How Denver-Area Arts Groups Split Millions In Science And Culture Funds

By Colorado Public Radio Staff
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Photo: SCFD public meeting at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster
A public SCFD board meeting took place at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster on Oct. 22, 2015.

If you visit a museum, see a stage production, or listen to an orchestra around the Denver metro, there’s a good chance you helped pay for it.

Of course, you purchased a ticket. But hundreds of organizations have also benefited from a cultural tax that’s been in place for nearly three decades.

Since 1989, the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District has distributed revenue from a 0.1 percent sales and use tax to the tune of more than $850 million. For more insight into how SCFD works, check out CPR’s past coverage.

Last year, those funds amounted to more than $54 million split among about 270 organizations. But those millions in tax dollars will be at stake this year.

This November, the SCFD will ask voters in seven counties whether to extend the cultural tax. Voters have approved an extension twice before -- in 1994 and 2004.

So we were curious about how these dollars get divvied out among science and cultural organizations. Here's the breakdown according to the latest audit:

Adams County

  • A Child's Song ($20,267.50)
  • Adams County Historical Society ($51,214.34)
  • Brighton Cultural Arts Commission ($25,045)
  • Brightonmusic Choir & Orchestra ($3,075.23)
  • Kim Robards Dance ($99,168)
  • Northglenn Arts & Humanities Foundation ($94,809.75)
  • Northland Fine Arts Association ($14,407.84)
  • Paletteers Art Club ($4,233.49)
  • Platte Valley Players ($16,847.54)
  • Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory ($249,662.93)
  • Thornton Arts, Science & Humanities Council ($38,391.96)
  • Thornton Community Band ($5,741.25)
  • Westminster Area Historical Society ($52,701.06)
  • Westminster Community Artists Series ($27,853.16)

Arapahoe County

  • Arapahoe Philharmonic ($65,720)
  • Aurora Singers ($7,200)
  • Aurora Symphony Orchestra ($20,000)
  • Cherry Creek Chorale ($19,000)
  • City of Aurora - Open Space and Natural Resources Division ($11,900)
  • City of Aurora Cultural Services Division ($249,110.71)
  • City of Englewood Cultural Arts Agency ($15,000)
  • Colorado Wind Ensemble ($15,576)
  • Downtown Aurora Visual Arts ($126,800)
  • Englewood Cultural Arts Center Association ($22,000)
  • Grand Design ($16,453)
  • Greenwood Village Arts & Humanities Council ($35,000)
  • Heritage Fine Arts Guild of Arapahoe County ($2,500)
  • Hudson Gardens ($281,303.31)
  • Ignite Theatre ($31,390)
  • Kantorei ($27,031)
  • Littleton Chorale ($16,379)
  • Littleton Community Music Association ($23,600)
  • Littleton Symphony Orchestra ($19,600)
  • Littleton Town Hall Arts Center ($54,000)
  • Magic Moments ($23,000)
  • Mountain Chamber Music Society ($391)
  • Mudra Dance Studio ($21,075)
  • Museum of Outdoor Arts ($80,000)
  • Phamaly Theater Company ($122,076)
  • Philippine American Society ($2,500)
  • Plains Conservation Center ($84,242)
  • South Suburban Parks & Recreation District - Culture & Enrichment Division ($23,000)
  • South Suburban Parks & Recreation District - Nature Programs ($12,516.51)
  • Up Close and Musical ($23,914)
  • Vintage Theatre Productions ($80,500)
  • Young Voices of Colorado ($81,347)

