Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced on Apr. 19 that it is offering $1 million through its Human-Bear Conflict Reduction Community Grant Program to help decrease dangerous encounters between people and bears.
The grant program aims to support projects that prevent bears from entering high-conflict areas or remove things that attract them, with the goal of protecting both humans and wildlife. The initiative comes as Colorado faces a high number of bear-related incidents, including property damage.
“Living successfully and safely alongside our wildlife is an important part of who we are in Colorado,” said Governor Polis in the news release. “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.”
Eligible applicants include individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and local governments who apply before May 29. Grants range from $50,000 to $500,000 each. According to CPW’s announcement on its website, funded projects should have community support or plans for building it; use proven or innovative methods; be cost-effective; and have lasting impact.
Bear-proof trash cans were cited as a classic example of a preventive measure supported by previous grants. CPW also shared last year’s grant recipients as examples for new applicants.
In 2025 alone, CPW received reports of 5,299 dangerous bear encounters—57% involving trash—with nearly half resulting in property damage. By investing in prevention efforts like this grant program, officials hope to reduce risks for both residents and bears while saving resources spent on incident response.
CPW said that reducing access to trash may discourage bears from returning repeatedly or becoming used to human presence—a situation that increases the risk of direct interactions.
