Is Your Colorado Nonprofit Grant-Ready? A 30-Day Compliance Checklist
Before a potential funder reads your story, someone probably checks all of your paperwork. Is your tax-exempt status active? Is your state registration current? Can you send a board-approved budget today? If the answer to any of these is no, a strong application can be screened out before anyone reads the narrative.
This checklist covers what small to mid-sized Colorado nonprofits need on file to apply for grants with confidence. Most of it costs nothing but time, and you can get through all of it in about 30 days.
Federal basics
Every funder checks these first. If one is missing, the rest of your application usually never gets read.
IRS determination letter. Have a clean PDF of your 501(c)(3) letter. If you've lost it, you can look up your status and download letters through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
Your organization shows up correctly in TEOS. Search your EIN. Confirm your legal name matches your bylaws, your bank account, and your Colorado registration. Name mismatches are one of the most common reasons portals reject an application.
Most recent Form 990 filed on time. Which version you file depends on size:
990-N (e-Postcard): gross receipts normally $50,000 or less
990-EZ: gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000
Full 990: gross receipts of $200,000 or more, or assets of $500,000 or more
Know your due date. The 990 is due the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends (May 15 for calendar-year orgs). Form 8868 gets you an automatic six-month extension for the 990-EZ and full 990. The 990-N has no extension.
Never miss three years in a row. Skip three consecutive years and the IRS automatically revokes your exempt status. Reinstatement takes months, and funders will see it.
SAM.gov registration and UEI (if you want federal or federal pass-through money). Many state and county grants in Colorado pass through federal dollars, which means SAM.gov even if the check comes from the state. Registration must be renewed every year, and activation takes about 24 hours after SAM has everything it needs. Start weeks ahead, not days.
Single Audit awareness. If you spend $1,000,000 or more in federal funds in a fiscal year (for fiscal years starting on or after October 1, 2024), a Single Audit is required. Most small nonprofits won't hit this, but if a large federal pass-through grant is coming, budget for it now.
Colorado state filings
This is where small Colorado nonprofits slip a lot, because the federal side gets the attention and the state side can run quietly in the background until something lapses.
Colorado Secretary of State: entity in Good Standing. Your nonprofit corporation files a periodic report with the SOS every year. Miss it and the entity moves to noncompliant, then delinquent, and curing it costs extra fees. Look up your entity in the SOS Business Database today and confirm the status reads Good Standing. Pull a Certificate of Good Standing while you're there; the Department of Revenue requires one (see below), and some funders ask for it too.
Registered agent and principal address are current. If your agent moved or a board member who served as agent left, update it. Missed notices are how most delinquencies start.
Charitable Solicitation registration (SOS Charities Program). Under the Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act, most charities that ask Coloradans for money must register with the SOS before soliciting. Grant applications, donation pages, and event sponsorship asks all count as soliciting.
Charitable registration renewed on time. The SOS says renewals are due "on or before the 15th day of the eighth calendar month after the close of each fiscal year." Your exact date shows in your SOS account; put it on the calendar. A three-month extension is available if you file it before the due date.
Know what lapsing costs. If your registration expires, the SOS mails notices and gives a short window to renew. After that you must reinstate, not renew, and you cannot legally solicit until you do. Fines are $60 per overdue report and $300 per year for soliciting before registering.
Financial report filed with the renewal. The SOS requires a financial report through its own form, even if you only file a 990-N with the IRS. Use street addresses, not P.O. boxes, for your principal office and records custodian.
Colorado sales tax exemption certificate (DR 0715). Charitable 501(c)(3)s can apply to the Colorado Department of Revenue for a state sales tax exemption. You'll need your articles of incorporation (with your specific purpose), a current Certificate of Good Standing from the SOS, financial statements or projected income, and your IRS determination letter. Not a grant requirement, but it saves real money and it's one more proof of an organized shop. Note: home-rule cities like Longmont, Boulder, and Denver administer their own sales tax, so check your city separately.
Bingo-raffle license, if you run raffles. Raffles are gambling under Colorado law and are licensed by the SOS. Your organization must have existed in Colorado for at least five years to qualify. Licenses renew annually by December 31st. A board that runs an unlicensed raffle at the spring gala is a compliance problem a funder can find.
Governance documents
Funders fund boards as much as programs. These are the documents that show someone is minding the store.
Articles of incorporation on file. Download a copy from the SOS Business Database. The DOR sales tax application asks for them, and they should state your charitable purpose.
Current, board-adopted bylaws. Check the date. If your bylaws say 9 to 15 directors and you have 4, fix the bylaws or fix the board before a funder notices.
Board roster with terms and affiliations. Name, role, professional affiliation, term start and end. Most Colorado foundation portals ask for this as an upload.
Signed board minutes from the last 12 months. Especially the meeting where the board approved the budget. Some funders ask for proof the board approved the application itself.
Conflict of interest policy, signed annually. Form 990 asks whether you have one and whether you monitor it. So do most foundation applications.
Whistleblower policy. Also asked on the full 990.
Document retention and destruction policy. Also asked on the full 990.
