Funds and Games: Checking in With the Colorado Arts Organizations That Lost Their NEA Funding

Arts organizations across the U.S. have been getting the bad news all month: The National Endowment for the Arts has to rescind the grants it announced at the start of the year.

President Donald Trump's proposed budget calls for the elimination of the NEA altogether; the agency has already lost millions of dollars that it passes on to hundreds of arts organizations in grants every year. Twenty-two Colorado organizations were slated to receive more than $400,000 in NEA funding; the NEA emailed this message to many awardees late on May 2: "The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

The message added that Trump's priorities are topics like AI, "the 250th anniversary of American independence" and empowering houses of worship.

The NEA has not issued an official statement about the funding cuts or responded to media requests for comment (including one from Westword), but arts entities across the state are speaking up. In response to the federal cuts, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation has revived its Art and Culture Rapid Response Grants, with awards of $5,000 to $20,000 to support eligible arts and culture organizations experiencing a loss of revenue due to federal policy changes.

The Dairy Arts Center issued a message directed to Colorado residents. “When support is pulled from any part of an arts ecosystem, it reverberates across the entire network — artists, organizations, audiences, and venues — because we are all symbiotically connected," the Boulder organization said, noting that many people have been asking how they can help. "And we’re saying here is what you can do: Attend a live performance. Watch a foreign film at your local cinema. Paint something loud. Share your story. Send a note of appreciation to an arts leader. And support the organizations and artists who are working in your city every day to keep the creative fires burning."

Westword checked in with the Colorado organizations that had been announced as recipients of NEA grants to learn if they'd received the funds. (So far, only one has; see more responses on westword.com.)

Amber Adams

Amber Adams is a Longmont poet who won a $25,000 NEA grant to support a creative writing fellowship for a collection of poems she's currently working on; she says she actually received the funding before the end of March.

“While I personally received funding, the organizations who do the work of bringing art to audiences have not. While I cannot speak to what the loss of funding means specifically to these organizations, it is a devastating blow to the literary community, as we all know that this will result in fewer opportunities for writers,” Adams says. “But more so, the NEA has been America's commitment to a vibrant culture and artistic excellence since the 1960s, and a divestment from this tradition is really a loss for every American.”

Blue Sage Center

According to Ali Lightfoot, executive director at Blue Sage Center in Paonia, which was set to receive $10,000 for performances by Quarteto Nuevo and Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Blue Sage has not received a cancellation notice from the NEA.

"But they never sent us our 10k award, either," Lightfoot says. "We were awarded 10k for our music series, which will be over soon. So we may receive the money one day, but what it was supposed to fund will be long over at that point. We may cancel the bands because we can't afford to foot the bill in hopes that one day we will be reimbursed."

Colorado Conservatory of Dance

The NEA’s decision to pull $10,000 in funding from the Broomfield-based Colorado Conservatory of Dance has had a "significant impact," according to marketing and development manager Jameson Courville. That support "helped make our spring semester programs possible, bringing high-quality dance to schools and communities with limited access to the arts," Courville says. "With that funding gone, we’ve had to stretch every dollar further than ever before. It’s forced us to make painful cuts and put emergency plans in motion to keep our doors open. It’s not just about losing a grant. It’s about losing momentum, losing opportunities, and potentially losing the ability to serve those who rely on us most."

While he says that CCD is at a crossroads, it's not giving up. The organization is restructuring its five-year plan, "but the immediate future depends on our ability to raise emergency funds in the coming months: $150,000 in total," Courville says. "If we can rally the support, CCD has a strong path forward. If not, we face the real possibility of closure, but that’s something we’re fighting every day to prevent."

"Right now, we need donations, plain and simple," he adds."Every gift, no matter the size, helps us keep serving our students and our community."

Creede Repertory Theatre

Emily Van Fleet, artistic director at Creede Repertory Theatre, confirms that the NEA withdrew a $20,000 grant to support the Headwaters New Play Program in 2025. "Through the Headwaters New Play Program, CRT commissions, develops and produces new American plays for all ages, amplifying the voices and culture of Colorado's San Luis Valley and the rural Southwestern United States," Van Fleet says. "The program supports many avenues of new work and opportunities for emerging artists."

