More than 20 cities, towns and other non-profit entities are receiving the second batch of Community Telework grants from the Colorado Department of Transportation for their efforts to provide healthy and safe options for employees, employers and others who are able to work remotely. Grants up to $5,000 were awarded to eligible applicants. Grantees are promoting best practices for teleworking and social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis.
Local CDOT grant recipients for La Plata County include KSUT Public Radio/KSUT Tribal Radio and San Juan Basin Public Health (SJBPH.)
- KSUT Public Radio/KSUT Tribal Radio (Ignacio): Purchase 200 public information announcements that will provide teleworking strategies, benefits and COVID-19 updates.
- San Juan Basin Public Health (Durango): Improve connectivity and support telework for both employees and clients. Includes creating a telecommuting plan and installation of video conference systems in meeting rooms. ($4,750)
For the next round of Telework grants, CDOT will award up to $10,000 to eligible non-profits, including local governments, agencies and associations.
“These types of programs are vital if we want to not only protect public health but also encourage more people to telecommute,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “We’ve seen a lot of innovative proposals that not only foster economic opportunities but also enhance public health and safety. If you meet the eligibility requirements, please do apply for one of these grants.”
Telework applications can be accessed here: https://www.codot.gov/programs/community-challenge. Although private, for-profit organizations (e.g. – contractors, suppliers, or consultants) are not eligible to apply, they can partner with a qualified entity.
This initiative is supporting the Can Do Community Challenge, as part of the Can Do Colorado campaign. Another CDOT “Can Do” program is Revitalizing Main Streets, which is providing small-scale grants for low-cost, immediate actions to help safely improve the economy and enhance healthy activities in cities and towns.
More information on that program is available at the link above. Please submit questions about either program to: cdot_candocdot@state.co.us.