HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.26.26 BAC Packet
Boulder Arts Commission Meeting Agenda
August 26, 2026 / 6:00 P.M.
Hybrid Meeting:
Office of Arts and Culture at 1777 Broadway / Online Video Meeting
1. CALL TO ORDER (10 min) - Chair
A. Records Attendance
B. Procedural Items
i. Approval of Agenda
ii. Approval of the July 2026 Meeting Minutes
2. OPEN COMMENT (10 min) - Chair
3. DISCUSSION ITEMS
4. MATTERS
A. Grants Program (60 min) – Sarah
i. Action: Grant Report
ii. 2027 Grant Program Step 2
5. INFORMATION ITEMS (15 min) – Chair, Lauren, Sarah
A. Commission Business (15 min)
i. Liaison Updates
ii. Work Groups
1. Accessibility
2. Sustainability
3. Artificial Intelligence
B. Questions about the Staff Memo
C. New Arts Commission photo
6. ADJOURNMENT - Chair
Next meetings at 6 p.m.:
- Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Retreat: Tuesday, October 27 from 3 to 8 p.m.
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CITY OF BOULDER
BOULDER, COLORADO
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES
Name of Board/ Commission: Boulder Arts Commission
Date of Meeting: July 29, 2026
Contact information preparing summary: Cindy Sepucha, sepuchac@bouldercolorado.gov
Commission members present: Yaelaed Whyel (Chair), Caroline Kert, Kate Cimino, Jill
Katzenberger, Gaya Vinay (Vice Chair)
Commission members absent: Montserrat Palacios, Jeffrey Kash.
Staff present:
Lauren Click, Arts and Culture Manager
Sarah Harrison, Cultural Arts Senior Program Manager
Brendan Picker-Mahoney, Public Art Senior Program Manager
Cindy Sepucha, Artists and Venues Senior Program Manager
Matthew Beutler, Arts Grant Specialist
Jake Hudson-Humphrey, Public Art Specialist
Mark Woulf, Assistant City Manager
Shihomi Kuriyagawa, Senior Landscape Architect
Guests present: None
Members of the public present:
Caulene Hudson, Deb Malden, Lyn Ciocca, Representative from Be Brazil, Mckenna Daut, Matt
Gleason, Kajsa Teitelbaum, Sarah Pike
Type of Meeting: Hybrid (Location: Penfield Tate II Building, 1777 Broadway, Boulder, CO
80302)
Agenda Item 1: CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:04 p.m.
Item 1A: Roll Call
Chair Yaelaed Whyel took roll call; Caroline Kert, Kate Cimino, Jill Katzenberger, and Vice Chair
Gaya Vinay were present. Montserrat Palacios and Jeffrey Kash were absent.
Item 1Bi: Approval of the July 2026 Meeting Agenda
Kert moved to approve the agenda. Second by Cimino. The motion passed unanimously.
Item 1Bii: Approval of the June 2026 Meeting Minutes
Kert moved to approve the minutes. Second by Cimino. The motion passed unanimously.
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Agenda Item 2: OPEN COMMENT [00:06:16 video min.]
Community members Caulene Hudson (from the Catamounts) and Deborah Malden spoke during
open comment.
Agenda Item 3: DISCUSSION ITEMS [00:10:25 video min.]
Item 3A: East Bookend RFP
Mark Woulf, Assistant City Manager, and Shihomi Kuriyagawa, Senior Landscape Architect,
presented on the city's future planning for the East Bookend of Boulder Creek Park. They shared
findings from the recent Request for Information and outlined next steps toward releasing a
Request for Proposals for a developer partner, who would help create and execute the final plan for
the space through a private-investment partnership model.
Commission discussion covered the potential for 24/7 programming and whether artistic
components are scored in proposals, which staff confirmed they are. Commissioners also asked
about additional food service options beyond the seasonal Farmers Market and Teahouse, and
whether the redesigned space would continue to support annual events such as Creek Fest.
Item 3B: Public Art Program
Brendan Picker-Mahoney, Public Art Senior Program Manager, presented on the Pearl Street 50th
Anniversary and Pearl Street Mall refresh, a Parks and Recreation-led effort combining temporary
and long-term improvements, including the “Spirit of Pearl” urban design competition, a crosswalk
mural, an Experiments in Public Art open call, an open call for a commemorative 50th-anniversary
painting, and invitational 50th-anniversary projects. Commission discussed how the 50th-
anniversary projects align with accessibility statements and the possibility of selling prints of the
commemorative artwork; postcards will be available, and Vinay volunteered to look further into
the feasibility of selling higher-quality prints.
Item 3C: Commission Business
Liaison updates: Vinay reported that she would meet with all of her liaison groups the following
day. Katzenberger reported that EcoArts is working on projects with the San Lazaro mobile home
community and that Sans Souci films have been shared internationally.
i. Accessibility
Harrison shared next steps for the Accessibility work group, including an upcoming conversation
with CPWD.
ii. Sustainability
Click shared that she is drafting a sustainability statement. Commission discussed wording around
aspirational language, whether the statement implies capital-funding commitments the
Commission cannot deliver (it does not do capital funding), and whether to include sustainability
metrics; Cimino noted that, like the AI statement, this is a values statement, with metrics to be
determined per individual program.
iii. Artificial Intelligence
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Click shared that the Cultural Organizations Summit on AI took place July 1 and that the
Commission is at the forefront of an issue of wide interest; Hudson-Humphrey, Cimino, and
Beutler shared positive feedback about the event.
Cimino moved to approve the Arts Commission's Artificial Intelligence Values Statement with the
edit: “Art belongs to the artist. Be conscious of artists’ rights when using AI tools.”. Kert
seconded. Cimino moved to approve; Kert seconded. Unanimous approval.
Agenda Item 4: MATTERS [01:15:46 video min.]
Item 4A,i: Action: Arts Education Grants
Harrison shared scoring for the Arts Education Grants. Kert moved to approve Arts Education
Project Grants to Empower You Therapy Services, The Catamounts, Harvest of All First Nations,
Luna Cultura, Ana Balzan, Kin Studio and Gallery, Trash the Runway, Scribble Art Workshop,
Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Parlando School for the Arts, Boulder Opera, Be Brazil, Boulder
International Film Festival, and Boulder High School PTO. Seconded by Katzenberger.
Unanimous approval.
Item 4A,ii: Action: Lifelong Learning Grants
Harrison shared scoring for the Lifelong Learning Grants. Vinay moved to approve Lifelong
Learning Grants to The New Local and Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra. Seconded by
Katzenberger. The motion passed 4-1, with Kert opposed.
Item 4A,iii: Action: Grant Reports
Arts Education Grant Reports: Cimino moved to approve the Arts Education Project grant reports
from The Catamounts and Frequent Flyers. Katzenberger seconded. Unanimous approval.
Kert raised questions about the budget submitted by Boulder Ballet in regards to the funding being
dedicated to tuition reimbursement; Harrison will follow up, and the vote on Boulder Ballet's
report is tabled to next meeting pending more information.
Leadership Pipeline Grant Report: Vinay moved to approve the Leadership Pipeline grant report
from Lee Trombly. Katzenberger seconded. Unanimous approval.
Community Project Grant Report: Whyel moved to approve the Community Project grant report
from Nathan Storey. Kert seconded. Unanimous approval.
Boulder Vision Grant Reports: Kert moved to approve the Boulder Vision grant reports from
Dance Continua Productions and Curtis K Rogers. Katzenberger seconded. Unanimous approval.
Item 4A,iv: Action: Eligibility Question
The Commission confirmed the eligibility of the grant application from First Congregational
United Church of Christ, Boulder (hiring artist Merlyn Holmes), despite concerns it may not align
with the program's intent, since current wording does not preclude it. Staff will revise grant
guidelines/wording to close this eligibility gap and prevent similar applications in the future.
