On February 1, 2023, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, with support from the Colorado Energy Office, launched the Microgrids for Community Resilience (MCR) Grant Program, a program created by the Colorado General Assembly House Bill 22-1013. The program is designed to build community resilience through minimizing grid disruptions in rural communities. Currently, grants are only open for the planning applications of microgrid projects, with applications for implementation and construction grants expected to open later this year. Cooperative electric associations and municipally owned utilities are eligible to apply for this grant. The MCR program is focused on strengthening the resilience of essential infrastructure and/or community-based anchor institutions, such as schools; libraries; hospitals or other health-care facilities; law enforcement, emergency medical service providers, or other public safety agencies. A full list of eligible entities, as well as planning grant guidelines, are available on the MCR website. The Colorado Resiliency Office held a webinar on February 14, to highlight free technical assistance available through U.S. DOE grid resiliency consultants and will also host two subsequent technical assistance office hours in February and March. To sign up for those sessions and learn more about the program, please visit the MCR website or reach out to Program Manager Julia Masters at julia.masters@state.co.us for specific questions.