2026 General Operating Support Grants

To bolster the sustainability of the community’s cultural organizations, a series of operating grants is a priority for the cultural grants program. This system of institutional funding supports the goals included in Phase 1 of the Boulder Arts Blueprint, including “increase and stabilize funding for arts organizations”.

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 Grants Manager Sarah Harrison at harrisons@bouldercolorado.gov.

Purpose

Our approach to operating funding is derived from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and is here modified to suit the circumstances of the Community Cultural Plan:

  • Operating grants maintain the autonomy of grantees, allowing them to allocate the dollars to their most pressing needs.
  • Operating grants tend to be more predictable over time, which helps organizations maintain continuity of services to their communities.
  • Because Operating grants are flexible, grantees can use the funds in more opportunistic or entrepreneurial ways than project-restricted funds often allow.
  • Operating grants come with stringent accountability and management requirements that incentivize and perpetuate good business practices among arts organizations.
  • Because the grantee—not the grant maker—ultimately defines the activities for which operating grants are used, this funding mechanism can reduce "mission drift" among grantees and can help to curtail the proliferation of programs designed solely to appeal to funders.

Operating grants strengthen the non-profit arts infrastructure and deepen working relationships between funders and core grantees.

Details

Total funds: $1,580,000

Awards: In 2026 there will be one tier based on community impact (Bedrock Operating Support) and five tiers based on the size of the organization’s budget (General Operating Support):

  • Bedrock Organizations: $80,000 with a cap at 50% of the organization’s annual budget
  • Extra Large Orgs (1M or more) grants of $60,000
  • Large Orgs (500k - 999k) grants equal to 4% of their budget ($22,000 min -$40,000)
  • Mid-sized Orgs (300k - 499k) grants equal to 5% of their budget ($15,000 - $22,000 cap)
  • Small Orgs (100k – 299k) grants equal to 5% of their budget ($10,000 - $15,000)
  • Extra Small Orgs (under 100k) grants of $10,000

The number of General Operating Support Grants in each category will vary depending on the number of applicants in order to ensure that levels of competition are similar in each category. Review the fund structure here.

CategoryNumber of GrantsGrant Amount
Bedrock5 (estimated)$80,000
Extra-Large 6 (estimated)$60,000
Large 10 (estimated)$22,000 - $40,000 (4% 2025 revenue)
Mid 11 (estimated)$15,000 - $22,000 (5% 2025 revenue)
Small13 (estimated)$10,000 - $15,000 (5% 2025 revenue)
Extra-Small15 (estimated)$10,000

Details

  • Your annual revenue according to your 2025 income statement and balance will determine your award category.
  • Reporting once a year, the organizations will be responsible for providing the Boulder Arts Commission with necessary information to track progress on their stated evaluation.

How to Apply

Get Informed

Review the below information in full.

Grant Portal

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

Pre-Application

You must complete a pre-application, which needs to be approved by staff for eligibility, before submitting a full application.

Application Contents

  • Online application form
  • Financial Documents. Please provide an income statement and balance sheet for 2023 and 2024 (or your last completed fiscal year) and budget for the current year.
  • Financial Overview Document. Please download this document, complete the green cells, and upload it as an excel or PDF.
  • Major Contributors. For the previous two fiscal years, list major contributors (foundations, businesses, government, individuals) with amounts. Do not include names of the individual donors.
  • In-kind Contributions. Summary of significant in-kind donations (donated goods and professional services) received by the organization for the last fiscal year.
  • Board of Directors List. Include the following information for each board member:
  • Position(s) on the board (officer and committee positions)
    • Occupation and name of employer and/or affiliation(s)
    • City or county of residence
    • Term end date for each board member
  • Proof of IRS Federal Tax-exempt Status. Also called a Letter of Determination. This will be used to demonstrate your eligibility. Alternatively, small and mid-sized organizations who are applying with alternative governance structures can provide a statement of fiscal sponsorship.
  • Anti-discrimination Statement.
  • Staff List. Include only key staff with their qualifications and length of service with the organization. Do not include job descriptions or resumes.
  • Annual Report or Strategic Plan. (Optional)
  • Evaluation Results. Provide the organization’s most recent evaluation results or findings relevant to this request. (Optional)
  • Work Samples. The panel appreciates work samples that provide them with more insight as to what you do as an organization. These will be considered for mission alignment. (Optional)

Application Confirmation

Look for an automated email message confirming receipt of your application.