Board giving. Many funders ask what percentage of your board gives. "100%" at any amount is a stronger answer than a large gift from two people.
Diversity and demographic data on board and staff, if you collect it. Several Colorado funders ask. If you don't collect it, decide now whether you will and how.
If you're missing policies, the Colorado Nonprofit Association's Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado is the standard local reference, and member resources include sample policies.
Financial documents
This is the folder program staff open after the narrative. If the numbers don't tie out, the narrative doesn't matter.
Board-approved organizational budget for the current fiscal year. Income by source, expenses by category. Note the date the board approved it.
A project budget template ready to adapt. Personnel, direct costs, indirect, and other funding sources for the project. Build it once so each application takes an hour, not a weekend.
Most recent year-end financial statements. Statement of financial position (balance sheet) and statement of activities (income statement).
Current year-to-date financials. Funders want to see you're tracking to budget. Monthly closes make this a five-minute pull.
Audit, review, or compilation, if a funder requires one. Requirements vary by funder and usually scale with grant size or your budget. Read the guidelines before you apply, not after you're invited.
Numbers match across every document. Your 990, your SOS financial report, your budget, and your application should tell the same story. Mismatches are a red flag even when there's an innocent reason.
A short list of current funders and pending requests. Name, amount, dates. Almost every application asks.
Indirect cost rate, if you have one. If you take federal pass-through money and don't have a negotiated rate, know whether you're using the de minimis rate and what it is under current federal rules.
Program and outcome data
Compliance gets you in the door. Data gets you funded.
One-paragraph organizational description. Mission, who you serve, where, and since when. Write it once, use it everywhere.
Numbers served last year. People, households, visits, meals, nights of shelter. Whatever your unit is, count it the same way every year.
Who you serve. Geography (county and city), age ranges, income levels if you track them. Colorado funders often prioritize specific counties, so know your split.
Two or three outcomes with numbers. Not "we changed lives." Something like "72% of participants kept housing for 12 months." If you don't track outcomes yet, pick one this month and start.
One client story with permission on file. Written consent, first name or pseudonym, and a photo release if you'll use a photo.
Partner list. Who you refer to, who refers to you, and any MOUs or letters of support you can request quickly.
Key staff and volunteer bios. Two or three sentences each.
An evaluation plan you can describe in three sentences. What you measure, how, and who looks at it.
Your 30-day plan:
An hour or two a week gets most organizations there. Put these on the calendar now.
Week 1: Find the gaps
Look up your EIN in IRS TEOS and your entity in the Colorado SOS Business Database.
Log in to your SOS charitable registration account and find your renewal date.
Download your determination letter, articles, and a Certificate of Good Standing.
Create one shared folder called "Grant Ready" with a subfolder for each section of this checklist.
Week 2: Fix anything that's lapsed
File any overdue SOS periodic report or charitable renewal first. These block everything else.
Start or renew SAM.gov if federal or pass-through money is in your plans.
Put every recurring deadline (990, periodic report, charitable renewal, SAM.gov, raffle license) on a shared calendar with two-week reminders.
Week 3: Governance and finances
Gather bylaws, roster, and the last 12 months of minutes.
Get missing policies drafted and on the next board agenda.
Pull year-end and year-to-date financials and confirm the board-approved budget is in the folder.
Week 4: Your story in numbers
Write the one-paragraph description and staff bios.
Pull last year's numbers served and pick two or three outcomes.
Secure one client story with written consent.
Build your project budget template.
At the end of 30 days, you'll have one folder that answers most of what a funder will ask. The next application starts from there instead of from scratch.
Ready is a habit, not a sprint.
None of this is glamorous. But the organizations that win grants consistently aren't always the ones with the best programs. They're the ones that can say yes when an opportunity opens with a three-week deadline.
The filings above repeat every year. Once the calendar is set and the folder is built, staying ready takes a few hours a quarter.
This checklist is general information, not legal or tax advice. Requirements change; confirm current rules with the IRS, the Colorado Secretary of State, and the Colorado Department of Revenue, or with your attorney or CPA.
Sources
Colorado Department of Revenue. (2025). Colorado exempt entity certificate application (Form DR 0715). https://tax.colorado.gov/sites/tax/files/documents/DR0715_2025.pdf
Colorado Secretary of State. (2018, October 1). Changes to Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act effective October 1, 2018. https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/charities/news/2018/20181001Changes.html
Colorado Secretary of State. (2022, November 4). Renewing your charitable organization registration [eLearning course]. https://coloradosos.gov/pubs/info_center/eLearningCourses/20221104RenewingRegistration.pdf
Harbor Compliance. (n.d.). Charitable gaming in Colorado. https://www.harborcompliance.com/colorado-charitable-gaming-license
Barnes Dennig. (n.d.). 2024 Uniform Guidance update: Single audit threshold. https://www.barnesdennig.com/key-updates-uniform-grants-guidance/
Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). Tax Exempt Organization Search. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
Grants.gov. (n.d.). Organization registration: SAM.gov. https://www.grants.gov
