Apply now for Colorado Creates Grant 2026-2027

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade is seeking applications for its 2026-2027 Colorado Creates Grant

Donor Name: Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)

State: Colorado

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 05/05/2026

Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000

Grant Duration: 1 Year

Details:

The purpose of Colorado Creates, Creative Industries’ largest annual competitive grant program, is to support arts programs, services, and activities associated with carrying out the National Endowment of the Arts strategic plan. From this funding, OEDIT has developed the Colorado Creates Grant, which provides general operating support for arts-focused organizations for the presentation of public programming.

Funding Information

Grant awards are flat amounts based on your organization’s cash operating revenue for your most recently completed fiscal year. All successful applicants in the same revenue range will receive the same amount of grant funds.

If your cash operating revenue in your most recently completed fiscal year was $1 million or more, you request $14,000.
If your cash operating revenue in your most recently completed fiscal year was $600,000 to $999,999, you request $12,000.
If your cash operating revenue in your most recently completed fiscal year was $300,000 to $599,999, you request $10,000.
If your cash operating revenue in your most recently completed fiscal year was $100,000 to $299,999, you request $8,000.
If your cash operating revenue in your most recently completed fiscal year was $25,000 to $99,999, you request $6,000.

Grant Period

July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

Eligible Expenses

This grant is for general operating support for the presentation of public programming. The grant period is from the date of your award letter or the execution date of your grant agreement to June 30, 2027. Grantees will receive payment as a reimbursement after completing their final report, which is due between the July after their period of performance ends.

Part of the administrative costs directly associated with the proposed operations is allowed. Allowable operations and facilities expenses include:

Facilities rent (home base of operations, not special program expenses)
Operations costs
Maintenance
Insurance.

Eligibility Criteria

Your organization needs to:

Be an arts-focused 501(c)(3) organization (review more information below) or an independent component of a program associated with a college, university, or unit of government (review more information below)
Hold your primary business location in Colorado.
Have supporting the arts as your organizational mission, including but not limited to visual, performing, literary, and media arts organizations.
Have held public arts programs in Colorado for at least two years before the application deadline.
Have a cash operating budget of at least $25,000 for your last completed fiscal year.
Be registered in Good Standing with the Colorado Secretary of State and current with annual corporate reports and charitable solicitation registration.
Organizations are required to have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI or UEI SAM). A UEI reflects the organization’s legal name and current physical address.
Be current in reporting for other Colorado Creative Industries grants or programs.

Arts-focused 501(c)(3) Organizations:

A qualified nonprofit organization has a stated and board-adopted mission specific to visual, performing, media, and literary arts. Examples include art museums, ceramic studios, community arts councils, creative writing programs, dance organizations, film festivals, music festivals, opera societies, orchestras and choral societies, photographic studios, quilting and fiber arts organizations, theatre groups, tribal cultural organizations, and visual arts centers.
Organizations that have other goals but include some arts programming are not eligible, unless they program and/or present proportionally-significant artistic or cultural programming in an area, or to a specific community with limited access. Mixed-use organizations must contact CCI well in advance of the grant deadline if they wish to be cleared to apply.
Generally, history museums, botanic gardens, preservation organizations, economic development and planning agencies, and therapeutic and social service agencies are not eligible, even if they have 501(c)(3) status.

Ineligibility

Funds cannot be used for: