Community 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 Community Cultural Plan identifies a set of “Community Priorities” derived directly from the hopes and aspirations of Boulder’s residents:

1. Support the resiliency and sustainability of cultural organizations to enhance their ability to benefit the community.
2. Create a supportive environment for artists and creative professionals, while fostering innovative thinking and leadership among them.
3. Prioritize the civic dialogue about the ability of culture to positively contribute to the economy, social offerings, the environment, and the authentic expression of diversity.
4. Develop Boulder’s creative identity in becoming an innovative world leader in cultural matters and project that identity to the region and the world.
5. Focus on the expression of culture and creativity in the public realm through public art, the urban landscape, culture in the neighborhoods, and serendipitous encounters with the arts.
6. Amplify the vibrancy of Boulder’s cultural destinations: the lively mix of museums, performance venues, events, districts, studios, maker spaces, and other facilities that make Boulder an enticing place to visit, live, play, and work. Fill in the gaps and address issues of access and affordability.

These complex issues are the most important initiatives we can work on as a cultural community in the coming years. The purpose of the Community Project grant is to encourage innovation and exploration in order to achieve progress on these Community Priorities.

Total funds: $85,000

Awards: Organizations $60,000 @ maximum $10,000 each // Individuals $25,000 @ maximum $5,000 each

Details: The award amount of $10,000 for organizations or $5,000 for individuals is the maximum grant offered. Smaller requests will be accepted.

Cycle: Annual

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS – ORGANIZATIONS: Wednesday, February 14 at 11:59 p.m.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS – INDIVIDUALS: Wednesday, March 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Definitions: “Individual” is defined as: applications in which the project is created and managed by a single individual, a sole-proprietorship, or a for-profit business with only one employee. “Organization” is defined as: applications in which the project is being created and managed by a nonprofit or a for-profit business with multiple employees.

Community Project Grants – Organizations

• Wednesday, February 14 at 11:59 p.m. – Deadline for applications
• February 14 to 21– Review by staff for eligibility and revision by applicants if necessary
• February 21 to March 6 – Preliminary review and score by panel (15 days)
• March 6 to 13 – Score processing by staff
• March 13 – Preliminary scores and comments sent to applicants via email
• March 13 to March 20 – Applicants prepare and send written responses to the panel’s questions. The written response should be emailed to Lauren Click at culturegrants@bouldercolorado.gov by Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 11:59pm.
• March 20 to 27 – Response processing by staff
• March 27 – Responses sent to panel
• March 27 to April 10 – Final review and score by panel (15 days)
• April 10 to 19 – Processing of final scores
• April 19 – Final scores sent to applicants via email
• April 24 – Arts Commission meeting. Discussion and final decisions on grants

Community Project Grants – Individuals

• Wednesday, March 13 at 11:59 p.m. – Deadline for applications
• March 13 to March 20 – Review by staff for eligibility and revision by applicants if necessary
• March 20 to April 3 – Preliminary review and score by panel (15 days)
• April 3 to April 10 – Score processing by staff
• April 10 – Preliminary scores and comments sent to applicants via email
• April 10 to April 17 – Applicants prepare and send written responses to the panel’s questions. The written response should be emailed to Lauren Click at culturegrants@bouldercolorado.gov by Wednesday April 17, 2023, at 11:59pm.
• April 17 to 24 – Response processing by staff
• April 24 – Responses sent to panel
• April 24 to May 18 – Final review and score by panel (15 days)
• May 8 to 24 – Processing of final scores
• May 24 – Final scores sent to applicants via email
• May 29, 2024 – Arts Commission meeting. Discussion and final decisions on grants

• General eligibility. Meets all general eligibility requirements.
• Open to all. Anyone may apply once the general eligibility requirements are met, including individuals, artists, non-profit organizations, organizations with pending non-profit status, fiscally sponsored organizations and for-profit organizations with a community focus.
• Service area and programming. Projects must have a significant component of public programming that takes place within the city limits of Boulder. This programming must meet the criteria described in the Chapter 14-1-2 of the City of Boulder Revised Code. For additional information on the planning area and Comprehensive Plan visit this link. As a shorthand, office staff use addresses with the zip code starting with 803— to determine if it is in the acceptable area.
• Timeline. Projects must take place after the grant funding decision and be completed by June 30, 2025.

• 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.
  • Community priorities (Maximum 8 points)
  • Cultural offerings (Maximum 8 points)
  • Cultural equity (Maximum 8 points)
  • Proposed outcomes and evaluation strategy (Maximum 8 points)
  • Boulder focus (Maximum 6 points)
  • Encouragement points (Maximum 4 points)
• The complete scoring system and rubric for the Community Project Grants 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. The appeals process can be found here.

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.