SCFD is a 30+ year old cultural tax approved by voters in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties that is up for renewal in 2028.  Over the next two years, SCFD and its consultant, GBSM, will facilitate a five-phase Stakeholder Engagement Process to build proposed changes to the funding model and structure to position the region for the next era of SCFD. The proposal will then need to be approved by the SCFD Board and then the Colorado General Assembly before making its way to the November 2028 ballot in the seven counties SCFD operates in. You can read the framework for this process here.

After a robust research and selection process, SCFD selected a team of experts led by GBSM as our partner to work objectively and analytically through Phases 1-5 of our Stakeholder Engagement Process. GBSM is a Colorado-based consulting firm that, over the last 40 years, has used authentic engagement, creative thinking, sound strategy and consensus and coalition building to address some of the Rocky Mountain West’s most complex issues. The GBSM project team has a vast array of experience in public engagement, strategic communications, consensus-building, and culturally relevant outreach, paired with extensive knowledge of Denver’s cultural landscape. Core project team members include Andy Mountain, Moe Gram, Neil Walia, Alana Plaus, JC Futrell, Virginia Garcia Pivik, John Karner, and Kayleigh Cornell. Meet the team here.

In August 2024, the SCFD board of directors adopted a proposed stakeholder process to prepare the SCFD for a 2028 reauthorization. It was based on interviews with a diverse group of funded partners representing a broad array of district tiers, disciplines and communities. It outlines the following process:

• Phase 1: Research and Landscape Assessment (Nov 2025 – Jun 2026)
• Phase 2: District-Wide Listening Tour (Apr 2026 – September 2026)
• Phase 3: Initial Proposal Development (July 2026 – December 2026)
• Phase 4: Proposal Refinement and Stakeholder Consensus Building (October 2026 – June 2027)
• Phase 5: Final Proposal and Board Action (April 2026 – December 2027)

As of March 2026, GBSM is conducting financial analysis of the current funding model and informational interviews with community leaders across all Tiers as part of Phase 1, Research and Landscape Analysis.

Early learnings about SCFD’s impact on the community as well as challenges with the model can be found in this Road to Reauthorization Project Overview Sheet from Phase 1 (PDF).

SCFD and its funded partners have ensured remarkable impact on the community, enabling transformational experiences and unparalleled opportunities and access to arts, culture, and science. In 2024, SCFD made a meaningful and powerful impact by providing free experiences, educational experiences for children, and serving more than 15 million people.

On the other hand, SCFD’s funding model is complex, and hasn’t changed very much since funds were first distributed nearly 40 years ago. We anecdotally know there are challenges with areas such as tier compression, tier mobility, and differences in county cultural council grantmaking.

SCFD has been passed with great public support during the last three reauthorizations:

• 1994 – Passed at 57% of the vote
• 2004 – Passed at 65.7% of the vote
• 2016 – Passed at 63% of the vote

While voter approval for the 2028 reauthorization is our end goal, SCFD has committed to centering inclusivity, transparency, and the recognition that society and the arts have both changed profoundly over time.  Our path to achieving a successful reauthorization will address that.

Since the SCFD was formed, the population of the district  has nearly doubled, the number of organizations funded has more-than doubled with the number of Tier I organizations growing by 20%, Tier IIs by 386% and Tier IIIs by 118%, and the amount of funding distributed has increased by more than five times.

Since the district was formed in the late 1980’s, the funding model has not undergone significant changes. It has always been a three-tiered model providing mostly general operating support to eligible nonprofits. Some of the bigger changes from past reauthorization efforts include the elevation of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts from Tier II to Tier I in 20XX; 2004’s addition of Broomfield County as a member of SCFD when it was formed as a county and the shift in formula funding during the 2016 reauthorization.

You can view the table in the Project Overview Sheet (PDF) to learn more about how funding distributions per tier have changed over time.

The statute is complex and must be analyzed as a complete model. We are looking at all parts of this model, and we want to hear from you about what’s working and what isn’t.  Here are some challenges we’ve heard about so far (PDF). We want all ideation included in our analysis over the course of the stakeholder engagement process so that together, we can build a stronger SCFD.

1. Stay in the loop – bookmark this webpage and sign up for our newsletter for ongoing updates about the Stakeholder Engagement Process.
2. Spread the word – share updates with your network! Help us make sure that our cultural community is informed and engaged in the process.
3. Share your feedback – Keep your eye out for upcoming listening sessions and survey opportunities! Your feedback is integral in ensuring our collective impact on this new model, and we want to hear all perspectives. When an opportunity arises, please participate and encourage others in your network as well.