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APPROVED ON:
APPROVED BY: ATTESTED:
_________________________________________
___________________________________
Board Chair Board Secretary
________________________________________ ____
_______________________________
Date Date
Item 4A,v: 2027 Grant Program Step 1
Harrison shared suggested adjustments to the 2027 grant program, including changes to eligibility
(first-time applicants, one-year blackouts for GOS awardees on first-come first-served grants, arts
and culture as a primary theme), definitions (professional development opportunity, contemplative
arts, ‘project’ grant, Bedrock Organization), process edits (eliminating high/low scores, mid-
review feedback, word count limits, Boulder Vision individuals evaluation strategy, financial-
health assessment, AI use, two commissioners per panel meeting, audio/video submissions), and
grant additions (one to two more Bedrock-type organizations; converting the Artist Hiring
Incentive into an Artist Innovation/Experimentation Fund). Harrison also shared the draft budget
and distribution plan for the 2027 Cultural Grants Program; Click asked Commissioners to review
the plan and bring questions to the next meeting.
Agenda Item 5: INFORMATION ITEMS
A.Questions about the Staff Memo
There were no questions about the Staff Memo.
B.New Arts Commission photo
Not everyone was present for the photo. It will be put on next month's agenda.
Agenda Item 6: ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the commission at this time, Whyel adjourned the
meeting at 8:01 p.m.
Date, time, and location of next meeting:
The next Boulder Arts Commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26,
2026. This is a hybrid meeting to be held at the City of Boulder's City Manager's Office at Penfield
Tate II and via a Zoom webinar link.
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TO: Members of the Boulder Arts Commission
FROM: Lauren Click, City of Boulder Office of Arts +
Culture, Office of Cultural and Economic
Development
DATE: August 20, 2026
SUBJECT: Staff Update for the Boulder Arts Commission
Meeting on August 26, 2026
>To maximize access, the August 26, 2026, meeting of the Arts Commission will be held as a hybrid in-
person / video meeting. The Arts Commission, members of the community, and staff may attend either
in person or by video.
- The in-person meeting will be held at the Office of Arts and Culture at Penfield Tate II Municipal
Building, 1777 Broadway, Room N101. Due to room capacity, there may be a limited number of
seats available for members of the community to attend in person.
−To attend, please make a request by email to rsvp@bouldercolorado.gov by Tuesday, August 25,
2026, at 12:00 p.m. Please indicate in your email if you are requesting to attend in person or by
video.
>Notes on the August Meeting Agenda
−4A. Arts Education Report.
The following Arts Education Project Grant report was submitted in advance of the July 2026
Commission meeting.
−Boulder Ballet, Bilingual Ballet Program: Increasing Cultural Access Through Inclusive
Ballet Education, $3,000
The Commission postponed action on this report in July, requesting clarification on the inclusion of
tuition assistance as an eligible expense. Boulder Ballet submitted a response, which staff
circulated to commissioners via email on August 18, 2026. The report now returns to the
Commission for a vote, with the following options:
a.Approve the report,
b.Approve the report while submitting specific questions,
c.Postpone approval of the report pending the answers to specific questions, and/or
d.Not approve the report and cancel the final payment.
−4B. 2027 Grants Program Step 2
Staff seek feedback from the Commission on the 2027 Grants Program budget and staff
recommendations, which can be found in Attachments One and Two. The staff recommendations
cover the categories agreed upon at the July Commission meeting, including:
−Definitions
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−Eligibility
−Process Improvements
−Grant additions and changes
Staff received 7 additional responses to the Grant Program Feedback Questionnaire, as well as two
letters, since the July Commission meeting. This information is incorporated into the suggestions
and options that will be presented at the August meeting. While the feedback will be discussed in
more detail during the meeting, here are topics of what was recently received:
−Rubric for the Boulder Vision categories in regard to the SER Framework
−Name, definition, criteria, and award amount of ‘Bedrock’ Grants
−Funding structure recommendations
−Grant blackouts
−Scoring review process and timeline
−Program evaluation and Arts Commission role in the grant process
Following this meeting, staff will begin to implement the accepted recommendations and will
provide new staff recommendations for those that were not initially accepted.
- 5Aii. Commission Business, Work Groups
1.Accessibility. The “Disability Access and the Arts” resource page is available at
https://bouldercolorado.gov/disability-access-arts. This will be a living page that staff will
continue to update with information and opportunities. Staff reached out to all GOS
applicants to encourage them to apply for Colorado Creative Industries’ upcoming
Disability Etiquette Training. Staff will meet with the Center for People with Disabilities to
receive feedback on Arts Commission programming on Saturday, October 10. Staff is aiding
the Transportation and Mobility Department on an Experiential Events Planning Guide that
can be used by all City employees in the future as a disability access guide on temporary
events.
2.Sustainability. In Attachment Three, find a draft aspirational statement for the Arts
Commission to review. The September Sustainability Summit was cancelled due to
scheduling conflicts. Staff is currently working to reschedule the event.
3.Artificial Intelligence. The Commission’s AI Value Statements as well as additional
resources on the topic can be found on the newly launched site
https://bouldercolorado.gov/boulder-arts-commission-artificial-intelligence-ai-value-
statements.
>Commission Correspondence
The transparency practices of the Boulder Arts Commission require that emails to three or more
members of the Commission be published in the public record. Two communications were sent
between the publication of the July 24 and August 21, 2026, meeting packets. They can be found in
Attachment Four.
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>Staff Updates
>Administration and Planning
The Boulder Arts Blueprint website can be found at bouldercolorado.gov/boulder -arts-blueprint. To
read the Boulder Arts Blueprint in its entirety, please email culturalplan@bouldercolorado.gov.
Staff are involved in the citywide Strategic Planning process.
The Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan major update is in the final stretch of its four-body
adoption process.
>Grants Program
Artist Hiring Grant report was approved administratively:
−KGNU Community Radio, KGNU – Street Wise Arts: KGNU Radio Week Mural, $3,500
Professional Development Fund reports were approved administratively:
−Angelika Piwowarczyk, ICON Illustration Conference, Baltimore, MD, $1,600 (PD)
−Jenna Gersie, LA Review of Books Publishing Workshop, Online, $800
−Sarah MacGregor, Pina Bausch Lab at Orsolina 28 Art Foundation Residency, Moncalvo,
Italy, $1,600 (PD)
−Sara Swain, 36 Chambaz of Stylz Summer Session, New York, NY, $1,600
We have received 117 responses to the Grant Interest form. This was created to track demand for
first come, first served applications after the opportunities closed. Some responses included
multiple grants, so the number of grants demanded exceeds the total number of submissions. The
current demand is as follows:
−Professional Development: 70
−Rental Assistance: 47
−Artist Hiring: 35
−Grant Writing Fund: 20
These numbers will inform future budgets.
As a reminder, commissioners serve as liaisons to General Operating Support grantees. We ask
that you reach out to your assigned organizations once or twice annually to see how they are faring:
if they have challenges, triumphs, or updates. You may report back to the Commission in a short
(less than a paragraph) report if you’d like. Reports will be included in the meeting packets. Staff
has prepared a list of standardized questions to pose to your liaison organization for consistency.
−Is there a recent success or upcoming achievement you’d like to share?
−What challenges are you facing?
−Any collaborations with other organizations?
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− Commissioners will provide updates on upcoming Office of Arts and Culture events and
opportunities to the organizations.
In Attachment Five, please find a current grants program budget.
> Public Art + Public Space
Staff are being integrated into the planning and design process for the Boulder Creek Park led by
Parks. Public art opportunities may be incorporated into the project, including the use of the 1% for
Art Policy to support future artworks. Staff have begun assembling an art selection panel.
Public Art Tours are live on the website. New this season are a drag queen-led tour, Spanish,
German, and Dutch language tours, and accessible tours. Staff will be working on new tours for
next summer.
A self-guided version of the Downtown Boulder Public Art Tour is now available. Staff are now
working on including public art and urban design projects to the “Cultural Asset Map,” being
created with GIS software.
Staff have joined discussions regarding the Boulder Strong Memorial project, which will honor
those affected by the King Soopers tragedy. Planning has begun for a potential installation behind
the East Boulder Community Center, in partnership with Parks and the City Manager’s Office. The
project may include the commissioning of a sculpture. The site visit scheduled for summer has
been pushed back.
Staff have begun work on updating the Public Art Policy to remove outdated language, add one city
staff member as a voting member of an art selection panel and increase the total budget amount
needed to trigger the policy, among other updates. This is work that emerged from the Arts
Blueprint. Review has begun with other departments.
Staff continue to work with the budget office on public art funding procedures in the Capital
Improvement Program and the Community Culture Resilience and Safety Tax (CCRS) allocations.
