About 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 funded by several grants through The Colorado Trust, totaling almost $1 million dollars in additional funding.

The purpose of CROP is to strengthen the ability of Colorado's rural communities to recruit and retain healthcare workers. CROP grants can be used for the payment of educational loans to help recruit or retain healthcare workers.

Eligibility

• Applicant organizations must be located in rural Colorado. The applicant can be a public, not-for-profit, or private organization. CROP does not award grants to individuals, but only to the communities, organizations, or facilities that employ them.
• For the purposes of this program, rural is defined as:
  • In a county outside Colorado's seventeen (17) Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Park, Pueblo, Teller, and Weld; OR
  • In one of these MSA counties, but located more than 30 miles from the nearest hospital of more than twenty-five beds.
  • The Colorado Rural Health Center will make the final determinations regarding whether a community qualifies as rural for purposes of participation in CROP.
• The applicant is expected to provide a cash match equal to the amount requested. While he/she might also have additional funds from an outside private grant or government foundation to add to the loan repayment amount, the match cannot come solely from outside sources. Based on need and history of effort, CRHC can reduce and/or waive the match requirement.
• CROP is designed to enhance existing recruitment and retention programs for all healthcare professionals, including but not limited to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, providers of mental health services, providers of dental health services such as dentists and dental hygienists, allied health professionals such as lab or radiology technicians, and pharmacists.

Apply Now
Grant applications must be postmarked on or before the due date to the Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC). Staff will notify applicants when their applications have been received.

A Grant Review Committee (GRC) will be assembled to review accepted applications. The GRC may approve applications as submitted or attach restrictions or limitations. The GRC determines the overall grant award amounts and award guidelines, and approves final awards.

Following approval, CRHC staff will notify applicants of the award decision. If a grant is not approved, CRHC will provide the rationale of the GRC. If approved, staff will send a Letter of Acceptance outlining the award, any conditions, and reporting expectations. This letter must be signed b

the applicant – agreeing to the conditions – and returned to CRHC. Following one year of service, the award payment will be made to the provider's loan holder.