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2025 Cultural Grants Program

In 2025, over $1.4 million dollars in grant funds will be distributed to the community, with new applications open for community projects, arts education projects, professional development scholarships, grant writing support, and more. Grants are available for organizations, individuals and classrooms. Review the 2025 funding structure.

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Curious about funding outside of the Boulder Arts Commission Grant Program? In December 2024, the Office of Arts and Culture will hold an info session with funders from other entities. Learn more about the session and RSVP.

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Boulder Arts Commission Grant System

Log on to the Boulder Arts Commission online system to apply for grants, submit a report, review open applications, and more.

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Boulder Arts Commission Grants

Artist Hiring Incentive Grants

Artist Hiring Incentive Grants: This grant is a hiring incentive for businesses or nonprofits to employ Boulder-area visual, performing, and literary artists to perform or create new work.

Arts Education Project Grants

Arts Education Project Grants: Increase exposure of students to unique experiences that may shape their future in cultural participation and creative careers.

Community Project Grants

Community Project Grants: Encourage innovation and exploration in order to achieve progress on these Community Priorities from Boulder’s Community Cultural Plan.

Cultural Field Trip Fund

Cultural Field Trip Fund: Funding for children who attend a Title 1 school to visit Boulder’s arts institutions and cultural destinations.

Grant Writing Assistance

The Grant Writing Fund provides opportunities for first-time applicants and those who have not received a grant through the Boulder Arts Commission to get grant writing assistance.

Scholarships

  1. Leadership Pipeline Fund Scholarship

    Leadership Pipeline Fund Scholarship: Provides financial support and professional development opportunities for emerging leaders who will focus their career in the arts on increasing diversity, improving equity, and elevating the voices of historically underrepresented groups in the arts and culture sector.

  2. Professional Development Scholarships

    Professional Development Scholarships: Encouraging leadership and the sharing of good practices through professional development will advance our creative economy, support professionals and businesses, and enhance cultural dialog.

Rental Assistance (Boulder Venues)

  1. Rental Assistance (Boulder Venues)

    Rental Assistance (Boulder Venues): To facilitate and assist community cultural groups with access and affordability of performance venues and hosting online programming, the Boulder Arts Commission is offering support in the form of rental assistance, and/or equipment for hosting online programming, such as video software, cameras, and/or tech support.

  2. Macky Auditorium Fee Waiver

    Macky Auditorium Fee Waiver: 16 rent-free days to facilitate and assist cultural groups performing at Macky. For supplementary funds to support your event, apply for the Venue and Online Event Affordability Fund.

  3. eTown Hall Fee Waiver

    eTown Hall Fee Waiver: To facilitate and assist community cultural groups with access and affordability of performance venues, the Boulder Arts Commission and eTown offer up to 12 days per calendar year of rent-free space at eTown Hall.

  4. Roots Music Project Fee Waiver

    Roots Music Project Fee Waiver: To facilitate and assist community cultural groups with access and affordability of performance venues, the Boulder Arts Commission and Roots Music Project offer up to 11 days per calendar year of rent-free space at Roots Music Project.

General Operating Support Grants

General Operating Support Grants: To bolster the sustainability of the community’s cultural organizations, a system of operating grants is a priority for the cultural grants program. This system of institutional funding supports the Community Priorities and goals in the Community Cultural Plan. Operating Grants cover day-to-day activities or ongoing expenses such as administrative salaries, utilities, office supplies, technology maintenance, etc., as well as for project costs, technology purchases, and professional development.

Reporting

Grant report forms are on the Boulder Arts Commission grants software. Log in with the same user name and password utilized to submit the application. After logging in, go to the ‘Dashboard’, then you’ll see a ‘Follow Up’ section for the grant. On the far right is the ‘Edit’ button. That will take you to complete the final report.

After you submit the report you’ll receive email confirmation and copy of the report via the email that you have included in the report. Contact culturegrants@bouldercolorado.gov if you do not receive email confirmation.

If you can’t complete a grant project on time, you must email a letter to the Boulder Arts Commission at culturegrants@bouldercolorado.gov to ask for an extension before the report due date. Send this email before the report due date with these details:

  • explanation for the delay;
  • timing for project completion (provide a specific date);
  • timing for project’s grant report submission (provide a specific date one month after finishing your project)

Staff will review your extension request email and provide a response. If a report extension is not approved, staff will notify you about how you could revise or add more information.

Failure to follow these procedures will jeopardize your eligibility to apply for future Boulder Arts Commission grant awards. If you have questions, contact information for staff is on the Office of Arts and Culture website, or you may email culturegrants@bouldercolorado.gov.

Related Information

Read Stories of Grant Recipients

Cultural Grantee Profiles

Return to Office of Arts + Culture Main Page

Office of Arts + Culture