Staff continue to support colleagues in Planning and Development Services on improvements to
the public art permitting process. This is work that emerged from the Arts Blueprint.
Staff continue to support colleagues in the Parks and Recreation Department, Transportation
Department, and other departments on a number of projects.
Public Art Commissioning Updates:
- Western City Campus (Alpine Balsam): Three artists were selected for the public art
projects throughout the site. Contracting is complete and artists are working on preliminary
and final design phases, as well as permitting.
- Art in Parking Garages: 11th and Spruce (David Franklin): Artwork is installed! Dedication
event being planned in conjunction with the reopening of the 11th/Spruce parking garage in
October of this year.
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- Central Avenue Bridge Project: Contracting complete and moving into preliminary design.
Installation should happen in the fall.
- Fire Station 2: Approved by City Manager and in the contracting process.
- East Boulder Community Center: On hold.
- Gregory Canyon Creek Project: Orientation meeting occurred on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025,
and RFQ is being drafted. On hold until the project design is complete.
- Bear Canyon Creek Greenway: Approved by City Manager and in the contracting process.
- Boulder Creek Park: Staff are working with Parks to plan for a permanent artwork(s) for the
renovation of the park.
- Barker Park: Staff are working with Parks to commission a temporary mural project for the
redesigned park at 15th and Spruce.
Experiments in Public Art:
- Three temporary art/performance projects occurred in 2026. One project, “Strip Mall
Movements”, was performed as part of Boulder Arts Week. Two other works were
presented in June and July, along Pearl Street Mall and the Bandshell in Civic Area Park.
- Pearl St. Mall 50th Anniversary: Staff are working with Parks to activate the mall with
Experiments in Public Art activations and murals for the festivities in summer 2027.
Maintenance and Conservation:
- Accessible Signage: 16 new signs/plaques have been installed
- Staff have completed a contract with a conservation firm to clean two artworks in the
collection. All maintenance work on “Current”, “Lighthouse”, and “Unfolding” is complete.
Creative Neighborhoods:
Staff working with community leads and artists on the seven projects funded through the 2026/27
Creative Neighborhoods round, with the goal of scheduling and completing all projects by
September 2027. Information about all currently funded projects can be found here:
https://bouldercolorado.gov/news/infusing-boulders-neighborhoods-creativity
In Attachment Six, please find a current public art program budget.
> Nonprofits, Institutions, and Infrastructure
2121 Broadway Redevelopment: The Downtown Management Commission voted to recommend
that City Council approve the sale of the city-owned parking lot at 2121 Broadway to Midnight
Auteur, LLC for a proposed 110-room hotel. The project proposal includes public art funding,
publicly accessible gathering areas, a rooftop designed to support community connection and
cultural exchange, and ground-level commercial space at below-market rates for qualifying local
and independent businesses. City Council will review the final terms of the sale agreement in
August.
East Bookend project: Staff are engaged in the East Bookend redevelopment project. The RFP will
be released in August.
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Better Together Initiative: In partnership with Boulder County Arts Alliance and Community
Foundation Boulder County, staff launched the Better Together Initiative in May. It is a training and
grant program designed to help arts organizations collaborate more strategically, such as
establishing shared back of house services. The grant program supporting collaborative work is
hosted on the Community Foundation website and is now open.
Work continues to provide support on the proposal from the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
(BMoCA) to relocate their facility to a new location in the NoBo Art District.
Work continues to support the arrival of the Sundance Film Festival to Boulder in January 2027.
The Venue Study is complete and posted on our website. The Cultural Asset Map is now public and
being updated to include Creative Neighborhoods projects and publicly visible non -city-owned
murals. The map remains a key tool for identifying gaps and opportunities in arts and cultural
access across Boulder.
> Entrepreneurship + Workforce
Artist Meet Ups:
- The most recent meetup was held on August 11 and focused on wellness for working
artists, covering how to balance creative practice with outside work and personal life.
- The next meetup is scheduled for September 22 and will focus on AI for individual artists,
including how to use AI tools responsibly and how to protect intellectual property.
- The legacy planning meetup has been rescheduled to next year.
- An additional meetup on collaboration will be scheduled in November, with a particular
focus on projects and plans for Boulder Arts Week 2027.
Arts Business Cohort: Staff partnered with the SBDC to develop an 8-week intensive program
combining business training with curriculum designed specifically for creative entrepreneurs,
giving participants a structured, hands-on learning experience tailored to the needs of artists
running small businesses. The first cohort will begin on September 3.
> Reputation + Identity
Boulder Arts Week: Early planning has begun for the 14th Annual Boulder Arts Week, set to take
place April 2-11, 2027. As part of that planning, staff are working with the Downtown Boulder
Partnership to finalize details for the annual Student Banner Competition, which will celebrate its
15th year in 2027.
Poet Laureate: Boulder's inaugural Poet Laureate program launched in early July. Nominations
have now closed, and nominated poets are completing full applications, including work samples
and relevant experience. The announcement of Boulder's first Poet Laureate is planned for late
September.
CU Partnership Gatherings: Staff met with partners from CU's College of Arts and Sciences and
College of Music to begin planning a gathering focused on connecting students with local arts
organizations for volunteer and internship opportunities. The next p lanning meeting is set for
September, where details will be finalized after gathering student feedback.
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Boulder Land Acknowledgment Studio: This exhibit will be in the lobby of the future Western City
Campus, and is an exhibition space dedicated to a rotating program of artwork centered on themes
of land, memory, and reclamation. The project is being developed in partnership with local
Indigenous communities, the Office of Equity and Belonging, and the Facilities Department. This
work remains ongoing, and staff are continuing to bring in additional City resources to help inform
the program's development and long-term direction.
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Staff Recommendations: 2027 Cultural Grants Program
Eligibility
1.First time applicants
a.Option 1: Neither the person/organization filling out the grant application nor the
person/organization receiving the funding have previously received the specific
grant for which they are applying
b.Option 2: The person/organization receiving the funding has not previously received
the specific grant for which they are applying.
c.Option 3: The person/organization filling out the application has not previously
received the specific grant for which they are applying
Staff recommendation: Option 1. Staff recommends this as it is the most comprehensive
definition of first time applicant. Staff emphasizes that these grants have open eligibility to
all, after a period of one week.
2.Blackouts for one year for GOS awardees, for first-come, first-serve grants
Staff recommendation: Staff does not recommend blackouts. Staff believes that if
measures are strongly in place to encourage first-time applicants (such as applying a week
early and being eligible for grant writing assistance), the discouragement of GOS-funded
organizations is unnecessary.
3.Arts and Culture as a primary theme
Recommendation: Staff recommends that arts and culture as a primary theme be added to
the general eligibility of all grants. Draft language:
To be eligible, the proposed activity must have arts and culture as its primary theme. While
the activity can be interdisciplinary, this means the creation, presentation, teaching, or
preservation of artistic and cultural work is the central purpose of the activity, not a
secondary feature, backdrop, or enhancement to a program with a different primary
purpose (such as wellness, recreation, therapy, or spiritual practice).
Definitions
Staff propose that these definitions be updated throughout the grant program.
Professional development fund: To help offset the costs associated with conferences or courses
with arts and culture implications, with the aim of strengthening the long-term health of the arts
and culture sector in Boulder. Some examples of opportunities may include the Colorado Creative
Industries Summit, Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability, Americans for the Arts Conference,
or genre-specific training courses (i.e. illustration, dance, writing, and music learning with a
Attachment One
specific curriculum).
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Eligibility: The funded opportunity must be an accredited course or conference with arts and culture
as the primary discipline.
Contemplative arts: Contemplative arts are creative practices in which the artistic process itself
serves as a form of meditation. Examples include calligraphy, ikebana, ensō painting,
contemplative photography, and improvisational movement rooted in an artistic discipline. The
defining feature is that participants are engaged in making or performing art.
Activities in which contemplation, mindfulness, or wellness is the primary purpose and art is
absent or incidental are not eligible. This includes meditation instruction, yoga, breathwork, sound
baths intended primarily for relaxation, and therapeutic or clinical services (including art therapy
delivered as a mental health treatment), even when these activities take place in artistic settings or
use creative materials.
