February 10, 2025

Applications open

April 11, 2025

Final deadline to submit application: 4 p.m. MT

May 30, 2025

Funding decisions announced

June 30, 2026

Project must be completed

July 31, 2026

Final Report deadline: 4 p.m. MT

An applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants: Community representatives, individual artists, collectives, or organizations based in Colorado.
• Residency and Age: Must be a Colorado resident, at least 18 years old.
• Community Involvement: The project should be led by or engage members of the community whose traditions are being presented or documented. To make your application as strong as possible, be explicit about who will be leading and engaged in activities and why this artform is relevant to them.  
• Payments: To individuals (not businesses), 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, units of state or local government, institutions of higher education, or Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments. Grants are taxable income.
• Applicants may apply using a fiscal sponsor. Associated costs should not be more than 10% of the funding request.  
• For this program, Colorado Creative Industries is looking for projects with completion dates by June 30, 2026

Eligible Individual Subrecipients:

Awards to individuals may include funding for the creation, presentation, or teaching  of folk and traditional arts projects and or funding for documenting folk or traditional arts and cultural heritage through the creation of  community archiving, oral histories, or photojournalism. This is considered a stipend to the artist/individual for the work undertaken and completed. 

Eligible Organizational Subrecipients: 

501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, units of state or local government, institutions of higher education, or Federally-recognized Indian tribal governments are eligible to receive funds sub awarded through an Arts Endowment award. 

Additional Requirements:

• All works must comply with State CCI Terms and Conditions and State Procurement Conditions
• Documentary works and or visuals from the creative project must be made available for submission to the online digital Archives, a joint collaboration between Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado State Archives, and History Colorado. Applicants will be required to obtain release forms from individuals documented through their project and submit these release forms with their final report. 
• Acknowledgment of Colorado Creative Industries' support in materials.

Funding amount: $3,000

Awards to individuals must be used solely as an artist and or individual fee/stipend for the grantee to carry out the specific project/activity. The cost of materials and supplies to carry out the project, as well as providing presentations, workshops, and research with tangible outcomes required by the project are allowable and considered part of the artist fee or stipend. 

• Ineligibility: Re-granting of grant funds

The Folk and Traditional Arts Project Grant applications has a deadline of April 11, 2025. We recommend that you register in the OEDIT Grant portal several weeks before the application deadline. This will help you become familiar with the online grant system with plenty of time before the deadline.

The application process is:

1. Review the Colorado Creative Industries Folk and Traditional Arts Grant Program Guidelines (Google Doc)
2. Apply for the grant through the OEDIT Grant Portal. Log into your account or create a new account. Paste answers to the narrative questions.

Application materials consist of:

• Narrative questions
• Budget (up to $3,000)
• Support materials

Narrative Questions:
You will answer the following narrative questions in the online application. Each question text box allows up to 350 words.

1. Describe the project and the community.  How does the project reflect and or benefit the cultural heritage of your community?
2. In what ways does your project align with the definition of folk and traditional arts as per the National Endowment for the Arts?
3. Explain how your project plans to engage the community. What strategies will you employ to ensure meaningful community involvement? List the partners involved (ie artist(s), local organizations, advisors, etc.) and describe their roles.
4. Outline your plans for making the project accessible to the public and address how you plan to reach diverse audiences?
5. Please outline the timeline for the project with milestones?
6. How will success be determined?

Budget:
Applicants are required to submit a project budget using the budget template. Artist/individual fees and stipends, including the cost to carry out specific projects and activities, should be outlined. The cost of materials and supplies to carry out the project, as well as providing presentations, workshops, and research with tangible outcomes required by the project are allowable and considered part of the artist fee or stipend.

Support materials:
Applicants are required to submit up to 3 samples of previous work and a word or PDF file that includes an inventory of work sample information (title, date, medium, size). For documentary projects, samples can include an edited audio file of an oral history and or examples of the documentary work you have done or would like to do. Samples should clearly support the project narrative and may include video of live performances, audio clips of music, images of artistic work, writing samples, etc.

Examples of acceptable sample formats include:

• Audio or video sample of performance (up to 3 minutes)
• Photo documentation of visual artworks
• Short excerpts from a publication in a PDF format 

To support applicants in applying for funding, Colorado Creative Industries has developed a Grant Navigator program through which prospective applicants can meet one-on-one through video conferencing or phone with consultants to get answers to questions, receive feedback on draft application materials, and get assistance in navigating the application process.

If you are interested in scheduling a consultation with a Grant Navigator, email Libby Barbee at Libby.Barbee@state.co.us.

Translation

If you have language translation or access needs, please contact Katy Zeigler (she/they) at Kathryn.Zeigler@state.co.us no less than 3 weeks (15 business days) of the application deadline. CCI will do our best to accommodate language needs.

Accessibility

Colorado Creative Industries is committed to ensuring that all individuals, including those with disabilities, have equal access to our grant opportunities. We strive to make our grant application process, events, and activities accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. We are committed to compliance with state and federal laws regarding accessibility and non-discrimination, and we will take appropriate steps to ensure that our grant program is inclusive and accessible to all individuals. Read the CCI Accessibility and Belonging Statement/Policy.

The grant application process is available online. If you have any questions or concerns about accessibility or if you require accommodations to complete the application, please contact Katy Zeigler (she/they) Kathryn.Zeigler@state.co.us at least two weeks (10 business days) before the application deadline. We will make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in our grants.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel. Panelists will score applications with a standardized rubric and make recommendations to staff for approval by the Colorado Creative Industries Advisory Council on a rolling basis. The Colorado Creative Industries Council will then provide final approval. You will be notified via email, through the OEDIT Grant Portal, of your application status and how much funding you were approved for.

