Opportunity Now Colorado

What Opportunity Now Colorado does

Opportunity Now Colorado is a $92 million workforce development grant program established by Colorado legislation (HB22-1350) in December 2022 and administered by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). The program catalyzes regional collaboration between industry and education providers to connect Coloradans with in-demand, living-wage jobs across all 14 OEDIT regions of the state. Its core products are three grant tracks — Planning (up to $49,900 for exploration), Seed (for innovative models), and Scale (for expansion of proven programs) — plus a Phase 3 stream offering up to seven $1 million grants for evidence-validated models in priority sectors including behavioral health and infrastructure. Technology infrastructure consists of the Submittable web-based application portal (English and Spanish) for grant submission and management, and an Airtable-backed mailing list for outreach; the program does not develop proprietary technology products.

The program's go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: it conducts outreach via webinars, office hours, learning community series events, email newsletters, and partnership matchmaking tools to connect prospective applicants with industry and education partners. Grant administration is outsourced to a consortium led by Common Group, with Mile High United Way, WestEd, and Strada Education Network providing community, research, and career navigation expertise respectively. To date, the program has awarded $89.5 million across 96 grants in three phases, serving 89 organizations that collectively represent 190 businesses and 218 education partners across 17 industries, with 42% of Phase 2 recipients serving majority rural counties. The program does not generate commercial revenue; funding flows from Colorado's General Assembly and federal sources through OEDIT.

Name

Opportunity Now Colorado

Legal name

Opportunity Now Colorado Grant Program

Website

https://opportunitynow.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Opportunity Now Colorado is a $92 million state-administered workforce development grant program that funds industry-education partnerships across all 14 Colorado regions to connect residents with in-demand, living-wage jobs through Planning, Seed, Scale, and Phase 3 grant tracks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Workforce Development Grants

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs (EDAAAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Workforce & Career Transition Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAC), Workforce Development & Training Grants (Public Health) (HLAJALAM)

Keywords

• Workforce development grants
• Regional talent initiatives
• Industry education partnerships
• Grant administration services
• Workforce training funding

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grant Administration: Opportunity Now Colorado is a $92 million grant program that distributes federal and state funds to workforce development initiatives. The program is funded through HB22-1350, HB24-1365, and SB22-181 from Colorado's General Assembly, with funds administered by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). The program does not generate revenue but rather disburses funding to eligible organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Opportunity Now Colorado is a $92 million state-administered workforce development grant program that distributes federal and state funds to industry-education partnerships across Colorado. The program operates three grant tracks (Planning, Seed, and Scale) targeting priority sectors such as behavioral health, healthcare, education, early childhood education, and infrastructure, with the goal of connecting Coloradans to in-demand, living-wage jobs. To date, the program has awarded $89.5 million through 96 grants across three phases, serving all 14 OEDIT regions in Colorado.

Product overview

Opportunity Now Colorado is a multi-phase workforce development grant program providing funding through three grant tracks (Planning, Seed, and Scale) to partnership-driven models connecting Coloradans with in-demand jobs. The program funds industry-education collaborations targeting priority sectors including behavioral health, healthcare, education, early childhood education, and infrastructure. To date, approximately $89.5 million has been awarded through 96 grants across three phases. The program uses a web-based Submittable portal for application management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Opportunity Now Colorado Grant Program
• Planning Grants
• Seed Grants
• Scale Grants
• Submittable Application Portal

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022OEDIT is the governing authority for Opportunity Now Colorado, providing legislative framework and oversight. The program is funded through OEDIT via HB22-1350, HB24-1365, and SB22-181. OEDIT makes final grant award decisions after receiving recommendations from the Selection Committee.
• Common Group (Lead Grant Administrator)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommon Group leads the grant administration team for Opportunity Now Colorado. Selected by OEDIT to administer the grant program, including providing customer support and technical assistance throughout the program duration.
• Mile High United WaycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPart of the grant administration team led by Common Group. Mile High United Way contributes expertise in community partnerships and workforce development initiatives.
• WestEdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPart of the grant administration team led by Common Group. WestEd provides research and evaluation expertise for workforce development programs.
• Strada Education NetworkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPart of the grant administration team led by Common Group. Strada Education Network contributes expertise in education and career navigation.
• Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWDC provides resources for sector partnerships and workforce development strategies. Their Final Evaluation Report highlights learnings and recommendations for the sector partnership landscape in Colorado.
• Colorado Evidence Continuum (University of Denver: Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Colorado Evidence Continuum model, developed by the State of Colorado and Pew Charitable Trusts, is used to evaluate program efficacy. Programs applying for Opportunity Now Phase 3 must demonstrate they have achieved at minimum Steps 2 or 3 of the Evidence Continuum.
• Steering CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHB22-1350 legislation requires appointment of a Steering Committee to support the program administrator. OEDIT formed a Steering Committee of leaders from business, K12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce development to provide guidance in grant application development and execution.
• Colorado Succeeds (SyncUp Colorado Challenge)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado Succeeds published a guide to effective partnership strategies for cross-sector collaborations, providing guidance on elements of successful MOUs for Opportunity Now applicants.
• Selection CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Selection Committee composed of distinguished experts from across Colorado in employer needs, economic development, workforce development, higher education, and grantmaking makes recommendations on grant awards to OEDIT.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Texas Workforce Commission: State agency administering workforce training, apprenticeship, and employer partnership programs across Texas. Comparable as a larger state-level counterpart delivering government-funded workforce pathways through employer-education collaboration.
• Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC): Colorado's state workforce development board, which is itself a partner of Opportunity Now. It sets statewide sector-partnership strategy and is the most direct in-state peer operating in the same policy domain.
• Apprenticeship Colorado: State-level apprenticeship and work-based learning initiative administered under the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Comparable because it uses state authority and employer partnerships to scale earn-and-learn pathways, the same mechanism Opportunity Now funds.
• California Workforce Development Board: California's state workforce policy and funding body. Comparable because it administers large state-funded workforce initiatives, convenes industry-education partnerships, and sets sector strategies analogous to those Opportunity Now funds.

Others

• WorkforceGPS (U.S. Department of Labor): Federal technical-assistance hub for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs. Comparable because it is the federal counterpart that funds and supports state workforce systems, providing the federal capital stream that Opportunity Now supplements.

Broad incumbents

• Markle Foundation (Skillful initiative): National foundation operating the Skillful program, which partners with states to redesign workforce systems and connect workers to good jobs. Comparable because it operates as a philanthropic/state hybrid in the same workforce-systems space as Opportunity Now.
• National Skills Coalition: National workforce policy and advocacy organization that works with state legislatures to fund and design skills-training programs. Comparable because it influences the same state-level workforce appropriations that Opportunity Now depends on.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit driving workforce transformation through grants, policy, and program design. Comparable because it administers multi-state workforce initiatives targeting underserved learners and industry-education partnerships.
• Lumina Foundation: Major national education foundation funding postsecondary attainment and workforce credentialing initiatives. Comparable as a grantmaking funder whose dollars and evaluation frameworks shape the same state-level talent-development programs Opportunity Now runs.
• Strada Education Network: National education-to-employment nonprofit and active Opportunity Now partner. Comparable because it funds and evaluates state workforce pathways and is a potential model for what the Opportunity Now partner consortium does nationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments42 records

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Frequently asked questions about Opportunity Now Colorado