AURORA | Grant funding for organizations in the Aurora Cultural Arts District has been cut in half, while the number of grant requests is increasing. The $75,000 in grant funding allotted to boost economic vibrancy in the arts district of the Colfax Corridor is still contingent on city council approval.
“The purpose of these grants is to stimulate and foster economic activity and vibrancy within the cultural arts district along the Colfax corridor,” Director of Library Cultural Services, Ginger White Brunetti, said.
Brunetti presented to city council during the study session June 9, in part, on behalf of the Cultural Affairs Commission, which administers the grants in partnership with the Library and Cultural Services.
The funding comes from the Library and Cultural Services as part of the Spring Supplemental allocation within the Cultural Services General Fund. The fund has been cut in half from previous years, when it reached as high as $150,000, Brunetti said.
The grants were initially named as part of the Fletcher Plaza Urban Renewal Authority back in 2002, Burnetti said. In 2017, the Library and Cultural Services assumed the administration of this grant program, which contributed to the city’s designation as a creative district through the Colorado Creative Industries division of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
This year, 28 organizations applied and only 13 were approved. In previous years, fewer organizations applied, allowing for the majority of organizations to be approved. In 2020, 26 organizations applied and only 16 were approved.
“We are back to achieving pre-pandemic numbers, as far as interest in these grants goes,” Brunetti said.
The grants are for organizations residing in the arts districts, while some are for projects or program grants for organizations that are not within the district but want to bring programming into the district and activate the existing venues, Brunetti said.
“The eligibility criteria have changed slightly year over year,” Brunetti said. “This is something that the Cultural Affairs Commission determines as part of its role, as it puts forward a new application process every year. This particular year, it decided to reserve some funds for operational grants.”
The organizations approved by the commission were:
- Downtown Aurora Visual Arts: $7,500 for general operating support.
- Colfax Canvas: $6,000 for artists’ commissions and supplies.
- Musician Daryl Leonard Gott: $6,000 for a jazz and storytelling series focused on Aurora’s history and cultural diversity with performances and educational sessions in the Aurora Cultural Arts District.
- Friends of the Aurora Fox: $6,000 to replace the screen and acquire a new projector for the FoxFlix program.
- PHAMALY Theatre Company for $6,000 to present Clare Barron’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated play, “Dance Nation,” at The People’s Building.
- Roshni: $6,000 to generate operating support.
- The Word, A Storytelling Sanctuary Inc.: $6,000 for Write to Empower, a series of writing workshops, storytelling events and a community anthology publication within the Aurora Cultural Arts District.
- Vintage Theatre Productions: $6,000 for general operating support.
- Insight Colab: $5,500 for a series of three new plays to be performed in the Aurora Cultural Arts District.
- Manos Sagrados: $5,000 for a new venue and arts space in the arts district; will conduct art workshops and exhibits within the Aurora Cultural Arts District.
- School of Breaking: $5,000 for an expansion of the “Breaking Boundaries” youth program, which focuses on dance instruction, mentoring and performances, in the Aurora Cultural Arts District.
- Urban League of Metro Denver: $5,000 for a Cultural Resilience and Empowerment Program focusing on youth and family engagement with workshops, community forums and cultural events in the arts district.
- Victory Project-Based Academics and Competency: $5,000 to fund several programs in the arts district, including performances, workshops and educational opportunities.
This is peanuts compared to what would be possible if our civic leaders had the political courage to confront the Ponzi scheme known as the Denver Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. The Denver SCFD collects well over $ 8 million per year in Aurora and returns less than 9% to entities here. What we could do for Aurora if all of that money stayed in Aurora! What would Colfax look like today if we had invested our cultural tax dollars in Aurora over the past three decades?
No transparency in the Denver SCFD and by this I mean a breakdown of taxes collected vs. grants awarded BY CITY. The Denver SCFD refuses to publish the numbers– and no elected official in Aurora will call them on it. Political cowards!
Competing for tiny slices of our own tax money for the past ~35 years has had a damaging psychological effect on many in Aurora. Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response where victims of develop positive feelings or emotional attachment to their abusers. Now throw in some strategic PR, a cute mascot and a well-funded lobbying campaign– and well of course, Aurora must remain a s__hole because..?
The Denver SCFD is up for reauthorization across seven counties in 2028. The time for an exit strategy is NOW.
Non-incumbent candidates for City Council: You can differentiate by resisting the Syndrome, calling out the current Denver SCFD legislation and defining a clear strategy that keeps our cultural tax dollars in Aurora rather than subsidizing Denver’s cultural gluttony.
Denver SCFD board and lobbyists: Your Ponzi scheme will be ending in Aurora. You’ve sucked the life out of our community for way too long.
Do either of these have that info?
https://scfd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2024-SCFD-Annual-Report-09-17-25_2FINAL.pdf
https://scfd.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SCFD-Audited-Financial-Statements-2024.pdf