Proposals will be evaluated on:

• Reflection of Cultural Heritage and Alignment with Folk and Traditional Arts Definition (25% total).
• Artistic Excellence and Merit (25% total).
• Community Benefit and Project Impact (50%).

The artistic excellence of the project includes the:

• Quality of the artists/individuals, works, or services that the project will involve, as appropriate to the project.
• Relevance of the artists/individuals, works, or services to a Colorado community, as defined by the applicant.

The artistic merit of the project includes the:

• Potential of the project to reach populations that are underserved—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
• Potential to make quality arts or cultural resources more widely available.
• As appropriate, engagement with the following constituencies as encouraged by White House Executive Orders:
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities
  • Tribal Colleges and Universities
  • American Indian and Alaska Native tribes
  • African American Serving Institutions
  • Hispanic Serving Institutions
  • Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
  • Organizations that support the independence and lifelong inclusion of people with disabilities

Reflection of Cultural Heritage and Alignment with Folk and Traditional Arts Definition
(25% of total score) Scored 1-10

• Reflection of Community and Cultural Heritage 
  • The project deeply resonates with and reflects the community's cultural heritage.
  • Engages community members in a manner that honors their cultural legacy and encourages active participation.
• Alignment with Folk and Traditional Arts Definition
  • Clearly aligns with the defined characteristics of folk and traditional arts, including the transmission of knowledge, community significance, and traditional practices.
  • Demonstrates a strong connection to and respect for the historical and cultural roots of the art form.

Artistic Excellence and Merit 
(25% of total score) Scored 1-10

• Artistic Merit
  • Project reaches one or more populations that are underserved—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
  • Project has strong potential to make quality arts or cultural resources more widely available.
• Artistic Excellence
  • Materials show evidence that the artists/individuals, works, or services are of exceptional quality, as appropriate to the project, culture, and artform.

Community Benefit and Project Impact
(50% of total score) Scored 1-10

• Demonstrated community benefit and clarity of intent
  • The project clearly and convincingly demonstrates significant benefits to the community.
  • The application clearly communicates how the funded activities or documentary products will be made accessible to the community, either through physical location, free or reduced admission, online engagement, marketing and outreach, or other methods of distribution and outreach. 
• Appropriate scope of project and capacity of applicant to complete project
  • Strong evidence of appropriate timescale, budget, and staff capacity to successfully complete the project. 
  • The partners and artists included in this project are highly qualified for their roles and a good fit for the project.
  • The scale of the project is appropriate for the stated  goals and for engagement of the intended community/audience.

All funding must be used by June 30, 2026. If you are awarded funds, you will be required to submit a final report no more than 30 days after the completion of the project. The report will consist of narrative questions and documentation to be made available for inclusion in the Colorado State Archives. The report should contain a brief summary of the funded project, project documentation, as well as reporting requirements of the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). Failure to submit reports will make the grantee ineligible for funding for all Colorado Creative Industries grants for one full year after the fiscal year in which the grant was awarded.

The FDR (Final Descriptive Report) will ask you the following questions:

• Federal data reporting (FDR) questions (required).
• Briefly describe the funded activity, including the artists/practitioners and art form(s) involved, the participants engaged, and the significance of the artform to the community engaged. 
• Discuss the community impact and engagement that occurred as a result of this project (required).
• If additional local, state, private support or cash resources were leveraged please include a numerical amount (optional).
• If additional in-kind commitments or resources of another nature were leveraged please include an estimated numerical amount (optional). 

Final Report Project Documentation Requirements:

• Please provide project documentation of the creative project or the documentary project to be submitted to the Colorado State Archives. 
  • For projects focused on the creation, presentation or teaching of folk and traditional arts,  you can submit between 3-10 high resolution images, videos and or audio files documenting the activity. You can also optionally submit projects in their entirety where applicable (such as in the case of digital artworks, etc.) 
  • For documentary projects, you can submit the project in its entirety to the archive or you can provide a selection of items. 
  • You must include informed consent release forms for every person you are documenting. 
  • You must submit a donation release form listing all submitted items

* All necessary forms will be provided to grantees in the form of a Grantee Toolkit.

Creative Industries has the right to withhold, reduce or cancel grants if an applicant does the following: 

• Fails to comply with the terms of the grant award requirements, including submitting the final report by the specified deadline.
• Relocates to another state prior to filing a final report on July 31, 2026.

As a condition of the grant, Colorado Creative Industries requires the recipient of public funds to comply with all state laws and regulations pertaining to the following:

• Audit—All applications accepted for funding become official records of the State of Colorado and are subject to an audit. CCI requires open access to accounting records for up to three years after the final report is submitted for funds expended under the terms of contract award for the purpose of audit examination, reference or transcription.
• As a condition of the grant, Colorado Creative Industries requires the recipient of public funds to comply with all state terms and federal terms. All material submitted regarding application for grant funds becomes the property of the State of Colorado and is subject to the terms of Colorado Revised Statutes 24-72-201 through 24-72- 206, Public Open Records. The State of Colorado has the right to use any or all information/material presented in reply to the Announcement, subject to limitations for proprietary or confidential information. Disqualification or denial of the application does not eliminate this right. Any restrictions on the use or inspection of material contained within the proposal shall be clearly stated in the proposal itself. The contents of the application will become contractual obligations if the project is funded.