

Space to Create Colorado assists communities with the development of affordable live-work and commercial spaces. Non-residential spaces are available for creative enterprises and organizations that serve critical community needs. The program is the nation’s first state-led initiative for affordable housing and creative spaces for creative sector workers in rural areas.
Space to Create Colorado will support nine projects throughout Colorado’s rural communities. In 2015, Trinidad Art Space was selected as the community for the first demonstration project.
Communities selected for Space to Create Colorado include Trinidad, Ridgway, Grand Lake, and Salida.
Each project is customized to meet local community needs and goals. After a community is accepted to Space to Create Colorado, artists and creatives can apply for residency in those projects.
Space to Create Colorado utilizes Artspace as the lead consultant for feasibility and market studies. Space to Create Colorado projects are eligible for funding from the Boettcher Foundation.
Type: Consulting/technical assistance and grant
For: Municipalities with Colorado Creative Districts
OEDIT division: Colorado Creative Industries
Read more: Artspace Colorado Case Study (PDF)
Communities are prioritized based on readiness, public will, local resources, and housing demands.
The following communities have been selected for Space to Create Colorado projects:
To apply for this program, your community needs to have:
If your community is selected for Space to Create Colorado, you need to:
If your community wants to receive matching funds from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, your lead applicant needs to be a municipal government.
To make your application competitive, you will need to:
Currently, applications for potential projects are being reviewed through the Community Revitalization Grant Application. After your application is approved, the phases are:
Applications to be a Space to Create community are not open at this time. Please reach out to ruth.wilson@state.co.us with inquiries.
You will need to contact the community’s project lead organization to find out how it is accepting applications for future tenants. The entire Space to Create process takes several years to complete. Communities typically start accepting applications closer to the date of the grand opening of the building.
The following communities have been selected as Space to Create communities:
If you are interested in learning more about Space to Create Colorado, please fill out the form below.