Colorado Parks and Wildlife just opened the 2026 Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program with a record $1 million on the table. Communities across the state now have until May 29 to apply for chunks of cash that can buy bear-proof trash systems, electric fencing, or any creative solution that keeps bears wild and people safe.
Why Colorado Is Writing Big Checks Right Now
Bear complaints hit an all-time high in 2023 and stayed painfully high in 2024. Drought, booming human development in the foothills, and a record berry crop failure pushed hungry black bears into towns from Durango to Fort Collins.
Last year alone, CPW fielded more than 4,000 bear-related calls. Dozens of bears had to be euthanized after repeated break-ins. Wildlife officers say the single biggest attractant is still unsecured trash.
“These are not rogue bears. These are bears doing exactly what bears do when we leave buffet tables outside,” said CPW spokesman Randy Hampton in a recent interview.
Who Can Grab the Money and How Much
Grants range from $50,000 to $500,000. Anyone can apply: cities, counties, HOAs, nonprofits, tribes, businesses, universities, even individual residents with a solid community-backed plan.
Last cycle, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo got funding for bear-resistant dumpsters. Ute Condos in Crested Butte built a fortified trash enclosure. Colorado Springs rolled out dozens of bear-proof cans in high-conflict neighborhoods.
CPW specifically wants projects that can be copied elsewhere. Think scalable, practical, and proven.
Real Results from Real Money
In neighborhoods that installed bear-resistant containers with grant funds, nighttime bear activity dropped 70-90% within the first season, according to CPW tracking data.
One mountain town outside Aspen cut bear break-ins by 93% in two years simply by replacing every open dumpster with locked, bear-proof models and running a ruthless education campaign.
Those success stories are exactly why lawmakers keep refilling the pot.
How to Get Your Share Before May 29
Applications opened this week and close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Everything is handled online through the official CPW grants portal.
Program manager Travis Long says the review team looks for three things: clear reduction in bear attractants, strong community buy-in, and a realistic budget.
“Show us how your project protects both people and bears, and you’re already halfway there,” Long told reporters.
The Bigger Picture
Colorado’s black bear population is healthy and growing, estimated at 17,000 to 20,000 animals. That’s the good news. The bad news is we keep building houses in their kitchen.
Every trash can locked, every dumpster fortified, every fruit tree fenced is one less bear that learns to associate people with easy meals. And one less bear that ends up shot or relocated.
This $1 million is not charity. It’s an investment in keeping Colorado’s bears wild and its residents safe for generations to come.
If your neighborhood is tired of waking up to overturned trash and paw prints on cars, now is the moment. Grab the application, rally your neighbors, and make 2026 the year the bears finally get the message.
What’s your community doing to keep bears out? Drop your thoughts below, and if you’re fired up about this, use #BearSmartColorado on social media. The bears are listening. So is CPW.