The loss of the NEA award brings "significant financial hardship" for CRT, as projects are already underway. "Please support your local arts organizations if you're able," Van Fleet says. "To support Creede Rep and these incredible programs specifically, visit https://creederep.org/donate."

Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum was set to receive a $30,000 grant to support an exhibition survey featuring the work of contemporary Indigenous artist Andrea Carlson; director of Institutional Giving Chiara Robinson confirms that grant has been terminated.

"We have been applying for NEA grants for decades. The DAM is fortunate that we do not rely on NEA grants to continue to operate. In our case, when we have been awarded NEA grants, funding has gone to help us plan exhibitions, develop and deliver artist-centered programs, and conduct critical collections research, among other projects," Robinson says. The NEA’s grant review process has always been extremely competitive, she adds, and receiving an NEA award felt like a form of affirmation that the project or program was meeting a need in the community and driving the arts forward in positive ways.

"We are at a critical moment for the arts in this country," Robinson says. "While Colorado has long held the distinction of having some of the country’s highest arts participation among our residents, it is more important than ever that you support your local organizations."

If patrons can, she advises they make a donation or buy a membership to an arts organization that they enjoy. "If you can't make a donation, see an exhibit, take a creative class, attend a theater production or go to the ballet or the symphony, especially if you never have before," Robinson adds. "Even if it’s free, your participation makes it possible for organizations like ours to continue to be the vibrant cultural destinations we have all come to appreciate and enjoy in metro Denver. Don’t take anything for granted!"

Denver Botanic Gardens

Lisa Eldred, director of exhibitions, art and learning engagement and head curator of art at the Denver Botanic Gardens, confirms that DBG’s $40,000 NEA grant – the largest sum on the list – has been retracted. The grant was going to support exhibitions and programs that share traditional and contemporary art and culture, and efforts are being rescaled as a result. “Fortunately, direct payments ot artists occurred early within the grant period, so we are still able to support the community in this way," she says.

Eldred adds that while federal support makes select programs possible, “the Gardens is fortunate to have diversified support systems” and is “able to adapt to still achieve the majority of our aims.”

Fraser Valley Arts

The organization in Fraser was set to receive $10,000 in NEA funding to support a plein air painting festival. While it did not get that funding, Fraser Valley Arts did recently win a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, which stepped up to cover lost NEA funding, according to Steve Fitzgerald, president of Fraser Valley Arts.

Gift of Jazz

Gift of Jazz, a Denver nonprofit meant to preserve and broaden the local audience for jazz music was going to receive a $20,000 NEA grant to support the Next Up jazz concert series and Jazz for the School educational program. "Without the NEA funding, we are discussing potential changes to the scope and duration of these programs if we cannot fill the financial gap," says executive director Nicolette Andres. "We are so grateful to have found local funding from the city of Lakewood to support Jazz for the Schools in Jeffco. However, we present live jazz programs in Denver Public Schools and Adams 12/14 school districts as well. It is constant work to keep the balance, and we are doubling down to look in new places to be able to follow through on the impact we committed to for this coming year."

Andres adds that Gift of Jazz is committed to longevity, but the withdrawal of NEA funding is a huge loss. "This would have been our first funding from NEA, and we were thrilled at the idea of $20,000 supporting our programs focusing on youth," Andres says. "We are doing all we can to find resources on the local level, and are grateful to some local organizations responding quickly to the loss of NEA funding. Our programs will still serve our community, yet the questions are for how long and at what scale."

Andres says that the organization thrives on support from individual donors. Donations can be made on the Gift of Jazz website at any time or can be scheduled monthly. "Our organization is small but mighty, and personal support makes the difference in how many students we can reach each year," Andres says. "Even $15 covers enough costs to send a student to Jazz for the Schools."

Metropolitan State University of Denver

MUS Denver was listed to receive a $20,000 NEA grant for the school's visual art program and its high school internship and teacher training program, but senior director of media and public relations Tim Carroll says MSU Denver has not yet received the grant or even an agreement or formal documentation of the award. "It’s unclear if and when the NEA grant may be received by the institution," Carroll says. "We never received a final award letter or termination letter from the NEA."

Carroll adds that while MSU Denver isn't currently directly impacted by the loss, "there are indirect impacts and ripple effects to the entire arts community, locally, regionally, and nationally. We recognize the long-term effects of these changes on our students and the art community in general."