‘Project’ grant: Funds temporary activities that are not included in an organization or artist’s normal
programming. A project grant is typically responsive to a need that has arisen, that an organization
or artist can address using their existing mission, but outside of their current scope or roster of
work.
Staff recommendation:
1.Option 1: Use the above definition as part of the eligibility requirements. This
recommendation stems from the panel’s feedback that recurring programming should be
covered by general operating support, and that project grants should encourage new work.
2.Option 2: Keep the existing definition (“projects have a measurable goal and clear start and
end date”) and encourage new projects using encouragement points. This allows projects
that are recurring annually to be funded in the future, especially by organizations not
receiving general operating support.
3.Option 3: Cap the number of subsequent years a program can receive project funding at
five years.
Bedrock Organization
Background: Staff heard feedback after the initial 2026 GOS decisions regarding the Bedrock
Organization category. Also, as part of our annual grant program review, staff emailed a
questionnaire to 221 applicants directly and added the feedback form to our biweekly newsletter
and received 51 total responses. Create Boulder spoke at the July Commission meeting suggesting
that the Commission dig deeper. Create Boulder was sent the questionnaire to distribute, and
while additional responses were received, no new feedback on the Bedrock category was received;
most of the feedback was about the Boulder Vision Grants. The one response that mentioned
Bedrock grants stated that “if they had been called something else drama would have been
avoided.” From all of the feedback provided through the surveys and at the time of the decisions
earlier this year, staff identified two key points:
1.The Bedrock title may not be the best title for this category.
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2. The arts community is interested in emphasizing an organization’s “rootedness” in Boulder
Staff are suggesting two adjustments in response. Currently, a Bedrock GOS grant is a general
operating support award that takes impact into account, regardless of the size of their budget,
staff, or legacy. Impact is determined by a rubric including the following categories: collaboration,
environmental sustainability, disability access, adaptability and resilience, and community
connection. Some suggestions staff has for renaming the Bedrock category are:
−Community Pulse GOS
−Ecosystem GOS
−Local Heartbeat GOS
−Future Thinking GOS
−Community Alignment GOS
−Blueprint Alignment GOS
−Visionary GOS
For the scoring criteria: staff are recommending that points will be added to support organizations
with an emphasis on serving the Boulder community. This adjustment is consistent with the
Boulder Arts Blueprint's grant recommendations, which call for funding directed toward
organizations defined by community-centered missions and alignment with the city's priorities.
Staff recommends that ‘Boulder Focus’, a question already included in all project grant
applications, be added to the “Bedrock” addendum. This responds to suggestions from the
community that the rubric included “rootedness” in Boulder specifically.
Example language: How does your work depend on being located in Boulder as opposed to another
municipality?
Process
1. Scoring: Eliminate highest/lowest scores
Staff recommendation: Staff does not recommend eliminating highest/lowest scores.
Two safeguards address the risk of biased scoring. One, under their agreement, the
Commission currently may dismiss the professional grant review panelists if there is
evidence of bias or an attempt to intentionally lower scores. Two, there is an appeals
process available to applicants.
Additionally, eliminating the lowest and highest scores could effectively eliminate the work
of a reviewer altogether, since there are patterns for who tends to score a bit higher or lower
than the other reviewers. Because these patterns are consistent, they do not compromise
fairness. Requiring reviewers to stay within a score range would invalidate the integrity of
the review process.
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Finally, eliminating the highest and lowest scores will make the scoring differentials even
smaller, when decisions are already being made based on fractions of a point.
2. Mid-review feedback
Staff recommendation: Staff recommends that no change take place in the process this
year, but that the chance to receive feedback after final scores are submitted could be
advertised more strongly.
The panel has noted that the back-and-forth response mid-process does not usually affect
scores. In-depth mid-review questions effectively give an applicant the ability to apply all
over again, and the effort to benefit calculation is not in the applicant’s favor. The response
staff received from the applicants is that they wanted feedback from the panel. In 2026,
applicants were all emailed saying that they could schedule a feedback call. Based on the
questionnaire responses, many still did not know this was an option. Staff will send a follow
up email to the applicants to make sure they know this is available to them one week after
the decision meeting date. Staff will also advertise the opportunity for feedback on
individual grant websites as part of the “How to apply” steps directly before “Completion of
award paperwork”.
3. Word count limitations
Staff recommendation: Staff recommends no change to the current maximum character
amount for narrative questions. There was not consistent feedback to strongly support
increasing or decreasing the maximum characters.
4. Boulder Vision: Individuals evaluation strategy question
Staff recommendation: For individual applicants, “Describe your evaluation strategy for
this project and how you will collect qualitative and quantitative data. Please also include
your goals for this project and how the benefit to the community will be measured” be
replaced by “Describe what success will look like for this project. What are your goals and
how will you know if you’ve accomplished them?”
5. Assessment of financial documents and organizational financial health:
The review panel requested guidance on financial red flags or a means of flagging their
concerns when looking at organizational finances. Staff is seeking advice on this topic and
will have more concrete suggestions by the September meeting.
6. AI Use
Staff Recommendation:
−Grant panelist agreements: The panel agreement will state that panelists may not use
AI tools for scoring.
−Applicant guidance covers two distinct uses:
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5 | Page
−AI in grant writing. Suggested language: "It is the applicant's prerogative to use AI
tools in writing their grants, and it is also their responsibility to manage their
intellectual property. The sentiments and messages should still be your own.
Applicants are responsible for confirming that the information is correct and for
the final output."
−AI in the creation of art. To start, this may only require a disclosure: if AI was
used to create the artwork, we ask that applicants tell us. We'll gather this on
the report side as well, where applicants are asked to share whether any AI
tools were used. To be clear, we have no prohibitions on AI in artmaking at this
point. We simply want to understand how it is being used.
7. Two Commissioners per panel meeting
Staff recommendation: Two commissioners attend each panel meeting as non-voting ex
officio liaisons. Having two commissioners scheduled at the panel meetings ensures that
there is coverage if one commissioner cannot attend the panel meeting or subsequent
Commission meeting. Having multiple Commissioners present will further ensure
transparency of process.
8. Audio/Video submissions
Staff contacted Foundant (the current grant platform), and while videos can be uploaded as
individual attachments, direct video responses to narrative questions are not supported by
the site. In 2027, applications can include more opportunities to upload video attachments
with strict time limits (i.e. the response is a maximum of 3 minutes). Importantly, the
maximum size limit for all attachments in a single application combined is 50 MiB.
Grant Additions/Changes
1.Boulder Vision. Staff received questionnaire responses since the July Commission meeting
relating to the Boulder Vision Grants. Primarily, the feedback centered on the community
goals that projects must speak to in order to be eligible. In the interest of serving the entire
City of Boulder (not just the arts community), and in the interest of aligning to larger City
goals for strategic purposes, the City’s Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience Goals were
used. The seven goals, along with examples of how they intersect with Arts and Culture,
were included in the application verbatim from the Boulder Arts Blueprint:
Safe. Boulder’s creative life fosters welcoming, inclusive public spaces, building
trust across differences, and help civic life prepare for and recover from disruption.
Healthy and Socially Thriving. Boulder is filled with inclusive cultural experiences
which strengthen social ties and support mental and physical wellbeing. Through
representation, access, and everyday creativity, artists and cultural spaces help
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6 | Page
residents meet human needs for belonging, expression, and joy while advancing
equity across identities and neighborhoods.
Livable. The arts make Boulder more livable by turning buildings, streets, and
services into places of connection, attachment, and care. Creative practice
animates infrastructure, supports housing solutions, and embeds everyday access
to culture within walking distance. By weaving art into development, social services,
and neighborhood design, the city nurtures environments where people can work,
learn, play, live with belonging, and express themselves.
Accessible and Connected. The arts advance an accessible and connected city by
turning mobility routes into cultural experiences, using creative tools to bridge
digital and physical divides, and inviting all residents regardless of language, ability,
or location into civic life. Through artful wayfinding, inclusive storytelling, and hybrid
engagement platforms, cultural practice helps people navigate, meet, and
participate more easily in Boulder’s public realm.
Environmentally Sustainable. The arts advance Boulder’s sustainability goals by
weaving ecological awareness into everyday civic life. Through creative expression,
the arts invite residents to see the natural world with renewed curiosity, celebrate
resourcefulness, and co-create solutions that protect the planet for future
generations.
