The purpose of the Colorado Rural Outreach Program (CROP) is to strengthen the ability of Colorado’s rural communities, to recruit and retain healthcare professionals. CROP Grants can be used to recruit new healthcare professionals or retain the ones already on your staff by repaying portions of the healthcare professional’s educational loans, or by giving a retention bonus if all educational loans are paid off. CROP currently offers two grant cycles per year as funds are available, in the spring and the fall.

All CROP grants require a monetary “match” equal to the proposed award amount. The rationale behind requiring a match is to encourage organizations, communities, and clinics to work collaboratively at solving their workforce shortage issues. We hope communities will be introduced to the idea that retaining healthcare professionals can be greatly enhanced when it’s a community effort. Healthcare professional can be awarded up to three times, but preference is given to new applicants.

Eligibility

• Any amount up to $10,000 dollars can be matched by CROP (making the total amount awarded to the healthcare professional $20,000 dollars)
• Grants will be awarded after the healthcare professional has completed one year of service from either the date of the award (retention awards), or the start date of their employment (recruitment awards).
• Applicant facility must be considered “rural” (as defined as: in a county outside Colorado’s twenty-five (25) Metropolitan Statistical Areas).
• Loan repayment awards are paid directly to the healthcare professional’s loan holder.

CRHC awards these grants to the organization, rather than the individual provider. As a result, CRHC is not responsible for issuing a 1099 to the individual provider. However, the provider should check with their accountant regarding the issuance of 1099s.

Application Process

Please download the application packet and coversheet. Please fill out, and save, the coversheet in Microsoft Word. You may submit your application via email, or postal mail. If submitting via email, please make the narrative and all attachments ONE inclusive document. The coversheet may be separate. Please send your CROP application to:

Attn: Grants Manager
Colorado Rural Health Center
3033 S. Parker Rd., Suite 606
Aurora, CO 80014
rp@coruralhealth.org
Main: 303.832.7493 x 233
Fax: 303.832.7496

Awards will be announced approximately one month from the application deadline.

History of CROP
CROP was started in 1998 by the Colorado Medical Society. It was housed in the Colorado Medical Society Foundation (CMSF) until the Fall of 2005 when CROP was moved to the Colorado Rural Health Center. While housed at CMSF, CROP awarded over $1 million in grants to rural communities throughout Colorado. Since moving to the Colorado Rural Health Center, CROP has been continuously supported by grants from various foundations and private donations, including CMSF, The Colorado Health Foundation, the Colorado Trust, Caring for Colorado and El Pomar.