Nonprofit
For Nonprofits
City Arts Funding
Denver Arts & Venues (DAV)
City and County of Denver
Denver's cultural agency - operating Red Rocks, Denver Performing Arts Complex, and more - runs several grants for the city's arts ecosystem:
DENVER CREATES Fund: Broad operating support focused on broadening access, cultivating cultural community, and supporting the economic vitality of Denver's creative sector.
Urban Arts Fund: Supports local artists and organizations working in Denver's neighborhoods.
Five Points Jazz Grants: Year-round programming honoring jazz heritage in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood - particularly relevant for Black cultural organizations.
P.S. You Are Here (PSYAH): Community-led outdoor public space projects through public art.
Arts in Society: Collaborative grantmaking integrating arts into health, social services, and civic life, administered by RedLine and co-funded by Colorado foundations.
DENVER CREATES Fund: Broad operating support focused on broadening access, cultivating cultural community, and supporting the economic vitality of Denver's creative sector.
Urban Arts Fund: Supports local artists and organizations working in Denver's neighborhoods.
Five Points Jazz Grants: Year-round programming honoring jazz heritage in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood - particularly relevant for Black cultural organizations.
P.S. You Are Here (PSYAH): Community-led outdoor public space projects through public art.
Arts in Society: Collaborative grantmaking integrating arts into health, social services, and civic life, administered by RedLine and co-funded by Colorado foundations.
Foundation Funding
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation - Inclusive Communities Grants
Denver Foundation - DEADLINE: April 10, 2026
$10,000 unrestricted funding to small-budget arts and culture nonprofits, explicitly prioritizing those led by and serving BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability communities. This is a live deadline - applications close April 10, 2026. Eligibility: Colorado-based 501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored org, budget under threshold, based in Denver/Adams/Arapahoe/Jefferson counties, public arts and culture programming central to mission.
Bonfils-Stanton - Equity-Focused Leadership Grants
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation
$10,000 unrestricted funding to organizations supporting leadership development for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and adults with disabilities in the social sector. Ten organizations awarded annually. Colorado-based nonprofits or fiscally sponsored organizations with under $2M operating budget in the Denver metro area.
Bonfils-Stanton - Equity in Arts Learning for Colorado Youth (EAL)
Bonfils-Stanton + Colorado Creative Industries + Partners
Collaborative fund awarding $10,000-$25,000 per project for professional artists to bring arts programming to historically marginalized youth in Colorado. Eligible disciplines include Film and New Media, Digital Arts, Storytelling, and Spoken Word. The 2026-2027 cycle LOI deadline has passed - next full cycle opens November 2026.
The Denver Foundation - Community Grants
Denver Foundation
Distributes approximately $4 million annually through its Community Grants Program, funding nonprofits working to reduce racial and economic disparities in the seven-county Metro Denver region. Grants: $20,000-$50,000. Priority areas: economic opportunity, environment and climate, housing, and youth well-being. Cycle 2 applications open June 16, 2026, close August 3, 2026.
Women's Foundation of Colorado - Women & Girls of Color Fund
Women's Foundation of Colorado
Invests in women-of-color-led organizations working on economic power and social change across Colorado. The 2026 Front Range cycle opens May 20, 2026 - specifically for Denver-area organizations. Deeply aligned for organizations led by women of color doing economic justice, organizing, or direct service work.
Denver's LGBTQ+ nonprofit ecosystem
Denver has quietly built one of the most equity-forward arts funding ecosystems in the Mountain West. The Bonfils-Stanton Foundation alone offers three distinct grant programs with live 2026 deadlines explicitly naming LGBTQ+ communities as priority populations. For queer and community-rooted organizations in the Denver metro, this is a richer landscape than most people expect - and the Inclusive Communities Grant deadline of April 10, 2026 is immediate.
Startup
For Underestimated Founders
State & Business Resources
Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)
State of Colorado
Runs the state's primary small business and startup support infrastructure, including the Colorado SBDC Network, Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit, and rural loan programs. For creative and social enterprise founders in Denver, OEDIT is the gateway to state-level business development resources.
Denver LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
Denver LGBTQ Business Community
Connects queer-owned businesses to corporate partners, city procurement opportunities, and peer networks. For queer founders building service businesses, media companies, or social enterprises, the Chamber is a primary relationship to build in Denver.
Film
For Filmmakers
State Film Incentive
Colorado Film Incentive Tax Credit
Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)
Up to 20% credit on qualified Colorado production expenditures. Minimum spend: $100,000 in Colorado. Apply through OEDIT before principal photography begins. While modest compared to Texas, Illinois, or Washington, Colorado's credit is stackable with local incentives and applies to a wide range of production types. Productions telling Colorado stories or featuring Colorado locations have the strongest case for state support.
Arts Grants for Filmmakers
Bonfils-Stanton Inclusive Communities Grant (Film Access)
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation
For filmmakers operating as nonprofits or with fiscal sponsorship, the $10,000 unrestricted Inclusive Communities Grant is directly accessible. Deadline: April 10, 2026. Denver's arts foundation ecosystem is more accessible to film and media work than many comparably sized cities.
Colorado Creative Industries (CCI)
Division of OEDIT
Colorado's arts and creative economy development agency. Co-administers the EAL grant with Bonfils-Stanton and manages state arts grants through a network of regional arts organizations. For documentary and media projects with community and cultural heritage dimensions, CCI's state arts grant programs are worth pursuing alongside the film credit.
The April 10 deadline is immediate
The Bonfils-Stanton Inclusive Communities Grant closes April 10, 2026 - that's the most time-sensitive opportunity in this guide. For LGBTQ+-led nonprofits and fiscally sponsored film projects in the Denver metro area, this should be the first application out the door. The $10,000 unrestricted funding and explicit LGBTQ+ prioritization make it unusually well-aligned for community-rooted work.