The Equity in Arts Learning for Colorado Youth grant opportunity is made possible by the visionary generosity of these collaborative funders:

 

About this Funding Opportunity

Equity in Arts Learning for Colorado Youth (EAL) seeks to increase access to arts education for historically marginalized youth. Grants of $10,000-$25,000 are available to support projects that bring professional artists and culture bearers into educational settings to lead programming with youth ages 4-21. Projects supported by EAL will exemplify the value of arts education,  encouraging ongoing community support. 

Goals of this Initiative

1. Strengthen regional efforts to improve sustained access to arts education for historically marginalized and minoritized youth. This includes youth who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual), persons with a disability, and/or those living in a rural community. 
2. Provide opportunities for youth ages 4-21 to work with professional artists in an educational setting, especially youth who have limited or no access to high quality, sustained arts learning. 
3. Heighten awareness of the impact of arts education, so that resources both financial and curricular increase state-wide, leading to more equitable access to arts education for youth. 

Application Timeline

• Letters of Intent – Accepted September 28, 2026 – November 20, 2026 
• Invitations to Apply – Sent by January 22, 2027 
• Full Application Due – February 24, 2027
• Award Notifications – Sent by late April, 2027 
• Projects Take Place – July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2028 
• Final Report Due – Thirty days after completion of project; no later than July 31, 2028.  
• For more information and virtual open office hours, visit our landing page HERE. 

Applicant Qualifications

Applicants must be a Colorado-based nonprofit organization, or a PK-12 school. 

1. For Schools Applicants: School applicants must engage an artist or arts organization as a partner.
2. For Organizational Applicants: Organizational applicants must: 

• Be engaged with a school partner or have a strong history of working with youth
• Be registered with Colorado Secretary of State with an address in Colorado 
• Have a Colorado-based staff person who will be actively engaged in the project 

Project Design

Funded projects may take place at schools (during the school day or after school), community centers, libraries, nonprofit arts sites, and other locations that are highly accessible to youth. 

Projects may involve any arts & culture discipline or genre, such as theater, dance, music, visual arts, media arts, literary arts, folk and traditional arts, or interdisciplinary art forms. Arts integration projects (connecting an art form with another subject area) are encouraged. 

Projects should: 

1. Take place over a period of time that allows for depth of learning and relationship building. Ideally, projects take place over the course of six weeks or longer. 
2. Center the identities and needs of youth. Youth should be consulted in the project’s design and be able to influence the project’s evolution along the way. 
3. Fill a clear gap in the school or community. The rationale for the project should be informed by the stated needs of the student and community. 
4. Engage experienced artists and culture bearers. Teaching artists should have a successful record of working with youth, and whose identities reflect the youth participants. 
5. Be highly accessible to youth participants. A fee may not be charged for participation, and it must take place in a setting that youth are able to easily get to. 
6. Allow for time and resources to measure and communicate the project’s value and impact. Evaluation results will be collectively shared. 

Project examples: 

• An artist residency in which students create a mural reflecting their school culture.
• A visiting musician works with youth at a local community center to create songs expressing their cultural identities. 
• A media artist supports youth in creating a podcast featuring interviews with community elders. 
• Youth write and produce a one-act play with guidance from a theater teaching artist using vignettes from their daily lives. 

The following are NOT eligible for EAL funding: 

• Programs that charge a fee to participants 
• PK-12 staff salaries (Teacher stipends are allowable) 
• General operating costs unrelated to the proposed project 
• Capital improvement projects

Conflict of Interest Policy 

We take seriously conflicts of interest among applicants and review panel members. A conflict of interest may exist when a panel member or an applicant’s staff, board members, contractors, project partners, or their immediate family members:

• Have a personal, professional, or financial relationship with Think 360 Arts staff, board members, grant reviewers, or funding partners involved in the grant process;
• Could personally or financially benefit from a grant-funded decision, contract, or purchase;
• Participate in selecting or paying a vendor, contractor, or partner with whom they have a close relationship; or
• Have another relationship or interest that could compromise, or appear to compromise, impartial decision-making.

All review panelists must disclose any potential, actual, or perceived conflicts of interest prior to reviewing any application. Any panelist with a conflict must recuse themselves from the evaluation of that specific applicant.

The existence of a conflict does not automatically disqualify an applicant or prevent an expense or partnership from being approved. However, applicants must disclose known conflicts in writing as soon as they become aware of them, including conflicts that arise after an award is made. Individuals with a conflict must step away from related discussions and decisions.

Think 360 Arts will review each disclosure individually and may require additional documentation or a plan for managing the conflict. This may include recusal, independent review or approval, competitive vendor selection, or another reasonable safeguard. Failure to disclose a conflict may result in disallowed expenses, repayment of grant funds, suspension or termination of the award, or ineligibility for future funding. Questions or disclosures should be submitted to grants@think360arts.org.