Celebrating Milestones in Arts, Culture, and Science

As the year starts to draw to a close, we would like to shout out the following organizations who celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2025. Thanks to these groups for providing years of innovative programming and access to culture for district residents!

• Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 125 years
• Evergreen Players, 75 years
• Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, 55 seasons
• Historic Denver/Molly Brown House Museum, 55 years
• Center for the Arts Evergreen, 50 years
• The Colorado Choir, 50 years
• Ars Nova Singers, 40 seasons
• Young Voices of Colorado, 35 years
• The Gift of Jazz, 30 years
• Wild Bear Nature Center, 30 years
• Colorado Dragon Boat, 25 years
• Lone Tree Symphony Orchestra, 25 years
• Stories on Stage, 25 years
• Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, 20 years
• Colorado Korean Chorus, 20 years
• Carousel of Happiness, 15 years
• Denver Biennial of the Americas, 15 years

Did your organization celebrate a milestone anniversary this year? Let us know by emailing emma@scfd.org so we can include you in next month's final anniversary shout-out of the year!

Engage With Us

Community Screenings: The Art of Growth

In celebration of our cultural community, join SCFD and our funded partners at FREE community screenings of "The Art of Growth" across the seven-county district! Find more information and snag tickets here.

SCFD Staff in the Spotlight: Penny the SCFD Bear

This month's SCFD Staff in the Spotlight feature is our bright pink bear mascot, Penny! Penny supports arts, culture, and science across the district, stewarding residents' actual pennies to exhibitions, classes, free days, and more with a flourish of a blue cape. Here are a couple things you may not know about Penny:

The best part of Penny's job:

"Meeting district residents at events! I love traveling around each of the seven counties to see what SCFD's organizations are up to, and am always thrilled when I can give a member of our cultural community a big bear hug."

A recent, memorable experience with arts, culture, or science:

"It's almost impossible to choose since I get to visit so many memorable cultural events by SCFD's funded partners! This spring, I made my stage debut at Phamaly Theater Company's Production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Let's just say that my stage presence is stronger than my spelling skills...."

Penny's current favorite song:

"Well, there's the classic 'Pennies from Heaven' by Bing Crosby, or "Applause" by Lady Gaga, or 'Bare Necessities'...

If SCFD had an office talent show, Penny would wow everyone with:

"My hilarious dancing. If you've met me, you know I love to bust a move, no matter where I am."

A fun fact:

"My grandbear, Popsicle, has been retired for a while, but we still catch up every now again in the SCFD supply closet. It's so fun to look back at the evolution of SCFD's mascots and keep the legacy of Culture For All in the pack!"

If you see Penny out and about at an event, know that your spare change has added up to tons of impact for arts, culture, and science organizations right here in the Denver metro area. Say hi with a bear hug and celebrate Culture For All with Penny wherever you find wonder!

SCFD Virtual Office Hours

As a reminder, SCFD staff are now hosting virtual office hours! You can book time with our staff using the links below. We are here for you, so feel free to use this time for whatever you need from meet-and-greets, discussions about grants or programming, catch-ups, and more. Use the following links to set up a meeting:



Kirsten Lang, Program Officer:

Book time with Kirsten Lang

Tim Murphy, Program Officer:

Book time with Tim Murphy

Dana Manyothane, Program Officer:

Book time with Dana Manyothane

Not sure who to reach out to? Send us a short message about what you’re looking to discuss at scfd@scfd.org and we can get you booked with the correct person. We look forward to chatting with you soon!

What you need, when you need it

Just a friendly reminder that we are continuing to add information, tutorials, grant deadlines, and other important details to pages dedicated to your tier of partnership with the district. Please use these resources to help answer your questions. 

Tier I | Tier II | Tier III 

Read SCFD's Annual Report: Unwavering Wonder

2024 was a year of unwavering wonder in the seven-county Denver metro area. Thanks to the support of district residents, SCFD granted $85 million to arts, culture, and science nonprofits! Learn more about the cultural experiences we were able to support in our 2024 annual report here.

Tune into the SCFD Wonder-Cast with Claire Gormley!

In the latest episode of the SCFD Wonder-Cast, meet Claire Gormley, the Executive Director of the Boulder Metalsmithing Association (BoMA)! Learn about Claire's journey from metalsmithing student to Executive Director and go behind the scenes at BoMA, which provides studio space and workshops to aspiring metalsmiths and teachers.

Does someone at your organization have a wonder-inspiring program or an interesting day-in-the-life to share? Reach out to emma@scfd.org to pitch a podcast interview.

Resources for Good

Applications Open for Arts Complex Creates

Arts Complex Creates aims to expand and diversify the cultural offerings and attract broader audiences at the Denver Performing Arts Complex through partnerships and collaborations with Denver’s creative community, as well as local, regional and national artists and arts organizations.  

Individuals and organizations can now apply for the New Works Incubator and Producing Partners programs. Learn more and apply here by November 24, 2025.

DITA Host Site Applications Open

The Diversity in the Arts Internship (DITA) is now accepting host site applications through November 10, 2025. By connecting young leaders to existing nonprofits, DITA provides an opportunity for interns to cultivate their leadership skills, engage with a thriving and dedicated community, and create an impact of their own. All DITA host sites employ at least one intern for the 10-week duration of the program. Host sites will be expected to complete two formal reports over the course of the program (guideline provided by DITA) as well as attend an orientation and an exit interview with the Program Administrator. Learn more and apply here.

Submit Your Denver Arts Week Events and Deals Today!

It’s that time of year – Denver Arts Week returns November 7-16! Please submit events and deals to the Denver Arts Week site. By submitting your organization's events, they will be displayed and promoted throughout Visit Denver’s Denver Arts Week marketing campaign. Participation is FREE, and you can submit as many events and deals as you’d like!

What is Denver Arts Week?

• Now in its 19th year, Denver Arts Week is a celebration of all things arts & culture in The Mile High City.
• Features more than 600 events throughout the city and metro area.
• Spanning all arts and cultural genres including visual arts, performing arts, film and literature, music and more.
• Promoted via extensive local and regional marketing campaigns that link to the Denver Arts Week website.
• New this year: Denver Arts Week rebranded! Feel free to utilize the new logo as you market events related to the program.

Questions? Please email Abby Schirmacher.

News from the Board

November Board Meeting

The next meeting of the SCFD Board of Directors will be hosted virtually at 1:00 p.m. on November 20, 2025. Get information for joining meetings and see the full calendar of 2025 board meetings.

Welcome to Board Member, Alli Scheck

We'd like to warmly welcome Alli Scheck to the SCFD Board of Directors! Alli will represent Jefferson County on the board. She currently serves as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Arvada, where she provides strategic leadership across municipal operations. Her career includes leadership roles with the cities of Wheat Ridge and Lakewood, and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, where she oversaw major venues, complex budgets, and large-scale public engagement efforts. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver and a B.A. in Organizational Communication from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

News You Can Use

• Did you know you can stay up to date on all things SCFD more than just once a month through our newsletter? Check out our News You Can Use webpage!

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