Boulder Arts Business Cohort

The Arts Business Cohort is a free, cohort-based program from the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture and the Small Business Development Center serving Boulder County (Boulder SBDC), built for artists ready to move from making things to running a sustainable creative business.

Applications open July 22, 2026. The application deadline is Aug. 18, 2026.

• Arts Business Cohort Application

The Arts Business Cohort is for Boulder-based artists and creative entrepreneurs across every discipline: visual artists, musicians, actors, writers, makers, performers, and more. If you create for a living, or want to, and you're ready to treat that work like the business it already is, this program is for you.

You might be a good fit if you:

• Have an active creative practice and want to turn it into a more stable, sustainable business.
• Are a sole proprietor or micro-business owner navigating pricing, marketing, legal structure, or finances mostly on your own.
• Want structured time, expert guidance, and a peer community to help you move from idea to action.
• Are ready to name concrete goals for your practice and be held accountable to them.
• Work in Boulder and want to stay rooted here.

This program is about building the business infrastructure that lets you keep making art, on your own terms, for the long haul.

We're especially interested in reaching female-identifying artists and artists of color, and we strongly encourage you to apply.

• 8 weeks of hands-on learning, Thursday afternoons, in a mix of in-person and virtual sessions.
• A curriculum that pairs hard business skills, such as pricing, budgeting, legal structure, marketing, and funding, with creative-specific topics, such as your artist statement, your market, protecting your work, and building a sustainable practice.
• Direct access to Boulder SBDC advisors, local attorneys, CPAs, lenders, and experienced creative entrepreneurs.
• A peer cohort of 8 to 10 fellow artists for accountability, connection and collaboration.
• A stipend of $1,000 for participants who complete the program, to reinvest directly in your creative business. To qualify, participants must attend a minimum of 6 of the 8 sessions, schedule a 1:1 advising session with a Boulder SBDC advisor, and deliver their capstone project to the cohort.
• A resource packet to take with you, including templates, grant calendars, insurance guides, and a professional network that outlasts the program.

Over 8 Thursday afternoons, from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m., at locations around Boulder, you'll work through a progression designed to take you from where you are now to a clear, actionable next step.

• Week 1, Orientation: Meet your cohort, set your intentions, get paired with an accountability partner.
• Week 2, Business Foundations: What makes a business a business, and what it means to run your art as one.
• Week 3, Market and Customer: Who actually buys creative work, and how to find your people.
• Week 4, Money: Pricing, budgeting, taxes, and quoting your rate with confidence.
• Week 5, Legal and Protection: Business structure, contracts, insurance, and copyright basics.
• Week 6, Marketing: Building your audience, your portfolio, and your artist statement.
• Week 7, Funding and Sustainability: Grants, loans, and building multiple revenue streams.
• Week 8, Capstone: Present what you built, commit to your next step, celebrate with your cohort.

Each session pairs a core business topic with a creative-practice-specific conversation, plus optional Boulder SBDC workshops so you can go deeper on the topics most relevant to you.

By the end of the cohort, you'll have a tangible deliverable to show for it, not just ideas. Example deliverables include:

• A finished pricing guide for your work.
• A new or refreshed portfolio and artist statement.
• A monthly budget built for irregular creative income.
• A commission or contract template ready to use.
• A grant application in progress.
• A first draft of a business plan.

You'll also leave with a stipend to invest in the next step, a peer network you can call on, and a direct line to the resources and advisors who can support you long after the program ends.

The Boulder Arts Business Cohort is a collaboration between the City of Boulder's Office of Arts and Culture and the Small Business Development Center serving Boulder County (Boulder SBDC). This project was developed as part of the Boulder Arts Blueprint's commitment to artist sustainability and creative business support.

Cost: Free to accepted participants.

Who can apply: Boulder-based artists working across any artistic discipline, including visual art, music, theater, writing, dance, craft, etc. Applicants are evaluated on their contributions to work in the City of Boulder, and applicant work must meet the criteria described in Chapter 14-1-2 of the City of Boulder Revised Code. For determining work location, "Boulder" is defined by the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan; as a shorthand, staff use addresses with a zip code starting with 803— to determine whether an applicant falls within the acceptable area.

Time commitment: 8 Thursday afternoons (Sept. 3 - Oct. 22), 4:00 to 6:30 p.m., plus some independent work between sessions.

Cohort size: 8 to 10 participants.

Stipend: $1,000 for participants who meet minimum attendance and participation requirements.

What this program is not: It's not long-term one-on-one consulting or ongoing business incubation. It's a focused, time-limited launchpad. Boulder SBDC offers free one-on-one advising beyond the cohort for anyone who wants to keep going.

• July 22, 2026: Applications open.
• Aug. 18, 2026: Application deadline.
• Aug. 26, 2026: Participants selected and notified.
• Sept. 2026: Orientation and cohort kickoff.
• Sept. to Oct. 2026: Weekly sessions.
• Oct. 2026: Capstone showcase and stipends distributed.

Spots are limited to 8 to 10 artists per cohort. If you're ready to stop guessing and start building, we want to hear from you.

Applications close Aug. 18, 2026.

• Arts Business Cohort Application

Questions? Reach out to Cindy Sepucha with the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture: sepuchac@bouldercolorado.gov