Grants provide funding for courthouses with limited resources

DENVER—The Colorado Judicial Department has opened the application period for fiscal year 2026-27 grants from the Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission Cash Fund.  

The grants provide supplemental funding for courthouse facilities projects in Colorado counties with the most limited resources. The 2014 General Assembly created the grant program to help counties with the most limited financial resources ensure access to safe courthouses that allow for the efficient and effective administration of justice. 

To be eligible for grants, counties must meet at least two of four criteria set in the statute: counties whose total population is below the median among all Colorado counties; counties in which per-capita income is below the state median; counties in which property tax revenues are below the state median; and counties in which the population living below the federal poverty line is above the state median. 

Approximately $2.5 million to $3 million is anticipated to be available from the Colorado Underfunded Courthouse Facility Cash Fund. Thirty-nine counties meeting at least two of the criteria set in statute are eligible for grants. Of those counties, 22 are given the highest priority for grants because they meet all statutory criteria. 

Under Colorado law, counties are responsible for building and maintaining courtrooms and other court facilities. The Judicial Department is responsible for furnishing those courthouses; however, the level of funding and services that each county can provide varies throughout the state.  

Funds from the grants may be used to pay for master planning services for courthouse projects, to match funds or leverage funding opportunities for construction or remodeling projects, or to address emergency needs due to the imminent closure of a courthouse. Grant funds may not be used to pay for furniture, fixtures, or equipment, and may not be used as the sole source of funding for new construction unless the need stems from the imminent closure of a courthouse. 

Application details, rules, and other information on the grants can be found at https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/financial-services/underfunded-courthouse-facility-grant-program. 

Grant applications must be received through the Office of the State Court Administrator’s grant management system, Euna, by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.  

Program and application questions may be directed to UFF@judicial.state.co.us. Members of the media should contact the Office of Communications at cojudicialcomms@judicial.state.co.us.