Scoring Round One

After the deadline, applications will be sent to the panel for scoring and comments. The panel consists of five grant panel members. Information on the grant panel can be found on the website.

Respond to the Panel (Some Applicants)

The panel may collectively ask up to two clarifying questions about your application.

Scoring Round Two

Before the Arts Commission meeting, the panel will rescore the applications. At the decision meeting, the members of the Boulder Arts Commission then review the panel's recommendations and deliberate to decide final approval of the applications which will receive a grant.

Completion of Paperwork

When a grant is awarded, staff from the Office of Arts and Culture will contact the successful applicant to complete any necessary paperwork.

Decision Timelines

General Operating Support Grants

  • Wednesday, January 7 – Pre-applications open
  • January 7 – February 2 – Rolling pre-application eligibility review by staff
  • Wednesday, February 4 – Deadline for pre-applications
  • Friday, February 13 at 11:59 p.m. – Deadline for full applications
  • February 18 to March 18 – Preliminary review and score by panel (28 days)
  • Wednesday, March 25 – Panel meets to discuss applications
  • March 25- April 1 – Applicants respond to (up to) 2 points of clarification (7 days)
  • April 3 – April 13 -- Final review and score by panel (11 days)
  • April 13-15 – Processing of final scores
  • Wednesday, April 29 – Arts Commission meeting. Discussion and final decisions on grants

Eligibility Requirements

  • General eligibility. Meets all general eligibility requirements.
  • Bedrock designation. In 2026, there will be a tier that is not related to budget size. The panel will recommend five Bedrock Operating Support awards based on the scoring of additional questions for those applying to be Bedrock. These additional questions relate to community needs as defined by Stage 1 of the Boulder Arts Blueprint.
  • GOS budget thresholds. In 2026 there will be five tiers related to budget size (2025 revenue).
    • Extra Large Orgs (1M or more)
    • Large Orgs (500k - 999k)
    • Mid-sized Orgs (300k - 499k)
    • Small Orgs (100k – 299k)
    • Extra Small Orgs (under 100k)

The number of General Operating Support (GOS) Grants will vary depending on the number of applicants in order to ensure that levels of competition are similar in each category

  • Service area and programming. Must be able to demonstrate that a majority of the organization’s programming takes place in the City of Boulder and that the programming meets the criteria described in the Chapter 14-1-2 of the City of Boulder Revised Code. The organization must also demonstrate that they are headquartered in Boulder. For the determination of programming or organizational headquarters 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 shorthand, office staff use addresses with the zip code starting with 803— to determine if it is in the acceptable area.
  • Emerging organizations with revenues under $250,000 that have not yet achieved not-for-profit status or community-oriented businesses may also apply for this grant using a fiscal sponsorship.

If an organization is applying with a fiscal sponsor, the sponsor must receive the grant award payment.

Consistent Management. The organization must have consistent management with no planned or expected changes to leadership during the term of the funding. It is recommended, but not required, that organizations maintain a succession plan in their human resources policies in order to demonstrate fulfilment of this requirement.

Apply

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.

Review Process

  • 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.
    • Capacity Building (Maximum 8 points)
    • Community Priorities (Maximum 8 points)
    • Proposed outcomes and evaluation strategy (Maximum 8 points)
    • Cultural Equity (Maximum 8 points)
    • Encouragement Points (Maximum 4 points)
  • The complete scoring system and rubric for General Operating Support Grants can be found here.

Appeals Process

Written Appeals Process. The deadline for a written appeal is 14 days after the Boulder Arts Commission decision meeting. Find more information about the appeals process.

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 Sarah Harrison at harrisons@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3907 if you do not receive email confirmation.

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