Colorado Nonprofits Scramble Amid Government Shutdown

As a government shutdown takes hold, Colorado nonprofits are working overtime to protect public lands and keep critical projects on track.

Meara McQuain, Executive Director of Headwaters Trails Alliance, has spent sleepless nights racing to submit federal grant proposals before government workers were furloughed. Her organization has already canceled several summer projects due to staffing cuts at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

Across Colorado’s mountain communities - where much of the land is federally owned - nonprofits are stepping in to fill gaps left by reduced federal support. With the shutdown now in effect, many face renewed delays and uncertainty.

Some groups are postponing projects until next season, while others, like one nonprofit on Independence Pass, have taken on basic maintenance tasks such as cleaning Forest Service bathrooms. Meanwhile, confusion persists over whether volunteers are even allowed to work during the shutdown.

“With the shutdown, we’re losing valuable time, funding, and oversight,” McQuain said. “Our resources are already stretched thin - and this just makes it worse.”

Nonprofits that protect Colorado’s public lands now face a critical test of resilience, showing just how much these organizations rely on federal support to maintain the trails, parks, and natural spaces that residents and visitors treasure.