Colorado Creates Grant

Colorado Creates Grant

Funds Colorado arts nonprofits with operating resources for sustained programming.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Colorado Creates Grant is the largest annual competitive grant program administered by Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), providing general operating support to Colorado arts nonprofits. The FY27 cycle ran from February through May 5, 2026, and is now closed; based on the annual pattern, the FY28 cycle is expected to open in February 2027. The program is partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. In FY26, the program awarded 125 grants spanning 33 Colorado counties.

Award amounts are tiered by the applicant organization's cash operating revenue, ranging from $6,000 to $14,000. Eligible applicants are Colorado arts nonprofits operating as 501(c)(3) organizations, as well as independent components of colleges or government entities that operate publicly as arts organizations. The organization must have at least two years of public arts programming in Colorado prior to the application deadline and a minimum cash operating budget of $25,000 for the most recent fiscal year. K-12 schools are explicitly excluded. Applicants must hold a current UEI number from SAM.gov registration — OEDIT recommends obtaining this at least two to four weeks before applying. Organizations must apply directly; fiscal sponsor arrangements are not permitted. Awards at the $12,000–$14,000 tier additionally require a formal purchase order, Workers' Compensation certificate, and General Liability insurance.

The grant provides general operating support and funds visual, performing, literary, and media arts programming. Payment is structured as 50% advance upon award and 50% reimbursement upon submission of a final report. Applicants should monitor Colorado Creative Industries' website and OEDIT's programs index for the FY28 cycle opening announcement, as the program fills quickly and SAM.gov registration is a prerequisite that requires advance preparation.