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Colorado Creates Grant Provides Vital Support to Small Organizations

The Colorado Creative Industries Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade announced today that 97 arts organizations across 24 Colorado counties have been awarded $632,000 in Colorado Creates Grants. From Delta to El Paso County, these grants will help organizations and communities create art and cultural activities by providing general operating support. Grantees receive funding for two years, totaling $1,264,000 in awards over the whole funding period.

“Arts and cultural production accounts for 3.9% of the Colorado economy, contributing 102,383 jobs, due in large part to the hard-working nonprofit arts and culture organizations supported through the Colorado Creates grant,” said Interim Director of Colorado Creative Industries, Christy Costello. “We applaud the talented groups that contribute to our state’s vibrant economy and, just as importantly, to our amazing quality of life in urban and rural communities.”

Fifty percent of the recipients announced today are based in rural counties, a key focus of the Colorado Creates Grant Program. Research from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) suggests that rural counties with arts organizations have experienced increased population growth and higher household incomes than rural counties without performing arts organizations. Additionally, two out of three rural businesses report that arts and entertainment are important to attracting and retaining workers. Additionally, 36% of awardees represent Colorado’s smallest organizations, with annual operating budgets below $100,000.

One such organization, the Mancos Common Press, houses a printing press that dates back to 1910 and an archive that dates back to 1895. During the recent renovation of this historic building, which was funded in part by a Community Revitalization Grant, provides the local community with the opportunity to interact with and learn about printmaking from artists from diverse backgrounds. Recent events gave community members the chance to print their own posters using the newspaper’s archives. An adjacent building under construction will expand the Press and provide three units of affordable artist housing, also funded through the Community Revitalization Grant.

The Vail Valley Arts Guild provides arts education and exhibition opportunities to the county’s school children, seniors, and veterans. The Arts Guild is developing a therapeutic arts program offered by both paid and volunteer local arts therapists, with a focus on suicide prevention, to positively impact mental health for the area’s underserved populations.

A complete list of this year’s grant recipients is below. Colorado Creates offer general operating support and are based on the organization’s cash operating income. Grants are funded through a partnership between CCI and the NEA and are awarded annually on a competitive basis. Proposals are reviewed for artistic excellence and merit, community involvement and benefit, and implementation capacity. The CCI Advisory Council approved the awards announced today on Friday, August 11.

Adams County
Town of Bennet

Arapahoe County
Colorado Public Radio
The Littleton Chorale dba Voices West
Mudra Dance Studio
Colorado Korean Chorus
Black Cube
Arapahoe Philharmonic
Cherry Creek Chorale, Inc

Archuleta County
Thingamajig Theatre Company

Boulder County
Boulder Samba School
Longmont Symphony Orchestra
Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts
Society for Creative Aging/VIVA Theater
Open Studios, Inc
Seicento Baroque Ensemble
Empathy Theatre Project
Longmont Youth Symphony, Inc.

Broomfield County
Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Art as Action
Dance Arts Studios
Colorado Repertory Singers

Chaffee County
Articipate

Delta County
Friends of the Paradise Theatre

Denver County
Latino Cultural Arts Center
Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts
Swallow Hill Music
Sphere Ensemble
Colorado Symphony Association
Flamenco Denver
Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Colorado Wind Ensemble, Inc
Davis Contemporary Dance
Colorado Celebration of African American Arts & Culture
Bug Performance and Media Art Center
KBDI-Channel 12 dba PBS12, formerly CO Public TV
Colorado Ballet
Parasol Arts
Tunas Mekar, Inc.
Denver Municipal Band
St. Martin’s Chamber Choir
Historic Elitch Theatre
Kim Robards Dance, Inc
Skyline Chorus
Colorado New Style Foundation

Douglas County
Colorado Jazz Inc.
Performance Now Theatre Company

Eagle County
Vail Valley Art Guild
The Arts Campus at Willits
Colorado Film Institute
Eagle ARTS

El Paso County
Ormao Dance Company
Springs Ensemble Theatre
Poetry Heals
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film
Colorado Springs Choral Society
Colorado Springs Conservatory
Manitou Art Center
EPIC

Garfield County
Dance Initiative Inc
Stage of Life (Sol) Theatre Company
Roaring Fork Friends of the Theater

Grand County
Grand County Arts Council

Gunnison County
Crested Butte Society, Inc
Kissidugu Foundation

Jefferson County
Colorado Dragon Boat dba Colorado Dragon Boat Festival
Shine Music
The Venue Theatre
Lakewood Symphony
Arvada Chorale
Lakewood Arts Council

La Plata County
iAM Music
Southwest Civic Winds
Women Writing the West

Lake County
Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation, LLC

Larimer County
Sound Affects Music
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
Front Range Chamber Players
Thompson Valley Art League
Off the Hook Arts
Dance Express
Artworks Center for Contemporary Art

Montezuma County
Mancos Common Press

Montrose County
Montrose Center for the Arts

Pitkin County
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Jazz at Aspen Snowmass
Aspen Choral Society
Dance Aspen

Pueblo County
Southern Colorado Theatre Company dba Steel City Theatre

San Miguel County
Telluride Film Festival
Mountainfilm LTD
Telluride Repertory Theatre Company
Ah Haa School for the Arts
Palm Arts Inc.
Telluride AIDS Benefit
Telluride Chamber Music Association

Weld County
Greeley Chorale, Inc.

About Colorado Creative Industries

Colorado Creative Industries is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Established to capitalize on the immense potential for our creative sector to enhance economic growth in Colorado, the mission of Colorado Creative Industries is to promote, support and expand the creative industries to drive Colorado’s economy, grow jobs and enhance our quality of life. For more information, visit oedit.colorado.gov/colorado-creative-industries.