Colorado Creates grant guidelines and application now available

Guidelines are now available for Colorado Creative Industries’ Colorado Creates grant program. These grants provide critical financial support to help nonprofit cultural organizations and communities produce and present arts and cultural activities, bringing jobs to their communities and enhancing quality of life.

Colorado Creates grants will now be on a two-year grant funding period for successful applicants. Two groups of prior grantees that have been approved for funding on a recurring basis over the past five years are invited to submit an abbreviated application that will also serve as a “first year/final report” for their most recent grant. For the first year of this new two-year cycle, invited organizations will be divided into two groups with a staggered application deadline.

Over 165 grants totaling $1,260,500 were awarded in 33 counties across the state in fiscal year 2015-2016.

DEADLINE & TIMELINE
Group A: Alternate Year Application Deadline 4 p.m., May 5, 2016
Group B: Alternate Year Application Deadline 4 p.m., July 7, 2016
Full Application Deadline: 4 p.m., June 9, 2016

Grant applicants for must be Colorado 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations or independent components of Colorado public colleges or universities, or government agencies. Applicants must have been providing public arts or cultural heritage programs in Colorado for at least three years by the application deadline. Project grants, formerly available for organizations whose primary purpose and mission are not specific to arts or cultural heritage, are temporarily suspended.

Colorado Creates awards range from $4,000 to $10,000 and are awarded annually on a competitive basis. Proposals are reviewed by panels based on three review criteria:
• Artistic excellence and merit of proposed activities
• Community involvement and benefit from proposed activities
• Implementation capacity, such as effective planning, management and budgeting of the organization and the project.

Applicants seeking assistance are advised to contact CCI grant counselors well in advance of the application deadline. Both returning and first-time grant applicants will be using an online grant system, and must be registered and approved for eligibility prior to starting the application process. Guidelines and application information can be accessed at www.coloradocreativeindustries.org. Please contact a CCI grant counselor at 303-892-3802.