The City of Fort Collins Economic Health Office this spring awarded $147,400 in grants to local organizations from the 2018 Industry Cluster Support Fund.
The funding supports industry clusters to nurture entrepreneurs through projects that demonstrate new ideas and products, and support workforce development and community initiatives. The City received $278,875 in funding requests. Award winners will use the grants to obtain additional grants or to sponsor events and programs.
The Economic Health Office collects mid-year and end of year reports from each organization to monitor the progress of each grant recipient. City staffers work directly with clusters to support their initiatives and foster collaboration among cluster organizations.
As part of its Strategic Plan, the City’s Economic Health Office works to support innovation and assist with the retention and expansion of businesses in the community.
Awardees for 2018:
Rockies Venture Institute: Support capital access, develop an education program and increase investor diversity. ($30,000)
NOCo Health Partnership: Support workforce development, implement a high school internship program, deliver the NoCo Health Care Job Fair and establish scholarships with community colleges. ($25,900)
NoCo Food Cluster: Support peer networking and market access, develop education events and deliver programs for food/ag startups. ($25,000)
NoCo Bioscience Cluster: Support peer networking and industry intelligence, deliver the NoCo Bio Annual Life Sciences Summit and participate in the Colorado Life Science Innovation Forum, deliver educational events and employ student interns. ($25,000)
NoCo Manufacturing Partnership: Support workforce development by implementing company tours for high school students and a manufacturing internship program for local youth. ($15,000)
Innosphere: Support peer networking through monthly and education events showcasing industry clusters, emerging technologies and startup companies. ($10,000)
Downtown Creative District: Support peer networking and market access by developing industry convening and professional development events, delivering a series of Pop-Up Art experiences to engage creatives in placemaking and brand Fort Collins as an arts epicenter, and creating a Creative District Resource Database. ($10,000)
Poudre River Public Library: Support peer networking by attracting high-tech authors to present and engaged with local businesses at the Fort Collins Book Festival: Science & Technology. ($6,500)