Motus Theater

Boulder's Motus Theater was supposed to get $35,000 in its eighth NEA grant since 2013; the money was to support Youth Behind Bars, four autobiographical monologues from adults who experienced incarceration when younger. Motus Theater communications, outreach and development director Cristian Solano-Córdova says that despite the loss of the grant, the theater will push forward with the premiere on May 31 at the Boulder Public Library Canyon Theater.

"Motus's NEA grant amounted to about 5 percent of our budget for 2025, which is not life-threatening to the organization," Solano-Córdova says. "But we have an amazing community of donors who are sticking by us. The decision to terminate our NEA grant won’t stop us from continuing to lift up the perspectives of people too often ignored and stories too often buried. That’s what Motus is built for."

But now, in order to tour the monologues, "we are planning on launching a fundraising campaign to raise the full $70,000 starting at the premiere," Solano-Córdova adds. People can support Motus at coloradogives.org/donate/MotusTheater.

Su Teatro

Su Teatro executive artistic director Anthony J. Garcia issued a statement after the Denver theater group received word that it would not be getting $15,000 in NEA funding for the presentation of Yankee Bajan by Linda Parris Bailey. The show is a recollection of her experience as the child of a child of a child from Barbados.

“The NEA’s grant ...was to house, transport and pay performers," Garcia says "The size of personnel and distance of travel expanded our budget beyond $65,000. In such matters, every penny becomes crucial."

While Su Teatro was given the option to appeal within seven days of the notice, no criteria for such an appeal was included in the NEA's email. "We suspected and have since confirmed that this email was received by more than a hundred nonprofit arts groups across the country," Garcia continues, adding that Su Teatro "will honor our word, and we will proudly present Yankee Bajan September 18-20.”

Turning the Wheel

Turning the Wheel, a nonprofit arts and education organization in Boulder "dedicated to making body-based creative expression and play accessible to individuals of all ages, experiences, genders, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds" was slated to receive a $10,000 NEA grant.

Facilitator Suzanne Palmer says she was disappointed but not surprised to lose the grant, given national reporting on the NEA situation. "Still, we hoped our project — approved in 2024 — might move forward. We filed an appeal, but the process pulled focus from our ongoing local and national work, including the project tied to the NEA award," Palmer says. "Fortunately, we learned that we had received emergency support from the Warhol and Frankenthaler Foundations before the NEA officially rescinded the grant, which allows us to continue that project. However, we’ve had to reallocate funding and are still assessing how this shift will affect other programs in Colorado and beyond."

Union Hall

Denver art space Union Hall was slated to receive $25,000 to support a collaborative curatorial training program.  "NEA funding has historically been something of a badge of honor, and we appreciated the recognition at the end of the year," says board chair Amy Cara. "With the turn of the administration, we knew we were at risk, however. Ultimately, with this turn of events, we are now looking to fill this gap through corporate and individual giving, as well as, hopefully, an emergency grant from the Bonfils Stanton Foundation we are applying for."

Cara adds that those behind Union Hall realize they will have to consider new models of collaboration and partnership with other organizations, since "this environment isn't likely to change soon." In the meantime, she recommends seeing Union Hall's current experimental exhibition, Oracle, to get inspired to help the arts.

Other Colorado Organizations That Were to Receive NEA Grants

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: $25,000 to support an after-school program based in Mexican Folklórico dance.

Athena Project (Denver): $10,000 to support mobile pop-up arts events.

Colorado State University: $15,000 to support the Center for Literary Publishing in the publication and promotion of a new poetry title and the journal Colorado Review.

Denver Architectural Foundation: $25,000 to support a series of architecture education programs for youth.

New Dance Theatre, Inc./Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (Denver): $25,000 to support the creation and presentation of Legacy, a collection of dance works featuring choreography by Cleo Parker Robinson, Kathryn Dunham, Winifred Harris and Hope Boykin, performed by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.

Performing Arts Academy (Highlands Ranch): $10,000 to support musical theater education programs for underserved students.

Tank Center for Sonic Arts: $15,000 to support the artist residency program "Connecting Colorado: A Sonic Arts Exchange."

University of Northern Colorado: $20,000 to support the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival.

Vail Valley Foundation: $20,000 for the development and presentation of dance works as part of the Vail Dance Festival and the Winter Dance Series.