Boulder County

  • Ars Nova Chamber Singers ($7,500)
  • ArtWalk Longmont ($6,400)
  • Blue Moon Dance Company ($1,600)
  • Boulder Bach Festival ($7,500)
  • Boulder Ballet ($37,287)
  • Boulder Chorale ($12,700)
  • Boulder Concert Band ($1,800)
  • Boulder County Arts Alliance ($20,000)
  • Boulder County Audubon Society ($3,000)
  • Boulder Dinner Theatre Academy ($2,380)
  • Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company ($16,500)
  • Boulder Friends of Jazz ($760)
  • Boulder History Museum ($21,120)
  • Boulder International Fringe Festival ($18,500)
  • Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art ($56,383)
  • Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra ($32,000)
  • Boulder Potters Guild ($5,000)
  • Cantabile Singers ($1,750)
  • CenterStage Theatre Company ($5,270)
  • Chamber Music Society of Boulder ($14,182)
  • Colorado Chautauqua Association ($539,580.86)
  • Colorado Film Society ($25,000)
  • Colorado Friends of Old Time Music and Dance ($11,909)
  • Colorado MahlerFest ($8,000)
  • Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts ($166,715.79)
  • Dairy Center for Arts ($25,000)
  • East Boulder County Artists ($2,000)
  • eTown ($172,036.77)
  • Firehouse Art Center ($9,542)
  • Frequent Flyers Productions ($19,900)
  • Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras ($15,000)
  • Helander Dance Theater ($1,500)
  • Historic Boulder ($6,500)
  • Imagination Makers Unlimited ($21,111)
  • Interweave Dance Theatre of Boulder ($1,500)
  • Lafayette Cultural Arts Commission ($12,000)
  • Lafayette Historical Society ($3,170)
  • Longmont Chorale ($5,000)
  • Longmont Council for Arts ($17,000)
  • Longmont Jazz Association ($1,140)
  • Longmont Museum ($25,000)
  • Longmont Symphony Orchestra ($25,000)
  • Longmont Youth Symphony ($5,000)
  • Louisville Art Association ($3,000)
  • Louisville Cultural Council ($1,800)
  • Lyons Historical Society ($3,837)
  • Menorah: Arts Culture & Education ($15,000)
  • OpenArts ($13,680)
  • Parlando ($25,000)
  • Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra ($6,793)
  • Rocky Mountain Revels ($3,120)
  • Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu Association ($11,396)
  • Stories on Stage ($37,643)
  • The Upstart Crow Theatre Company ($2,000)
  • Theater Company of Lafayette ($3,020)
  • Third Law Dance/Theatre ($10,979)
  • Thorne Nature Experience ($58,217.55)
  • Timberline Symphony Orchestra ($6,000)
  • Turning Wheel Productions ($6,750)
  • Variety Arts of Louisville ($7,180)
  • Wild Bear Mountain Ecology Center ($25,000)
  • WOW! Children's Museum ($41,123.81)

City and County of Broomfield

  • Broomfield Civic Orchestra ($3,750)
  • Broomfield Council on Arts & Humanities ($25,000)
  • Broomfield Dance ($20,900.12)
  • City & County of Broomfield, Cultural Affairs Division ($39,636.71)
  • Colorado Repertory Singers ($8,835)
  • Danse Etoile Ballet ($14,000)
  • Rocky Mountain Brassworks ($8,998.68)

​City and County of Denver

  • 7 Dancers ($7,482)
  • Alliance Française de Denver ($43,359)
  • American Guild of Organists ($4,031)
  • Art from Ashes ($36,817)
  • Art Students League of Denver ($79,409)
  • ArtReach ($70,881)
  • Asian Art Coordinating Council ($12,389)
  • ASIFA-Colorado ($750)
  • Augustana Arts ($57,563)
  • Ballet Ariel ($25,930)
  • Baroque Chamber Orchestra ($26,545)
  • Bluff Lake Nature Center ($69,000)
  • Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave ($34,093)
  • Bug Performance & Media Art Center ($7,832)
  • Buntport Theater Company ($31,655)
  • Central City Opera ($398,898.66)
  • Centro Cultural Mexicano ($34,313)
  • Cherry Creek Arts Festival ($92,398.17)
  • Cherry Creek Theatre ($7,546)
  • Chicano Humanities & Arts Council ($15,680)
  • Children's Museum of Denver ($830,358.58)
  • Christian Youth Theatre Denver ($38,710)
  • Cleo Parker Robinson Dance ($158,631)
  • Clyfford Still Museum ($234,916.47)
  • cmDance ($51,144)
  • Colorado Ballet Company ($609,281.67)
  • Colorado Chamber Players ($21,748.5)
  • Colorado Children's Chorale ($151,132.29)
  • Colorado Choir & Chorus Organization ($4,352)
  • Colorado Conservatory for Jazz Arts ($18,768.62)
  • Colorado Hebrew Chorale ($7,867)
  • Colorado Honor Band Association ($35,152)
  • Colorado Korean Chorus ($6,500)
  • Colorado Photographic Arts Center ($22,881)
  • Colorado Symphony Association ($908,827.31)
  • Colorado Youth Symphony ($26,966)
  • Columbine Chorale ($2,056)
  • CORE New Art Space ($3,104.47)
  • Curious Theatre Company ($58,856)
  • Denver Architectural Foundation ($9,680)
  • Denver Art Museum ($6,817,978.86)
  • Denver Botanic Gardens ($3,845,955.44)
  • Denver Brass ($106,754)
  • Denver Center for the Performing Arts ($5,950,593.16)
  • Denver Film Society ($553,856.99)
  • Denver Firefighters Museum ($21,349)
  • Denver Junior Police Band ($5,852)
  • Denver March Pow-Wow ($32,951)
  • Denver Municipal Band ($31,747)
  • Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys ($29,337)
  • Denver Museum of Nature and Science ($8,182,883.9)
  • Denver Philharmonic Orchestra ($7,422)
  • Denver Rail Heritage Society ($6,918)
  • Denver Urban Gardens ($100,422)
  • Denver Young Artists Orchestra Association ($94,755)
  • Denver Zoological Gardens ($7,934,124.22)
  • Empire Lyric Players ($3,065)
  • Environmental Learning for Kids ($89,052)
  • Four Mile Historic Park ($65,780)
  • Friends of Arts Street ($17,996)
  • Friends of Chamber Music ($34,636)
  • Governor's Residence Preservation Fund ($18,650)
  • Hannah Kahn Dance Company ($19,224)
  • Harmony: A Colorado Chorale ($5,479)
  • Historic Denver ($83,989)
  • Inside the Orchestra ($49,495)
  • Lighthouse Writers Workshop ($79,328)
  • Louder Than Words Dancetheatre ($2,061)
  • Lower Downtown Denver Arts Association ($6,289)
  • Mercury Ensemble ($2,766)
  • Mile High Freedom Band ($2,618)
  • Mizel Center for Arts & Culture ($365,922.77)
  • Mizel Museum ($177,420.01)
  • Mostly Strauss Orchestra ($2,381)
  • Museo de las Americas ($87,793)
  • Museum of Contemporary Art Denver ($196,733.05)
  • One World Singers ($6,376)
  • Opera Colorado ($264,958)
  • Paideia School ($3,315)
  • PlatteForum ($33,992)
  • RedLine ($52,620)
  • Rocky Mountain Arts Association ($26,253)
  • Rocky Mountain Children's Choir ($44,656)
  • Rocky Mountain Ringers ($1,163)
  • Sound of the Rockies ($17,679)
  • St Martin's Chamber Choir ($21,521)
  • Su Teatro ($78,171)
  • Swallow Hill Music Association ($502,456.2)
  • TACtile Textile Arts Center ($2,347)
  • The Playground Ensemble ($3,607)
  • The Spirituals Project ($23,975.05)
  • Think 360 Arts Complete Education ($88,487)
  • Urban Farm at Stapleton ($26,028)
  • Very Special Arts of Colorado ($52,355.91)
  • Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum ($281,535.2)
  • Wonderbound ($167,524.5)