Responsibly Governed. The arts strengthen a responsibly governed city engaging
residents in civic processes and embedding equity-centered creativity into policy
design and service delivery. When incorporated into civic life, the arts generate
richer data, deeper trust, and more resilient cross-sector partnerships.
Economically Vital. The arts power an economically vital Boulder by sparking
innovation, anchoring small businesses, and attracting visitors and talent while
ensuring that creative opportunity and the benefits it generates are shared across
communities. Culture and creativity are treated as core economic infrastructure.
Despite these examples, applicants mostly misinterpreted these categories. “Accessible
and connected” was not associated with transportation, as intended. And as one
questionnaire response said, “Safety means noncontroversial which is the opposite of
experimentation”. This interpretation of the word safety is not the same as the intended
category of public safety. This same response noted that “Responsibly Governed” should
not be a category artists and arts organizations should tackle. Rather, it should be
something the City self-enforces and strives for internally.
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7 | Page
Staff recommendation: Staff recommends that the grant still tie to broader City goals. There
have been internal conversations with those that oversee grants on a City-wide level that
funding should be justified (i.e. demonstrate impact tied directly to City goals).
There are several reasons for maintaining this alignment:
Accountability for public funds. Tying grants to the Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience
(SER) framework allows staff to demonstrate that public dollars produce impact in the
same language used in the City budget, the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, and
Council priorities.
Consistency with the Boulder Arts Blueprint. The Blueprint was intentionally built on the
SER framework, and removing goal alignment from Boulder Vision Grants would create a
gap between the grants program and the plan adopted to guide it.
Positioning the arts as civic infrastructure. Goal alignment puts into practice the principle,
shared by the Blueprint and the BVCP update, that arts and culture are essential civic
infrastructure advancing safety, livability, mobility, and economic vitality alongside cultural
value.
The feedback received indicates the problem is one of translation, not intent: applicants did
not object to serving community goals, they misread category titles written for an internal
City audience, and the recommended renaming addresses this while preserving the
connection to the SER framework.
In order to remain strategic and incorporate applicant feedback, staff suggests changing
the titles of the categories. Staff also recommends that Responsibly Governed be removed
as it is less applicable to “arts and” projects than the others. The new categories would be
aimed at the intended audience (the arts community), while containing parenthetical nods
to the City’s language:
1.Welcoming Public Spaces (Safety)
2.Healthy and Socially Thriving
3.Activated Spaces, Scenes, and Neighborhoods (Livable)
4.Transportation and Mobility (Accessible and Connected)
5.Environmentally Sustainable
6.Creative Economy (Economically Vital)
There was not confusion around the categories of “healthy and socially thriving” or
“environmentally sustainable”, so while those categories could be renamed as well, it is
less necessary to make changes for those.
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8 | Page
2.Experimentation Grant
Staff recommendation: Staff recommends that the Arts Commission consider a new grant
tied to the Boulder Arts Blueprint goal of “Experimentation and Innovation”. Discussion of
what this could entail will be an excellent topic for discussion for the October retreat. Staff
recommends that the Artist Hiring Grant be maintained in 2027, with plans to replace it with
an Experimentation and Innovation Grant in 2028.
3. Lifelong Learning.
The grant guidelines could be more clear for this grant. The intentions of the grant were to
support long-term programming (versus short-term education project grants), and to fill the
funding gap between K-12 arts programming and projects for established adult artists. The
theme of the grant is showing young people there is a path to be involved in the arts across
their lifespan. Having received feedback in the initial Blueprint process that
intergenerational programming and safe third spaces be incorporated, the grant was to
support these while focusing on those aged 18-25. The applications received in 2026
focused on K-12 ages. Additionally, it appeared as if the grant was a hodge podge of
unrelated topics.
Staff recommendation: For clarity, the applicant chooses a track (intergenerational
programming or safe third spaces). The grant guidelines state that the target participants
should include the generation aged 18-25.
4. Reporting
Staff recommends that grant reports be tied more directly to what was asked of the
applicant in the application.
Examples:
−For the Professional Development Grant, applicants are asked how they contribute to
Boulder’s culture. The report currently asks “Write a report on what you learned or
gained by participating in this event.” Staff suggests this be changed to “What did you
learn or gain by participating in this opportunity that you plan to incorporate into your
work in Boulder?”
−For project Grants (Boulder Vision, Arts Education), the reports ask applicants to
“Attach a one-page summary responding to the above questions about your project
(Project Outcome, Community Goals, Outcomes and Evaluation, Cultural Equity,
Takeaways.” Applicants sporadically address the requested topics. Staff recommends
that the report address these topics separately and more clearly:
o “Did the project reach the metrics of success you projected in your application?
Experimentation and failure are often valuable. If you did not reach your
intended metrics of success, what did you learn?”
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9 | Page
o “What Community Goal did you choose for your application? How did the
project contribute to that goal?”
o “Describe how your project will address affordability and access to diverse
groups.”
Staff does not want to make the reporting any more extensive than it currently is.
Responses can be auto-populated from the application to the report to make the process
easier. Staff merely suggests that the expectations be more clearly expressed. It may not
be necessary to include every category included in the application. Staff seeks
Commission feedback on what is actually important to learn from a report. Staff does
recommend that Community Goals specifically be asked about in reports for the strategic
demonstration of City-wide impact.
21
Total Grant Funding 2,000,000$
Grant Amount Number of Awards
Bedrock Committed 400,000.00$ 5
Other GOS Committed 799,697.00$ 31
Total Committed 1,199,697.00$ 36
Total GOS Budget 1,580,000.00$
Total GOS to Allocate 380,303.00$
Grant Total Amount Proposed Average per Award # of Proposed Awards
Bedrock 160,000.00$ 80,000.00$ ~2
Extra-Large 60,000.00$ 60,000.00$ ~1
Large 90,879.00$ 30,293.00$ ~3
Medium 17,651.00$ 17,651.00$ ~1
Small 22,116.00$ 11,058.00$ ~2
Extra-Small 30,000.00$ 10,000.00$ ~3
Total 380,646.00$ ~12
Proposed 2027 General Operating Support Funding
Current General Operating Support Funding
General Operating Support Funding Proposed
$WWDFKPHQWTwo
22
Total Grant Budget 2,000,000.00$
GOS Budget 1,580,000.00$
Total to allocate 420,000.00$
Grant Total Amount Proposed Average Per Grant # of Proposed Awards Number of 2026 Awards
Boulder Vision for Organizations 180,000.00$ 12,000.00$ ~ 15 12
Boulder Vision for Individuals 90,000.00$ 6,000.00$ ~ 15 17
Lifelong Learning 10,000.00$ 5,000.00$ ~ 2 2
Arts Education 50,000.00$ 5,000.00$ ~ 10 14
Rental Assistance 12,000.00$ 1,200.00$ ~ 10 20
Artist Hirning (Pending August Discussion)35,000.00$ 3,500.00$ ~ 10 14
Professional Development 29,000.00$ 1,000.00$ ~ 29 23
Grant Writing Fund 13,000.00$ 1,000.00$ ~ 13 13
Capital Grant Writing 2,000.00$ 1,000.00$ ~ 2 0
Total 421,000.00$ ~ 106 115
Non-General Operating Support Funding
Proposed 2027 Non-General Operating Support Funding
23
Attachment Three
Boulder Arts Commission Statement on Environmental Sustainability
Adopted [Date]
The Boulder Arts Commission believes that arts and culture are essential to building a sustainable
future. The arts play a unique role in helping communities process change, strengthen connection,
and imagine sustainable futures. Boulder's creative community has the power to inspire, educate,
and mobilize.
Definition of Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability refers to the responsible stewardship of natural resources to meet current needs
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It encompasses ecological,
economic, and social goals. The City of Boulder strives to be "a sustainable, thriving, and equitable
community that benefits from and supports clean energy; preserves and responsibly uses the
earth's resources; and cares for ecosystems." The Arts Commission embraces this vision as
foundational to its own.
What Sustainability Means to the Arts Commission
Environmental sustainability strengthens the long-term vitality and resilience of Boulder’s arts
sector. The cultural community should strive to integrate sustainability into operations,
programming, and advocacy in ways that reduce environmental harm while increasing creativity,
relevance, and community connection.
