Opportunity Overview
Larimer County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) is accepting rolling applications for its 2026 Synergy Fund, a pilot behavioral-health funding vehicle structured as a purchase agreement rather than a grant. The fund is designed for collaborative projects that build relationships, reduce duplication, strengthen coordination, and improve behavioral-health outcomes in Larimer County.
Funding and Timing
BHS has $100,000 total available in 2026. Individual requests may not exceed $10,000 and should request the exact amount needed. There is no fixed deadline; applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed during the first week of each month. The performance period is six months. Approved organizations invoice the County for payment, which BHS states is paid within 30 days of the invoice date.
Eligibility and Partnership Requirement
Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, community groups with a fiscal sponsor able to receive public funds, schools, local government agencies, and coalitions or networks advancing behavioral-health goals. For-profit entities may apply only when public funding is essential for the project to exist and the community is the sole beneficiary rather than the business.
Every proposal must involve two or more organizations. At least one partner must have previously received BHS funding or be registered as a Larimer County vendor. Projects must benefit Larimer County and focus on connection, learning, coordination, or collaboration around behavioral health.
Allowable and Unallowable Costs
Funding is limited to direct costs. BHS identifies facilitation time, food, materials, and interpretation services as examples of allowable costs. The program is not intended to subsidize ongoing operations, indirect costs, recurring events, single-organization program expansion, capital costs, large equipment purchases, fundraising, lobbying, debt repayment, reimbursement for past expenses, individual certifications, or organizational/client financial crises.
Application Requirements and Submission
Applicants submit through the Larimer BHS SmartSimple portal. The official application requires an eligibility confirmation, project title, a project summary of 75 words or fewer, request amount, number of participating organizations, collaborative focus areas, partner contact information, and six narrative/budget responses of 200 words or fewer covering partnership, collaboration design, synergistic impact, learning, future vision, and budget. Applicants must also confirm that the invoicing organization can invoice on behalf of the collaboration as applicable and attest that the application is true, accurate, complete, and organizationally approved.
The public application form does not list routine attachments. If approved, organizations that are not already County vendors may need to provide a W-9 and current insurance documentation before payment. No applicant match or cost-share requirement is published.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 82/100. The Synergy Fund is a well-defined, rolling, Colorado-owned behavioral-health opportunity with broad organizational eligibility and a low application burden. Its small award ceiling and mandatory multi-organization collaboration reduce fit for larger clinical projects.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. The fund expressly excludes capital costs and large equipment purchases and is intended for short-term collaborative direct costs, so Atlas should not force a Nonagon N9+ device and platform pathway. QC Healthcare/other Dr. Miltie fit: 20/100 conditional because limited facilitation, coordination, or other direct collaborative services could theoretically fit within an applicant-led project, but no direct-vendor path should be presumed.
Required Next Action
Identify a timely Larimer County behavioral-health collaboration involving at least two organizations, confirm that one partner is a prior BHS grantee or County vendor, document the emerging or underfunded community need, build a direct-cost budget of no more than $10,000, and submit the required application through SmartSimple.
Official sources: Larimer County BHS Synergy Fund; Eligibility and application instructions; Official Synergy Fund application.