​Douglas County

  • Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation ($100,000)
  • Denver Concert Band ($17,890)
  • HawkQuest ($50,209)
  • Highlands Ranch Concert Band ($8,000)
  • Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association ($96,790)
  • Lamb Spring Archaeological Preserve ($8,000)
  • Lone Tree Arts Center ($156,018.84)
  • Lone Tree Symphony Orchestra ($12,000)
  • Parker Arts Council ($12,000)
  • Performance Now Theatre Company ($24,871)
  • Roxborough Arts Council ($7,000)
  • South Suburban Community Orchestra ($12,200)
  • The Wildlife Experience ($619,405.79)
  • Town of Parker Cultural Department ($162,876.51)

Jefferson County

  • Apex Arts & Humanities Agency ($4,400)
  • Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities ($1,039,076.46)
  • Arvada Chorale Company ($13,080)
  • Audubon Society of Greater Denver ($29,672)
  • Butterfly Pavilion ($695,554.3)
  • Center for Arts Evergreen ($32,275)
  • Colorado Chorale ($12,000)
  • Colorado Dragon Boat Festival ($73,191)
  • Colorado Folk Arts Council ($8,567)
  • Colorado Mountain Club ($210,058.15)
  • Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation ($287,099.55)
  • Colorado United Irish Societies ($13,921)
  • Conifer's StageDoor Theatre ($46,543)
  • Edge Theatre ($33,251)
  • Evergreen Chamber Orchestra Society ($4,418)
  • Evergreen Children's Chorale ($18,679)
  • Evergreen Chorale ($38,125)
  • Evergreen Jazz Festival ($19,786)
  • Evergreen Naturalists Audubon Society ($15,321)
  • Evergreen Players ($40,974)
  • Fiesta Colorado ($20,223)
  • Filipino-American Community of Colorado ($7,260)
  • Foothills Art Center ($64,647)
  • Foothills Park & Recreation District, Arts & Events Agency ($24,377)
  • Friends of Dinosaur Ridge ($114,985.72)
  • Golden Chamber Choir ($3,586)
  • Golden Eagle Concert Band ($9,063.5)
  • Golden History Museums ($47,707)
  • Golden Landmarks Association ($6,471)
  • Jefferson Symphony Association ($48,270)
  • Ken Caryl Ranch Metropolitan District ($3,143)
  • Lakewood Arts Council ($9,414)
  • Lakewood Heritage, Culture and Arts ($248,451.84)
  • Lakewood Symphony Orchestra ($10,336)
  • Life/Art Dance Ensemble ($900)
  • Lutheran Chorale ($2,893)
  • Majestic View Nature Center ($9,962)
  • Miners Alley Playhouse ($53,643)
  • Morrison Natural History Museum ($24,318)
  • New Voices of Colorado ($4,968)
  • Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum ($39,361)
  • Sculpture Evergreen ($12,421)
  • Tesoro Foundation ($59,090)
  • West Side Live! Presents ($7,617)
  • Wheat Ridge Community Chorale ($2,430)

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