Environmental sustainability also advances the City’s broader climate and resilience
commitments. Through its policies, grantmaking, public art investments, resources, and
partnerships, the Arts Commission can demonstrate how arts and culture contribute to community
resilience and citywide systems change.
Sustainability Values Statements
The following commitments will guide the Arts Commission:
-Lead with Creativity. Recognize that artists and cultural organizations are practitioners and
innovators in environmental sustainability, and recognize artistic practice as a tool for
environmental storytelling, community engagement, and systems change.
-Connect Across the Community. We believe arts and culture are part of a larger civic effort,
and that the cultural sector is strongest when its sustainability work is connected to the
wider community and to the City’s climate commitments.
-Advance Equity and Access. We believe sustainability should be within reach for
organizations of all sizes, with particular care for small and under-resourced organizations
that may need additional support to achieve their sustainability goals .
-Lead by Example. We hold ourselves to the same standards we share with others, and
commit to reflecting these values in the Arts Commission's own work, including directing
funding toward sustainable practices.
24
For the Website
The Arts Commission and the Office of Arts and Culture support the cultural community’s
sustainable work through:
- Grantmaking and programs. Integrate sustainability considerations into grantmaking,
public art, programming, and encourage the cultural community to adopt meaningful,
evolving practices over time.
- Recognition and Peer Learning. Celebrate and elevate sustainability leadership across
Boulder’s arts and cultural sector. Share success stories and technical knowledge through
gatherings, summits, workshops, collaborative initiatives, and peer learning.
- Access to funding and infrastructure. Support access to funding and resources including
grants, shared infrastructure, technical assistance, and city programs.
- Partner Across Systems. Collaborate with the City's Climate Initiatives office, the circular
economy and zero waste programs, nature-based solutions initiatives, and other
departments to connect arts organizations with city resources and opportunities.
- Advance Equity and Access. Ensure that sustainability resources, opportunities, and
support are accessible to organizations of all sizes, with particular attention to smaller and
under-resourced organizations that may have the most to gain.
25
From:merlyn holmes
To:Caroline Kert; Gayathri Vinay; Jeffery Kash; Jill Katzenberger; Kate Cimino; Montserrat Palacios; Yaelaed_Whyel
Cc:Click, Lauren
Subject:thank you and addressing question re Artist Hiring Incentive eligibility
Date:Tuesday, July 28, 2026 2:42:55 AM
External Sender Notice This email was sent by an external sender.
Dear members of the Boulder Arts Commission:
Thank you for your time and consideration in offering all the grants that you do! I was
disappointed in Not securing one of the Arts in Education grant when we had so many
schools expressing how much they want us to bring our programming to their
students, but then v pleasantly surprised to see how many other strong and
worthwhile projects there were. I do want to share that we are already working with
some of the schools to see if there is a way we can carry that project forward, at least
partially, without the grant. It looks quite probable, for example, that we can still hold
the all-school Assembly at BCSIS at the end of August. That will bring value to those
students at that school. Annnd I hope in the future the City of Boulder can
appropriate more funds to support all these worthwhile projects!
In turning to the Artist Hiring grant though, I was surprised to learn the Office of Arts &
Culture has some question about the intention of and eligibility requirements
regarding the application from First Congregational Church of Boulder.
I'm not able to attend your meeting this week as I'm traveling to see my v ill father-in-
law in Europe, and then fitting in some v welcome vacation time, so the meeting will
take place in the middle of the night here. So I just wanted to reach out via email
ahead of time.
Both the minister of First Cong and I closely read the exact language of the grant
application together before First Cong applied for the grant. Unlike most of the BAC
grants, some things were not readily clear to us, and I would actually recommend
some revisions before promoting this grant next year. (Little details like do you need
proof of residency from both the applicant and the artist? Right now there's only room
for 1 upload. And can the applicant hire an artist through the artists' LLC business if
they operate as a sole proprietor, or do they have to just name and pay the artist
directly, despite various tax implications?) The eligibility, however, did seem v clear
to us, so please consider the following in making your decision:
1. The grant is repeatedly described as a grant for organizations to hire artists.
The purpose states: "This grant is a hiring incentive for businesses or nonprofits to
employ Boulder-area visual, performing, and literary artists."
2. The eligibility section clearly separates Applicants from Artists. The guidelines have
separate headings:
Applicants: Any organization may apply...
followed later only by
Boulder-based artists: The artist hired must have their primary address in Boulder.
Attachment Four
26
This distinction seems important. Throughout the document, the organization is
consistently called the applicant, while the artist is consistently referred to as the artist
hired.
So when the grant opened up for first-time applicants, it seems clear that First Cong
is fully eligible to apply. There aren't any stated restrictions on which artists they may
hire, other than the residency restriction, which is not in question.
Also, please note regarding the question about eligibility in the packet, I'd like to draw
a v clear distinction about the 2024 grant, which I secured through my business
Creativity Alive to HIRE artists for the major SEEN V exhibit in the Boulder Public
Library's Canyon Gallery. As I'm sure you can imagine, being the hiring organization,
producer, grant writer, and reporter for such a project required a great deal of time
and effort on my part, which was primarily conducted as a volunteer. That grant was
to hire the other artists. This was a considerable service to the Boulder community
and the 70+ artists involved in that project. I would hope you would not hold that
against me.
This new project that First Cong wishes to hire me for would also be of great value to
the Boulder community. I would be engaging around 500 residents in singing in a
pop-up choir for an audience of upwards of 10,000 people, with a high likelihood of
engaging several hundred or thousands more of them in singing as well. Organizing
this is no small thing, and I'd hope you'd feel is worthy of an Artist Hiring Grant. I can
not afford to do this purely as a volunteer. Please do see the testimonials included
in the application regarding how valuable this can be for both participants and
audience, and what a great service this is to the Boulder community during these v
tumultuous and stressful times.
Thank you for your consideration of this eligibility question. I do hope we can move
forward accepting the language as it is on the BAC grant portal.
And thanks so much for all you do to support the arts in Boulder! I soo appreciate it.
Merlyn
Merlyn Holmes
Founder and Vision-Keeper of Creativity Alive
Inspiring Creativity. Building Community.
www.CreativityAlive.org
mer@hottea.com
CreativityAliveBoulder@gmail.com
Boulder, Colorado, USA
Tune in...
- Sign on for updates and direct invites: www.CreativityAlive.org
- Like our Facebook page >>
- Join our Facebook group >>
- YouTube >>
- Instagram >>
27
Authentic Movement, most Monday mornings
Circle Singing, second Thursday evenings
Sound Baths for the public & private - for individuals & groups
and now: Singing Resistance: Boulder! Join us for Sing-Alongs and actions to resist
the rise of authoritarianism and "to sing the world we want into existence."
Sign on through linktr.ee/singingresistanceboulder
Follow us on Instagram @singingresistanceboulder
4Aiii. Eligibility Question.
In Round 2 of the Artist Hiring Incentive Grant, staff encountered a question while
administratively
approving an application. A copy of the application First Congregational United
Church of Christ,
Boulder hiring Merlyn Holmes has been provided to the Commission through the
shared
documents function of the grants portal.
Background: This is the third Artist Hiring Incentive Grant involving Merlyn Holmes. In
2025, Holmes
was the hired artist for applicant Natural Highs' project, Transformation: A Photo
Series by Merlyn
Holmes. In 2024, Merlyn Holmes, LLC | DBA Creativity Alive received an Artist Hiring
Grant as the
applicant for SEEN @ BPL's Canyon Gallery.
The Boulder Arts Blueprint' s goals include increasing accessibility and supporting
emerging artists
and experimental work. To align the grant program with these goals, the Boulder Arts
Commission
approved a 2026 Grants Program schedule that allows first-time applicants to apply
one week
before returning applicants for first come, first served grants.
Staff notes that the early application window, as written, applies to applicants rather
than hired
artists. In this case, the applicant organization qualifies as a first-time applicant, but
the proposed
artist has been supported by this grant program twice before. Staff requests the
Commission' s
input on whether this application follows the spirit of the policy giving first-time
applicants early
access.
