Colorado Parks and Wildlife Launches $1 Million Grants to Reduce Human-Bear Conflicts

Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced a $1,000,000 Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program to help Colorado communities cut human-bear conflicts, with applications due May 29, 2026 at 5 p.m. Applicants may request between $50,000 and $500,000 per application, and submissions are available on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

The program is open to a broad slate of applicants: local governments, nonprofit organizations, homeowner associations, community groups, businesses, tribes, universities and individuals. Travis Long, CPW Grant Manager, framed the effort as collective: “Reducing human-bear conflict requires a collective effort, and this grant program serves as a catalyst for that work. We are seeing a real shift in how communities are minimizing bear interactions, using these funds to implement practical, high-impact projects that result in substantial strides for public safety and wildlife conservation alike.”

CPW expects funded projects to focus on securing trash and other attractants, improving public education and outreach, and installing durable bear-resistant infrastructure that lasts beyond the funding window. Examples from last year include bear-resistant trash cans purchased for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, a trash and recycling enclosure built for Ute Condos, and bear-resistant trash cans for the City of Colorado Springs. The agency is emphasizing cost-effective, replicable projects that other Colorado communities can adopt.

The scale of the problem underlines the urgency. CPW and reporting from CBS indicate Colorado’s black bear population is estimated between 17,000 and 20,000, and CPW has received more than 32,212 reported sightings and conflicts over the past six years. Last year CPW logged 5,299 reports, with 2,448 resulting in property damage to structures such as sheds, garages, homes, vehicles and fences. CPW notes that bears with access to trash can become conditioned to human food, leading them to return and cause further property damage while placing people at risk.

CPW positions this grant round as one tool alongside established responses: bear management, CPW bear conflict response, and the game damage program. Gov. Jared Polis endorsed the approach: “Living successfully and safely alongside our wildlife is an important part of who we are in Colorado. These grants will help prevent potentially dangerous conflicts between bears and humans, ensuring we all can enjoy Colorado’s high quality of life, especially in our high country. These investments are an important tool to keep us and wildlife safe and prevent property damage.”

The awards will be distributed through a competitive process this spring, and CPW has said recipients will be announced later this year. Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas across roughly 900,000 acres, operates as an enterprise agency funded mainly by license sales and park fees, and reports contributing about $6 billion in annual economic impact statewide. This grant round aims to channel that operational footprint into practical, durable investments—bear-resistant cans, enclosures and outreach—that reduce property damage and help keep bears wild.