The COVID-19 pandemic has been in Colorado for a year. We’ve endured lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, which have been especially difficult to the arts & culture sector. Closed doors, canceled performances, lay-offs and artists out of work is the sad reality many organizations and individuals continue to face. Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and The Denver Foundation just announced 52 arts organizations that received grants through the second and final round of the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund, totaling almost $900,000.
“We are so pleased that the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund has been able to provide more critically needed support to our cultural community with this second round of funding,” says Gary Steuer, President & CEO of Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. “Our arts organizations continue to face enormous financial challenges, with continuing restrictions on live gatherings to keep patrons and artists safe. We are especially gratified that Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s initial leadership gift of $1 million was matched by numerous and generous donors, big and small.”
The COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund was launched in May 2020 and first round grants were made to 41 organizations totaling $1.2 million in August. The fund will give 52 organizations relief in the second and final round of the fund, which is now officially closed.
“Arts and culture are essential to Denver in so many ways,” says Javier Alberto Soto, President & CEO of The Denver Foundation. “Arts organizations are major drivers of economic opportunity, creating meaningful jobs and careers for thousands of creative and diverse people in Colorado. Their work strengthens our spirits in difficult times, giving us opportunities for connection, education, community-building, and change. The Denver Foundation was honored to partner with Bonfils-Stanton Foundation to support the sector’s work through the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund.”
“We had an overwhelming number of applications for the second round of the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund, which highlights the struggle many are still facing in the sector,” says Gina Ferrari, Director of the Grants Program at Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. “However, we were heartened by the innovation and hopefulness organizations shared as they look to future programming, both in-person and virtual.”
Grant awards ranged from $5,000 to $50,000 per organization, with the goal of providing much-needed support during the pandemic.
Below is a list of the 52 organizations that received funding, totaling $892,500 in support:
- Art from Ashes
- Art Students League of Denver
- Athena Project
- Ballet Ariel
- Black American West Museum & Heritage Center
- Boulder Bach Festival
- Boulder Community Broadcast KGNU
- Boulder Ensemble Theatre
- Centro Cultural Mexicano
- Chicano Humanities and Arts
- Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
- CMDance
- Colorado Ballet Company
- Colorado Celebration of African American Arts & Culture
- Colorado Music Festival and Center for Musical Arts
- Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras
- Control Group Productions
- Curious Theatre Company
- Curls on the Block
- D3 Arts
- David Taylor’s Zikr Dance Ensemble
- Denver Children’s Choir
- Denver Film Society
- Denver March Powwow
- Downtown Aurora Visual Arts
- Ethiopian Community Television
- Firehouse Art Center
- Flamenco Fantasy Theatre
- Gift of Jazz
- Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras
- Kim Robards Dance
- Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet
- Local Theater Company
- Magic Moments
- Motus Theater
- Museo de las Americas
- Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
- Open Media Foundation
- Phamaly Theatre Company
- PlatteForum
- Post 1 Foundation
- Rocky Mountain Arts Association
- Rocky Ridge Music Center Foundation
- ROSHNI
- Street Wise Arts
- Su Teatro
- The Children’s Museum of Denver
- The Word, A Storytelling Sanctuary
- Think 360 Arts for Learning
- Vintage Theatre Productions
- Vocal Coalition
- Youth on Record