Creative Neighborhoods Program

To help ensure equitable representation across Boulder's neighborhoods, the Creative Neighborhoods application is opening early on May 27, 2026, for projects located in the following subcommunities:

• Palo Park
• East Boulder
• Southeast Boulder
• Crossroads
• Uni Hill
• University

See a map of Boulder's subcommunities.

• If you live in one of the above subcommunities, this Creative Neighborhoods application is open.

Applications for all other subcommunities will open on June 10, 2026.

Goals

1. Build connection and belonging – support neighborhood-led projects that bring people together across cultures, generations, and places, and highlight Boulder’s diverse voices through storytelling, performance, and art.
2. Advance equity in arts and culture – reduce barriers so all neighborhoods can access funding and resources, and ensure cultural opportunities are spread across the city, close to where people live.
3. Support resilience through creativity – use arts and culture for healing and adaptation during social, economic, or environmental change, and strengthen neighborhood networks to support one another in hard times.
4. Lift up local leadership and teamwork – give neighbors the chance to lead creative projects and build partnerships between artists, residents, and community groups.
5. Employ local creatives – provide paid opportunities for Boulder’s artists, performers, and makers.
6. Spread joy and well-being – create moments of joy, inspiration, and vitality that strengthen both individual and community well-being.
   

Examples of Potential Eligible Projects

Creative Neighborhoods: Community Projects can take many forms. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Murals and visual art on publicly facing surfaces (walls, fences, sidewalks, utility boxes) that reflect neighborhood identity, culture and stories.
• Pop-up performances such as music, dance or theater events held on private property in neighborhood spaces.
• Storytelling or oral history projects that gather and share community voices through podcasts, zines or neighborhood exhibitions.
• Temporary art installations or creative activations of public space (e.g., sculpture, projection art, interactive installations).
• Neighborhood celebrations that highlight cultural traditions, foodways and creative expression.
• Creative placemaking projects like artist-designed benches, Little Free Libraries or neighborhood art walks.
• Collaborative workshops where neighbors join together with local artists to create shared artworks - such as quilting, mosaics, weaving, or poetry walls.

Application Overview

Applications for the next round of Creative Neighborhood Projects will open May 27, 2026, for the following subcommunities: Palo Park, East Boulder, Southeast Boulder, Crossroads, Uni Hill and University. Applications for all other subcommunities will open on June 10, 2026.

• Learn more about the application process.
• If you live in one of the above subcommunities, this Creative Neighborhoods application is open.

See where Creative Neighborhoods Projects have already been completed or are currently in progress.