The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has opened the FY 2026-27 Persons Who Wander Grant Program to help Colorado local governments and designated agencies establish or maintain recovery programs for people who may wander because of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, autism, brain injury, or developmental, cognitive, neurological, or chromosomal disorders.
Funding: Current FY 2026-27 grant materials report $85,709 total available. Individual minimum and maximum awards are not stated. Awards to qualifying applicants may be prorated based on available state grant funding. No matching contribution is required.
Deadline: Applications must be submitted on or before October 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM MST, as published in the current grant materials. The application opened August 31, 2026. Awards are expected in early to mid-November, with grant agreements expected in mid- to late November 2026.
Eligibility: Eligible applicants include counties, combinations of counties, municipalities, combinations of municipalities, combinations of counties and municipalities, and county or municipal designees. Local or county law-enforcement agencies and first-responder services or agencies may participate when they are the local government or are designated by a county or municipality to administer the recovery program. Joint applications are allowed.
Eligible costs: Grant funds may support equipment and technology costs, training of search personnel, outreach about recovery programs for persons who wander, and other costs required to implement or maintain a qualifying recovery program. Colorado law defines a recovery program as one in which a participant has a device that may be used to assist in electronically locating that participant.
Application requirements: Applicants must identify the specific activity for which funding is requested; estimate the number of people at risk of wandering who may qualify for assistance; estimate startup or maintenance costs; document available local funding sources; verify that participants are enrolled by a caregiver; and describe collaboration with organizations serving people whose medical conditions may cause wandering. Applications should also explain how participants and families will receive information about wandering prevention and response.
Evaluation: CBI prioritizes need for tracking services, availability of local funding, the number of people at risk of wandering, collaboration with caregivers and service organizations, and the applicant’s plan for education and response. The award period is January 1, 2027 through June 30, 2027. Grantees are expected to submit financial and programmatic reporting by July 15, 2027.
Submission: CBI directs applicants to its online Google Forms application. Program questions are handled by Drake Brownfield, CBI Grant Specialist. Applicants should review the current CBI Persons Who Wander webpage, application instructions, and FAQs before submission because CBI may update procedural details.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 91/100. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. QC Healthcare/Dr. Miltie direct-vendor fit: 0/100 absent a separately authorized role. This is a strong Colorado health-and-safety funding opportunity because it directly addresses dementia, autism, developmental disabilities, brain injury, and other conditions associated with wandering, and it expressly allows technology and equipment. However, the Nonagon N9+ is a remote physical-examination platform rather than a locative or wandering-recovery technology, so Atlas is not forcing an N9+ fit.
Dr. Miltie, LLC is not independently eligible merely as a technology vendor. A private organization could only enter the applicant pathway if formally designated by a county or municipality to administer a qualifying recovery program. Any vendor role must therefore remain subordinate to the eligible local-government applicant’s own procurement and program requirements.
Applicant profile: Strong candidates include rural or frontier Colorado counties, municipalities, sheriffs’ offices, police departments, and designated first-responder or search-and-rescue agencies that can document a population at risk of wandering, an existing or planned recovery program, limited local resources, and collaboration with dementia, autism, IDD, aging, or caregiver organizations.