direct effect



​corporate giving direct effect awards

CHFA’s Direct Effect Awards recognize Colorado nonprofit organizations whose missions align with CHFA’s work to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development. The average donation amount is $7,000. Maximum donation amount is $50,000. Applications are due September 30, 2021.

In round one, CHFA donated a record $909,650 to 78 nonprofits through its Direct Effect program, which received 112 applications seeking more than $3 million in combined funding. Additionally, Second Chance Center was selected as CHFA’s 2021 David W. Herlinger Golf Tournament beneficiary, which has historically raised $75,000 for its annual beneficiary.

Read more about the round one award recipients here.

​Corporate Giving

In 2021, CHFA is committing $1.4 million dollars to support nonprofits that share our mission of strengthening Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development. The Direct Effect Awards are an integral part of this effort and serve as a reminder that immediate funding of community-based needs can make a direct and positive impact.

What Is Your Direct Effect?

Tell us how your nonprofit organization has supported the Colorado community in the past, and how you would use the Award to further your mission.

award announcements
Direct Effect Award recipients will be announced in early December 2021.

submission information

The application period for the 2021 Direct Effect Awards has closed. Application deadlines for the 2022 Direct Effect Award rounds will be announced in January 2022.

With your application, you will submit your written entry, a copy of your IRS exemption letter demonstrating proof of the organization’s nonprofit status or a state charter, articles of incorporation or other establishing documents designating the organization as a nonprofit or not-for-profit entity under the laws of Colorado, and the Colorado Secretary of State's Certificate of Good Standing.

All eligible entries will be judged by a panel comprised of CHFA staff. Award winners will be selected based on the organization’s track record of success, the proposal, and how the Award funds will be used. Winners will be posted online at chfainfo.com in early December.

To receive announcements about CHFA’s Community Partnership efforts including Direct Effect Awards, please sign up to receive CHFA’s Community Connections eNews.

Additional Details

To be eligible, nonprofits must have a mission that aligns with CHFA. Does your mission align with CHFA’s mission to strengthen Colorado by investing in affordable housing and community development in the following ways:

Affordable Homeownership
Strengthening low- and moderate- income Coloradans ability to achieve or sustain affordable homeownership, financial literacy and education, home maintenance repairs and renovations, housing counseling, or foreclosure prevention.

Affordable Rental Housing
The development or preservation of affordable rental housing, or providing support and wrap-around services for residents, rental assistance, tenant legal aid and fair housing support, or rental housing search services, or eviction prevention, or support for people experiencing homelessness.

Economic Development
Strengthening economic development and small business access to capital, fresh food access in food deserts, entrepreneurship, leadership, business-readiness, job training and skill development, or nonprofit-sector development and support. 


Does your organization work in any of the following areas that further CHFA’s vision that everyone in Colorado will have the opportunity for housing stability and economic prosperity?


Education
Increasing access to or achievement in early childhood education, K-12, higher education, or financial education; mentoring and scholarships; or narrowing the education gap particularly among diverse, rural, and economically disadvantaged populations

Mobility
Mobility, transit, and alternative modes of transportation, increasing access and affordability, jobs and housing in proximity to transit

Health
Increasing health access and affordability, improving health outcomes for underserved populations inclusive of either physical, mental, or behavioral health

Energy
Providing energy cost assistance for low income households, weatherization, retrofits, or upgrades for energy efficiency

Other
Is there a different way that your organization meets our broad mission of affordable housing and economic development? If so, please describe.


Applicants seeking to further their work in any of the following areas will receive top consideration.


  • Supporting rural communities
  • Serving special needs populations such as homeless, veterans, seniors, or the disabled
  • Addressing systemic racial/ethnic inequities and creating opportunities for communities of color
  • Advancing innovation in construction practices, service delivery, community collaboration and partnerships, or other kinds of change-making endeavors that supports housing stability or economic prosperity
​additional eligibility criteria 
​Eligible nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations include public housing authorities, cities, counties, and local municipalities.

Organizations awarded a Direct Effect Award in Round One 2021 are ineligible for a second award in Round Two, 2021.

The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority’s contribution is restricted to supporting the general operations and programs of the organization and may not be used to support any activity proscribed by Section 1-45-117 of the Colorado Fair Campaign Practices Act or advocacy in support or opposition to any state, federal, or local legislation.

Funds may not be used to prepare a site or application for a future state or Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) application, nor may they be used as gap funds for a development previously awarded credit.

Applicants will be asked to respond to the following questions:

  1. Describe, in 300 words or less, how your organization has made the state stronger by helping Coloradans access affordable housing and/or by furthering economic development.
  2. Describe, in 500 words or less, the amount you’re requesting and how the Award could allow you to make a direct effect with your work in Colorado.
  3. Describe, in 500 words or less, the total funding needed for this effort and who else has contributed to and/or is being asked to contribute towards the funding goal? In addition, please describe three ways you will measure success for this effort. Examples of success measures could include, but are not limited to: total number of households expected to be supported, target beneficiary demographics, program launch date, or project completion date.
  4. Describe in 500 words or less how your organization strives to advance equity through your programs, who you serve, staff, board, and volunteers, and/or engagement with community.
Please note: Award recipients will be asked to provide a brief written summary report within one year of receiving their award documenting their progress in reaching the success measures defined in their submission.

The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority’s contribution is restricted to supporting the general operations and programs of the organization and may not be used to support any activity proscribed by Section 1-45-117 of the Colorado Fair Campaign Practices Act or advocacy in support or opposition to any state, federal, or local legislation.

Please contact Jerilynn Francis or Kristen Kalkin for more information. 
​use of entrants’ and winner’s entries and privacy consent and release​
​All entries submitted in connection with the Awards shall become the sole property of CHFA and, as such, may be used by CHFA in its sole discretion for purposes related to CHFA’s mission, including art, publicity, marketing, trade, and promotion of CHFA and its various programs without compensation to Award entrants. Submitted entries may be copied and distributed by means of various media, including video presentations, television, radio, news bulletins, mail-outs, billboards or signs, brochures, placement on CHFA websites, other electronic delivery or publications, as well as other social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and use of submitted entries will be further subject to the user agreements for those media applications. Award entrants waive any and all rights to inspect or approve the finished product, any accompanying text, or any material in which CHFA may eventually use the submitted entries. By submitting an entry for these Awards, entrants relinquish and give CHFA all rights, title, and interests in and to the submitted entries, including any copyright. This consent and release shall be binding on the entrants’ heirs, successors, assigns and legal representatives. Award entrants may only revoke the consent provided in this application in writing and only with respect to the future use of submitted entries by CHFA after the date CHFA receives written notice of entrants’ or winner’s request of revocation of consent pursuant to this section.

CHFA will use the submitted entries in accordance with this Application and with standards of good judgment; however, CHFA does not warrant or guarantee that any further dissemination by third parties of submitted entries will be subject to CHFA’s supervision or control, even after CHFA’s receipt of a request of revocation of consent. Additionally, please note that records held by CHFA may be subject to the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), C.R.S. 24-72-201, et seq. By submitting an entry for these Awards, entrants release CHFA and its directors, members, officers, agents, employees, personnel, successors, and assigns from any and all liability related to the dissemination of the submitted entries, reproduction, distribution, and display of the submitted entries in print or any and all other media, and any alteration, blurring, use in composite form, distortion, or illusionary effect, whether intentional or otherwise, that may be produced in taking, processing, reduction, or production of the finished product, its publication, or distribution.

The Award winner must agree to be interviewed and featured in communication pieces related to CHFA’s mission, including art, publicity, marketing, trade, and promotion of CHFA and its various programs without compensation to the Award​ winner.