Arts Education Project Grants

Si prefiere leer esta página en español por favor haga clic aquí. Se puede responder a la solicitud en español. Un miembro del personal de la Oficina de Artes y Cultura traducirá sus respuestas para que sean revisadas.

For this application in other languages please contact the Office of Arts + Culture Program Manager Lauren Click at clickl@bouldercolorado.gov.

The Arts Education Project Grant provides opportunities for children in the City of Boulder to have unique experiences with practicing artists, access to tools and techniques, or improved instruction in the creative professions. The goal of the grant is to increase the exposure of students to unique and memorable experiences that may shape their future in cultural participation and creative careers.

Total Funds: $30,000

Awards: Approximately 10 awards at $3,000 each

Details: The award amount of $3,000 is a maximum funding guideline. Smaller requests will be accepted.

Cycle: Annual

Deadline to submit application: Wednesday, April 17 at 11:59 p.m.

Decision Timeline:

• Wednesday, April 17 at 11:59 p.m. – Deadline for applications
• April 17 to 24 – Review by staff for eligibility and revision by applicants if necessary
• April 24 to May 8 – Preliminary review and score by panel (15 days)
• May 8 to 15 – Score processing by staff
• May 15 – Preliminary scores and comments sent to applicants via email
• May 15 to 22 – Applicants prepare and send written responses to the panel’s questions. The written response should be emailed to Lauren Click at clickl@bouldercolorado.gov by Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 11:59pm.
• May 22 to 29 – Response processing by staff
• May 29 – Responses sent to panel
• May 29 to June 12 – Final review and score by panel (15 days)
• June 12 to 21 – Processing of final scores
• June 21 – Final scores sent to applicants via email
• June 26, 2024 – Arts Commission meeting. Discussion and final decisions on grants

• General eligibility. Meets all general eligibility requirements.
• Open to educators, administrators, and presenters. Classroom teachers and school administrators in public schools, private schools, home school associations, and non-traditional classroom settings, as well as artists / individuals / organizations collaborating with schools on programming are eligible.
• Service area and programming. Projects must have a demonstrated benefit to school children in the City of Boulder. This programming must meet the criteria described in the Chapter 14-1-2 of the City of Boulder Revised Code. For the determination of programming location, the term “Boulder” is defined in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. For additional information on the planning area and Comprehensive Plan visit this link. As a short hand, office staff use addresses with the zip code starting with 803— to determine if it is in the acceptable area.
• Timing. Projects must take place after the grant decisions are made and end before the end of the 2025 spring semester.

• Deliberation. Applications are reviewed by the Boulder Arts Commission grants panel. Final funding decisions are made at public Boulder Arts Commission meetings. See schedule.
• Evaluation of applications. Funding in previous years does not imply continued support. Each application is reviewed anew in the context of current policies and applications. Applicants that have received repeated funding should be aware that the Boulder Arts Commission looks for indication of growth and a fresh approach to their work.
• Evaluation criteria
  • Benefit to students (Maximum 8 points)
  • Complementing curriculum (Maximum 8 points)
  • Proposed outcomes and evaluation strategy (Maximum 8 points)
  • Community Priorities (Maximum 8 points)
  • Cultural equity (Maximum 8 points)
  • Boulder focus (Maximum 6 points)
  • Encouragement points (Maximum 4 points)
• The complete scoring system and rubric for the Arts Education Project Grant can be found here.

Log onto the Boulder Arts Commission online grant portal to preview and apply. If you have not logged on before, make a profile. Applications must be submitted using our online grant applications.

Written Appeals Process. The deadline for a written appeal is 14 days after funding decisions has been made by the Boulder Arts Commission. Find more information about the appeals process.

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 Lauren Click at clickl@bouldercolorado.gov or 720-564-2355 if you do not receive email confirmation.