in taking their entrepreneurship promotion and retention to the next level and be a standard bearer for the State of Colorado. Selected communities received a designation of a "Certified Small Business Community" to promote a great place to "Work, Live and Play" in Colorado.
CERTIFIED COMMUNITIES
City of Fruita
Lincoln County
Prowers County
Rio Blanco County
TRAINING
39
training events
394
attendees
195
hours of outreach
CONSULTING
104
businesses
392
consulting sessions
804
consulting hours
IMPACT
33.5
jobs created and retained
$150,000
sales increase
$4,508,000
capital formation
innovation and opportunity conference
In 2019 and 2020, the Colorado Business Development Foundation co-hosted the “Innovation and Opportunity Conference: Advancing Aerospace and Defense” in partnership with NASA and AIAA in Aurora, Colorado. The two-day event brought together NASA experts, small businesses, startups, research institutions and large businesses/prime contractors for a technology and commercialization event.