28
From:deborah malden
To:Kate Cimino; Jeffery Kash; Caroline Kert; Jill Katzenberger; Montserrat Palacios; Gayathri Vinay; Yaelaed Whyel
Cc:Click, Lauren
Subject:Re: TIME SENSITIVE - Please Speak Up Now for the DDA and Boulder’s Arts Future!
Date:Tuesday, August 4, 2026 2:49:25 PM
External Sender Notice This email was sent by an external sender.
P.S. For additional perspective, here is the Daily Camera’s August 2 editorial supporting
referral of the DDA to the ballot:
https://www.dailycamera.com/2026/08/02/editorial-boulder-downtown-development-authority-
economy-business-real-estate/
On Aug 4, 2026, at 2:40 PM, deborah malden <malden.deborah@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello, Boulder Arts Commissioners!
I’m reaching out because City Council will decide this Thursday, August 6, whether to place the proposed
Downtown Development Authority on the November ballot. Strong opposition has emerged, and Council
urgently needs to hear from people who believe Boulder should continue exploring this important
opportunity.
The arts community has a real stake in this decision. A DDA could help create the spaces, infrastructure and
economic vitality needed to move Boulder closer to becoming the arts town we aspired to when we served
together on the Arts Blueprint Planning Committee.
I have served on the DDA Planning Group over the past year to help bring an arts and culture perspective to
the process. Create Boulder voted last night to strongly support referring the DDA to the ballot; and today I
am writing to urge you to consider taking one or more of the following actions:
1.Email City Council before Thursday and ask members to refer the DDA to the ballot. Council
email addresses are included below.
2.Call any council members you know, particularly Aaron Brockett, Tara Winer, Tina Marquis
and Rob Kaplan. Matt Benjamin has already publicly expressed his support.
3.Speak at Thursday’s City Council meeting. You must register by TOMORROW, Wednesday,
August 5, at 2:00 p.m. Instructions are included below.
As you know, the Arts Blueprint was developed with input from nearly 2,000 community members and
aligned with the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan. Both recognize arts and culture as essential civic
infrastructure that supports economic opportunity, community wellbeing, and resilience. The Arts Blueprint
specifically identifies tax-increment financing and district-based tools, including DDAs, as potential ways to
support cultural infrastructure and public art.
Arts and culture are also an important part of Boulder’s small-business economy. Artists, creative businesses
and arts organizations employ people, purchase local goods and services, and bring customers to restaurants,
shops and other businesses. They also help create active, welcoming public spaces.
The redevelopment of the Civic Area may be Boulder's greatest opportunity to put the Arts Blueprint into
practice. While the DDA’s specific priorities and investments would be determined through future planning
and finalization of its Plan of Development, it could strengthen connections among Downtown, the Civic
Area, University Hill and CU while supporting cultural spaces, public art, programming and creative activity.
Other Colorado DDAs have invested in artist housing and studios, permanent cultural hubs, arts
29
programming and public-space improvements.
Thursday’s vote will not create a DDA. It will determine whether the proposal moves to the ballot for further
public discussion and a vote by the approximately 2,500 eligible residents, property owners and business
tenants within the proposed district.
I hope you will make your voices heard and encourage Council to allow that process to move forward.
For additional background, I’ve included John Tayer’s BizWest commentary (copied in full to avoid paywall
issues) and the Downtown Boulder and University Hill action alert below.
Thank you so much for your consideration.
Warmly,
Deborah
Deborah Malden
Chair, Create Boulder
Member, DDA Planning Group and Boulder Arts Blueprint Advisory Committee
Arts Liaison & Advisor, Boulder Chamber
Begin forwarded message:
John Tayer - CEO & President of the Boulder Chamber, BizWest (Published 7.3.26)
Don’t play politics with our collective economic future
This has gotten political . . . but playing politics with something as important as our
collective economic future is irresponsible and dangerous.
For the past two years, City Council and the public have wrestled with the benefits and
risks of forming a downtown development authority (DDA). City Council has received
multiple public updates on the DDA review findings. They’ve asked questions, they’ve
guided the public process, and this coming Thursday night they are set to decide if our
community should take the next step forward in forming the DDA for Downtown Boulder
and University Hill.
Yet, amidst the din of election year politics, we now confront a fact-bending smoke
screen unlike anything I’ve experienced in my 34 years of toil on the local policy front.
The smoke is so thick, and is emanating at such a rapid rate, it’s begun to resemble the
cable-news outrage cycle, where volume substitutes for evidence and provocation
crowds out perspective. Couple that with the threat of retribution at the election ballot
box, and you have the recipe for a decision based on politics, not the best interest of our
local businesses, economy and community.
City Councilmembers will need to test their intestinal fortitude for political leadership in
the face of such an onslaught. The best the Boulder Chamber and Downtown Boulder
(and the diversity of small, medium and large businesses our organizations represent)
30
can do is share the facts, refute the misrepresentations, and offer appreciation to City
Council when it stands with us against those who are making political sport of such a
pivotal policy decision.
In my limited space, let me first correct the record on the more outlandish myths opponents
have deployed against the proposed DDA:
Myth: The DDA will steal from Open Space
A recent editorial states, “The DDA will take funding from open space and other City
priorities.” Apparently, the individuals propagating this myth are failing to notice that
sales and property tax revenue across the downtown development authority zone has
been trending steadily downward. Thus, absent a DDA and the investments it will make
in revenue generating initiatives, the irony is that all taxing entities and set-aside
programs will lose funding. Put another way, everything from open space programs to
libraries and our school district will experience significant revenue enhancement from
the success of our DDA.
Myth: Only rich property owners benefit
Plain and simple, all businesses benefit from a DDA. The goal of any action the DDA
takes will be to draw more commercial activity, office users and foot traffic to University
Hill and Pearl Street. This can include investments that accommodate additional arts
and culture programming. Or maybe a local retailer needs funding to improve their
façade. There are endless strategies for supporting small businesses that a DDA can
pursue, and what our DDA pursues will largely be governed small business interests,
given their heavy presence in the DDA zone.
Myth: Business interest will have unfettered control
We’ve responded to this phantom issue so many times, I wonder if the opponents really
believe it, or if they are just fixated on the effectiveness of this as a boogeyman. As their
argument goes, “[A] DDA with significant TIF resources can make major real estate
decisions that may not align with broader community priorities, with limited mechanisms
for public accountability.” City Council will have the final say on the proposed DDA’s
budget, its plan of work and any development activities. Full Stop.
If you want to take a deeper dive into the workings of a DDA and factual responses to
more of the smokescreen fears the opponents are stoking, I urge you to go here:
Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Formation Project | City of Boulder.
With all the negative clamor, why are so many business leaders, residents and city
officials sticking their necks out in support of the proposed DDA? Because DDA’s are a
proven tool for revitalizing distressed urban zones. Just ask Ft. Collins, Longmont, and
myriad other local communities that successfully deployed their own DDA’s and
reauthorized them once their initial terms expired.
We only need to look at Boulder’s downtown as an example. Nearly 50 years ago,
Downtown Boulder was in a world of hurt. Crossroads Mall had opened to the east and
retail commercial traffic was chasing the new shiny object. Just as today, Pearl Street
was a struggling zone with deeply diminished private investment and business activity.
What did our community do about it?
We invested in the future vision of a pedestrian mall that transformed Pearl Street. That
31
investment induced additional private investment, leading to the restoration of such
iconic institutions as the Hotel Boulderado to their former glory. Aside from important
additional sales tax generation, the Pearl Street walking mall would come to define our
community’s character and serve as a catalyst for our collective economic vitality.
Yes, I’m aware we are in an election season likely to feature a battle over who gets to
claim the mantle of “progressive.” The DDA should not become another political litmus
test in that contest. Last week, businesses and workers disagreed before City Council
over the minimum wage increase, but they agreed on something important: Local
businesses need help. That’s what the DDA is all about . . . It’s bold progressive action
to meet the challenges of today in support of our collective economic future, and we
need it now!
I ask City Council to see through the smokescreen, lower the political temperature, and
place the DDA on the ballot so it can be judged on its merits - not as a proxy for
Boulder’s political divisions. That is the right decision.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Terri Takata-Smith, DBP Marketing & Communications
<terri@downtownboulder.org>
Date: Mon, Aug 3, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Subject: Attention Downtown Boulder and University Hill Businesses - Please Speak Up Now
To: <terri@downtownboulder.org>
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Your Support Matters NOW more
than ever...
