In 2025, the Office of Arts and Culture is implementing a Bridge-Year Needs and Funding Assessment to address immediate priorities based on community input and research. This includes extending existing General Operating Support grant awards for an additional fourth year and adjusting award amounts to account for inflation. These recommendations ensure continued support for the arts community while laying the groundwork for the Boulder Arts Blueprint.
In addition, the Bridge Year marks the beginning of the city’s transition to utilizing the new Arts, Culture, and Heritage Tax, approved by voters in 2023. This dedicated funding source provides a more stable foundation for future investments in arts and culture, and the Blueprint will help determine how best to allocate these funds in alignment with community needs and citywide goals.
This webpage includes a detailed breakdown of 2024 and 2025 funding sources and expenditures, providing transparency into how public funds are being used to support Boulder’s cultural sector during this transitional year.
2025 Budget Breakdown:
Total 2025 Budget (estimated based on tax revenue) = $3.478M
- Grants = $1.478M, 42%
- Programming including public art funding for artists = $371,900, 11%
- One-time Arts Blueprint Project funds that will be incorporated into the community funding for programs next year: $165,250, 5%
- Estimated fund balance that will be incorporated into the community funding for programs next year = $332,370, 10%
- One-time Reserves Establishment = $302,992, 9%
- Cost allocation = $151,566, 4%
- Ongoing salaries and administrative costs* = $676,135, 19%
*These numbers were updated May 6, 2025, to separate out cost allocations for city services (legal, finance, etc.) from ongoing salaries. This change was made to increase transparency in how the Office of Arts and Culture budget is being spent.
Additional Funding:
The Arts, Culture and Heritage Tax is not the lone government spending on arts. Other sources of funding include:
- A percent for art budget from the Capital Improvement Program. This policy dictates that 1% of any capital improvement project with a construction budget of over $100,000 qualifies for public art.
- Public art funding in our office budget may look low at first glance, but it doesn’t reflect the full picture. Some funds are set aside over time for long-term needs - like accessibility signage, ongoing maintenance, and multi-year projects that take time to complete. Also, our Public Art staff support many projects that aren’t funded directly through our office, such as 1% for Art and CCRS-funded projects managed through other city department budgets.
- Rent subsidies to BMoCA, The Dairy and Chautauqua that can be measured in the millions of dollars.
- The City of Boulder's investment in arts and culture extends far beyond the Office of Arts and Culture’s official budget. In 2024 alone, an estimated additional $2 to $3 million was contributed to the arts by other city departments through grants, programming, subsidies, and staff support. This broader municipal support includes funds and subsidies from Parks and Recreation, Housing and Human Services, Open Space, Facilities, and Community Vitality, making the full scope of arts funding citywide significantly more expansive than it appears at first glance.
- The Community, Culture, Resilience, and Safety (CCRS) Tax Grant Program is supported by a dedicated 0.3% citywide sales and use tax, established to fund critical capital infrastructure needs. To ensure a lasting community impact, up to 10% of the tax revenue is reserved for nonprofit organizations that serve Boulder residents - helping them secure or sustain a long-term physical presence in the city. In the 2023 – 2024 grant cycle, $83,735 was awarded specifically to arts and culture nonprofits.
Previous Funding:
In 2024, the Office of Arts and Culture distributed over $1.3 million to Boulder community artists and organizations through 157 Office of Arts and Culture grants and fee waivers. Over the past two years, we have seen a 63% increase in applicants and a 47% increase in the number of awardees, with 21% of these being first-time recipients.
An important note: for the last three years, grant funding for arts and culture has been supplemented by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) following the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s budget included $975,000 from the General Fund, in addition to $75,000 of ARPA funding and $279,000 for the Arts Administration Rehiring Grant (also funded by ARPA). We no longer have ARPA funds.
Last year’s budget was $1.8 million and came from the General Fund. This year, all funding is coming from the Arts, Culture and Heritage tax, with an estimated budget of $3.4 million.
Bridge Year Needs Assessment:
Last year, our team completed a Bridge-Year Needs and Funding Assessment for 2025. The results of data and engagement with nonprofits and artists included extending existing General Operating Support grant awards for an additional fourth year and adjusting the award amounts to account for inflation. These recommendations were approved by City Council and are being implemented this year.
Boulder Arts Blueprint:
The City of Boulder is creating an update to the Community Cultural Plan: the Boulder Arts Blueprint. The Blueprint is a two-phase planning project that will result in a long-term roadmap for the Office of Arts and Culture. The Blueprint will provide goals and strategies for the future of arts and culture investments in the city, paving the way for a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable arts ecosystem.
The Blueprint is designed to be shaped by and for our community. How do you want to experience art in Boulder? Do you dream of more venues, festivals, cultural events, youth-focused art programs, public art or greater support for individual artists? This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a shared vision for our future.
If you are interested in future engagement opportunities, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram (@boulderartsculture).