Public meetings
Find board meeting details, agendas, and meeting minutes here.
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Past meeting
Colorado Disability Funding Authority (CDFA)
October 19, 2026 | 2:00 p.m.
Attendees: Lloyd Lewis, Board Chair; Peter Droege, Committee Chair; Committee Members Ellen Blatt, Jim Vacik, and Martha Mason; Consultants Hanni Raley and Melanie Ulle (Philanthropy Expert); Erin Flores; Lori Hartshorn, ASL Interpreter; Mark Simon, Public Attendee.
The committee held its inaugural meeting to establish grantmaking priorities and processes under the Laura Hershey Disability Support Act.
The Authority's primary statutory priority is disability benefits application assistance, followed by new and innovative projects as funding permits. Grants should serve people with all disabilities statewide, particularly rural and underserved communities.
Grant policies and guidelines will undergo legal review before Board approval.
Hanni Raley presented recommendations based on the predecessor committee's experience:
Martha Mason emphasized rural outreach, clearer eligibility requirements, and better definitions of innovative projects.
Peter Droege emphasized developing an accessible, transparent, efficient, and outcomes-focused grantmaking process.
Melanie Ulle reviewed Foundant, the proposed grant management platform, including its accessibility features.
The committee will develop application questions, eligibility requirements, scoring criteria, and evaluation rubrics, drawing on previous grantmaking materials.
Proposed timeline:
The committee discussed conducting a statewide survey, expanding rural outreach, and seeking public input on funding priorities.
The committee also discussed compliance with Colorado Open Meetings Law and potential public participation on committees.
Next Steps: The committee will review historical materials, refine the grantmaking framework, and prepare recommendations for the December 1 Board meeting.
Past meetings
Colorado Disability Funding Authority (CDFA)
October 7, 2026
The Board held its organizational meeting to establish the Authority's governance structure, review its statutory responsibilities, and address initial staffing, financial, administrative, and grantmaking matters.
The Board reviewed HB 26-1382, the legislation establishing CDFA, including its responsibilities for disability benefits assistance and innovative disability-related grants. The importance of transparency, accountability, statewide impact, and disability-community involvement was emphasized.
The Board discussed recommendations from disability-community stakeholders, including simplified applications, predictable funding cycles, multiyear grants, upfront funding, and meaningful outcome measurements. The Grants Committee will further develop grantmaking guidelines.
The Board reviewed startup funding, expenditures, preliminary operating budgets, proposed staffing, and administrative contracts. Discussion emphasized maintaining reasonable administrative costs and directing the substantial majority of available funding toward grants.
The Board reviewed the ongoing Executive Director search, including candidate evaluation, upcoming interviews, and the goal of hiring a permanent Executive Director by January 2027.
Public comments addressed disability-community leadership, benefits assistance, administrative spending, digital accessibility, and the responsibilities of the Executive Director.
The Board unanimously adopted the Authority's bylaws.
The Board unanimously approved the following officers:
The following committee leadership was identified:
Audit Committee appointments were deferred.
The Board approved the preliminary operating budget on a tentative basis, subject to further review at the next meeting.
The Board tentatively approved the draft policy handbook, subject to committee review, legal review, and further Board consideration.
Approval was deferred pending additional review and recommendations from the Grants Committee.
The Board reviewed startup contracts and administrative arrangements. No formal approval was requested.
The meeting concluded following Board discussion and public comments.