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DDA Study Area
Dear Downtown Boulder & University Hill Communities,
Every generation has moments that help shape the future of the places they love.
For decades, Boulder has invested in preserving what makes Downtown Boulder
and University Hill extraordinary while adapting to changing times. Today, our
community faces new challenges including evolving consumer habits, high office
vacancies, aging infrastructure, increasing competition for investment and the need
to ensure our downtown remains a thriving economic and cultural center for future
generations.
This Thursday, City Council will make an important decision about how that
conversation continues.
The question before Council is not whether to create a Downtown Development
Authority.
The question is whether our community should have the opportunity to vote on
one.
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Downtown Development Authorities are not new or experimental. They have helped
communities across Colorado encourage reinvestment, revitalize downtown
districts, improve public spaces and leverage public and private investment to
strengthen local economies. Communities including Fort Collins, Greeley,
Longmont, Denver, Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, Littleton and Englewood have
all chosen to use this economic development tool because they recognized that
healthy downtowns require long-term investment.
Now Boulder has the opportunity to decide whether it is the right tool for our
community.
Reasonable people may reach different conclusions about whether a Downtown
Development Authority is the right tool for Boulder. We welcome that discussion.
We simply believe the decision deserves to be made through an informed, fact-
based community conversation and a vote by the qualified electors established
under Colorado law.
It is also important to understand what Thursday's vote is, and what it is not.
City Council is not voting to create a Downtown Development Authority.
Council is deciding whether to refer the question to the November ballot so the
qualified electors established under Colorado law can make that decision.
Those qualified electors include residents who live within the proposed district,
property owners and business tenants or lessees operating within the district.
These qualifications are established by Colorado statute and are the same
framework used for Downtown Development Authorities throughout the state. View
the proposed boundary map.
If Council refers the measure to the ballot, there will be months of additional public
discussion, education and community engagement. Questions can be asked. Facts
can be reviewed. Concerns can be addressed. Ultimately, those qualified electors
will decide whether a Downtown Development Authority is the right path forward.
If Council chooses not to refer the measure, that opportunity ends before the
community has the chance to make that decision.
That is why Thursday matters.
This is not the final decision. It is the opportunity to continue the conversation and
allow the community to decide.
Here are informational tools for you to learn more:
BoulderDDA.com
DDA Informational Sheet Google Doc
DDA Fact v. Fiction Google Doc
Examples of DDA projects in Colorado Communities
Draft Plan of Development - 5 Key Priorities
If you believe Boulder deserves the opportunity to have that conversation, we
respectfully ask you to make your voice heard.
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Here's how you can help:
Attend the City Council meeting on Thursday, August 6.
Sign up to speak before the Wednesday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m. registration
deadline. Even two minutes explaining why this conversation should continue
can make a meaningful difference. (If you would like an informational
Speaker’s Guide with factual bulleted information, please email Terri.)
If you are attending in person, please be in Council Chambers at the Penfield
Tate II Municipal Building by 6:15 pm.
If you cannot attend, email City Council (email addresses below) and encourage
them to place the measure on the November ballot. Encourage your colleagues,
neighboring businesses, property owners and residents within the proposed district
to participate.
This conversation is about whether Boulder should have access to the same
economic development tools available to many communities across Colorado. It is
about creating opportunities to reinvest in Downtown Boulder and University Hill
while preserving the character and values that make these places special. Most
importantly, it is about allowing the people who live, own property and operate
businesses within the proposed district to decide whether a Downtown
Development Authority is the right path forward.
Downtown Boulder has never stood still. Every generation has made choices that
preserved what makes this place special while preparing it for the future. Thursday
is one of those moments.
We hope you will stand with us, make your voice heard and encourage City Council
to let the community decide.
Thank you for your continued commitment to Downtown Boulder and University Hill.
City Council Email Addresses:
Aaron Brockett – Mayor
brocketta@bouldercolorado.gov
Tara Winer – Mayor Pro Tem
winert@bouldercolorado.gov
Taishya Adams
adamst@bouldercolorado.gov
Matt Benjamin
benjaminm@bouldercolorado.gov
Rob Kaplan
kaplanr@bouldercolorado.gov
Tina Marquis
marquist@bouldercolorado.gov
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Ryan Schuchard
schuchardr@bouldercolorado.gov
Nicole Speer
speern@bouldercolorado.gov
BoulderDDA.com
DDA Funding (PDF)Financial Projections with DDA and
without (PDF)
What Happens Next (PDF)
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Website About Us
Visit our website
Members
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Downtown Boulder
Partnership
1320 Pearl Street
#232
Boulder, Colorado
80302
303.449.3774
Contact Us
Downtown Boulder | 1320 Pearl Street Suite 232 | Boulder, CO 80302 US
Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice
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Constant Contact
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Attachment Five
Current Cultural Grants Program Budget as of August 20, 2026
GRANT
CATEGORY
ASSIGNED
BUDGET
ACTUAL
BUDGET
GRANTS
AWARDED
NUMBER OF
GRANTS
AWARDED
BALANCE
GOS: Bedrock $400,000 $400,000 $400,000 5 $0
GOS: XL Orgs $360,000 $733,929 $733,929 13 $0
GOS: Large Orgs $310,000 $90,879 $90,879 3 $0
GOS: Mid Orgs $203,000 $123,556 $123,556 7 $0
GOS: Small Orgs $157,000 $121,636 $121,636 11 $0
GOS: Extra Small Orgs $150,000 $110,000 $110,000 11 $0
Boulder Vision: Indv. $120,000 $99,215 $99,215 17 $0
Boulder Vision: Orgs. $120,000 $120,000 $120,000 12 $0
Arts Education $50,000 $69,785 $69,485 14 $300
Lifelong Learning $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 2 $0
Rental Assistance Fund $24,000 $24,000 $23,795 22 $205
Artist Hiring Incentive Grant $49,000 $49,000 $49,000 14 $0
Prof. Dev. Scholarships $29,000 $29,000 $28,475 23 $525
Cultural Field Trips $6,000 $6,000 $4,000 2 $2,000
Assistance for Grant Writing $12,000 $13,000 $13,000 13 $0
TOTAL $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,996,970 169 $3,030
There are 9 free rentals still available for the Macky Auditorium.
There are 7 rental discounts still available from eTown Hall.
There are 8 free rentals still available from Roots Music Project.
There are 10 free rentals still available from The Spark Boulder.
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Attachment Six
Current Public Art Program Budget as of August 20, 2026
FUNDING
SOURCE PROJECT/ARTIST TOTAL
APPROPRIATED
AMOUNT
PAID TO DATE
BALANCE
REMAINING
2026 TOTAL
PROJECTED
SPENDING
Multiple 11th/ Spruce Garage
(David Franklin) $166,000 $159,875 $6,125 $86,875
% for Art Bear Canyon Creek
Greenway $125,000 $0 $125,000 $0
% for Art Broadway and Table Mesa $40,000 $0 $40,000 $0
% for Art Valmont City Park $144,000 $0 $144,000 $0
% for Art
Central Ave Bridge
Replacement
(Mario Miguel Echevarria)
$40,000 $18,000 $22,000 $36,000
% for Art East Boulder Community
Center (on hold) $430,000 $0 $430,000 $0
% for Art Fire Station 2 $130,000 $5,000 $125,000 $0
% for Art Fire Station 4 $120,000 $0 $120,000 $0
% for Art Gregory Canyon Creek $167,000 $0 $167,000 $0
% for Art Western City Campus
(Plaza) (Matthew Mazzotta) $300,000 $135,000 $165,000 $165,000
% for Art
Western City Campus
(Lobby/Atrium) (Soo Sunny
Park)
$450,000 $65,000 $385,000 $200,000
% for Art
Western City Campus
(Garage Stairwell) (Bimmer
Torres)
$100,000 $5,000 $95,000 $100,000
% for Art Barker Park $8,000 $0 $8,000 $750
% for Art Boulder Creek Park $180,000 $0 $180,000 $0
TOTAL $2,012,125 $588,625
CCS: Community Culture and Safety Tax
CCRS: Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Tax
Additional maintenance projects are not represented.
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