Colorado Creates Grant
Forecasted
Colorado Creates Grant supports Colorado arts organizations with general operating funds for public arts programming, prioritizing artistic excellence, community impact, and access to the arts.
Funder: Colorado Creative Industries
Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $6,000–$14,000 per application, within a one-year funding period
Summary: General operating support for Colorado arts organizations presenting public arts programming.
Key Information: Funded organizations must sit out one year after their Colorado Creates funding year.
Description
Colorado Creates is Colorado Creative Industries’ largest annual competitive grant program. Administered through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, it provides general operating support to arts-focused organizations presenting public programming. The program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and supports arts programs, services, and activities associated with that agency’s strategic plan.
The program gives equal weight to artistic excellence and merit and to community involvement and impact, alongside an organization’s implementation capacity. Priorities include high artistic, educational, and cultural standards, equitable compensation for artists and collaborators, meaningful community partnerships, and engagement with people whose access to the arts is limited by geography, economic status, or disability. Supported operations include home-base facilities rent, maintenance, insurance, and directly associated administrative costs.
