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The new year is already off to a busy start for us at SCFD! The 2026 grant cycle is kicking off, we are continuing our organizational development work, and our stakeholder engagement process is now in full swing. Here are a few updates from us to keep in focus this month:
Upcoming Opportunity to Support SCFD: Speaker's Bureau
Our staff is hard at work building a scope for a revamped SCFD Speaker's Bureau, which will activate community leaders to spread the word about SCFD through informational presentations to community groups. This will be a wonderful way to help build awareness of the district and our vision to provide Culture For All. We will share more information and opportunities for participation in the newsletter over the coming months.
Stakeholder Engagement Process Update
Phase 1 of our Stakeholder Engagement Process, Research & Landscape Analysis, is underway! GBSM's project team has begun conducting SCFD data analysis, building a robust stakeholder list, and scheduling initial informational interviews with community members. Stay tuned, as district-wide listening tour dates will also be announced in the coming months both in our newsletters and on our Road to Reauthorization webpage.
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Meet the GBSM Project Team
GBSM's talented 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. We are thrilled to work with this wonderful group of people! As the process continues, it's more than likely that you'll run into a member of the team, so I'd like to introduce you to:
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Andy Mountain, Lead Strategist, Facilitator, and Consensus-Builder
Andy Mountain, President & CEO of GBSM, is a leading business and communications strategist with expertise in organizational management, public affairs, issues management, and strategic communications. His work ranges from revitalizing Denver's River North neighborhood to supporting national non-profits such as the American Heart Association, AARP, and the American Cancer Society. Andy has also advised on major infrastructure initiatives including FasTracks, Denver's 20-year plan, and water supply and storage projects. A Leadership Denver graduate, he remains active in Denver's civic and business communities. Andy will lead GBSM’s overall approach and collaborate with SCFD’s leadership to determine and achieve support for changes to the existing model.
Fun Fact: Andy once served as an apprentice to world-renowned street artists, PichiAvo.
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Moe Gram, Creative Community Engagement Lead
Moe Gram is a multi-disciplinary visual artist, designer, and community engagement consultant. With a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Visual Arts and a Minor in Cultural Studies from California State University Bakersfield and a focus in Museum Studies from CSU Firenze in Florence, Italy, Moe’s work blends artistic expression with social impact. Known for her dynamic murals, immersive installations, and community- driven projects, Moe Gram has exhibited widely, including solo shows like How To Earn Your Big Girl Panties at the University of Northern Colorado and large-scale murals at festivals such as the Street Wise Mural Festival and Babe Walls. Her artwork often places itself at the intersection of art and community, exploring themes of self-empathy, human compassion, and the distortion of memories. Moe will ensure the overall engagement is authentic and creative, while also being a critical conduit between the reauthorization effort and the creative community.
Fun Fact: Moe played basketball in Florence, Italy, on a club team during college for a full semester.
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Neil Walia, Asian American Pacific Islander Engagement Lead
Neal K. Walia is the Founder & Principal of Lotus Public Affairs, where he leads legislative advocacy, coalition building, and regulatory engagement to advance equity across Colorado. Previously, Neal served as Deputy Director of the Asian Pacific Development Center. Neal continues to be deeply involved in Asian and South Asian community leadership, serving as Co-Chair of the Colorado South Asian Democrats and as a Commissioner on the Denver Asian American Pacific Islander Commission (DAAPIC). A former congressional candidate, Neal also spent five years in Washington, D.C. with the National Governors Association and Quorum Analytics, shaping bipartisan policy and supporting state and federal advocacy efforts. Neal will ensure authentic and impactful engagement with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the district.
Fun Fact: After graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2011, Neal spent the first two years of his career living and working in Okayama, Japan, where he taught English.
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Alana Plaus, Policy and Regulatory Engagement Lead
Alana Plaus, Senior Associate at GBSM, is an experienced public policy, public affairs, and strategic communications consultant with more than a decade of experience serving elected officials, higher-education institutions, non-profits and state governments. Prior to GBSM, Alana served as Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ policy advisor on workforce and education, managing communications, crisis response, policy development and budget priorities including guiding education institutions through the COVID-19 pandemic. She also served as deputy director of the Colorado Forum, where she collaborated with business, civic and political leaders to shape transformative solutions. She holds a master's degree in public administration from Columbia University. Alana will serve as Andy’s thought partner on changes to the existing model and direct the team’s policy and regulatory engagement.
Fun Fact: Alana used to be a championship Irish dancer and just received her dual citizenship for Ireland.
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JC Futrell, African American Engagement Lead
JC Futrell, a.k.a. performance artist Panama Soweto and Founder of RealArtLife, is an arts executive, culture worker, and community strategist with a career rooted in building platforms that amplify underrepresented voices. He has served as Vice Chair of the Denver Center for African Art, Associate Director of Youth and Community Engagement at the Denver Art Museum, and Director of Youth and Community Engagement at RedLine Contemporary Art Center. As founder of RealArtLife, JC leads creative campaigns that merge art, media, and civic dialogue, strengthening connections between artists and communities. Nationally recognized for his ability to convene and inspire, JC has designed advisory groups, listening sessions, and cultural initiatives that transformed institutional practices and informed public policy. A celebrated spoken word artist and National Poetry Slam Champion, JC uses performance as a tool to build bridges, spark dialogue, and deepen community engagement. JC will ensure authentic and impactful engagement with the African American community across the district.
Fun Fact: JC is a National Poetry Slam Champion and has toured the country performing spoken word at over 300 colleges and universities.
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Virginia Garcia Pivik, Hispanic Community Engagement Lead
Virginia Garcia Pivik leads as President at GP&P, renowned within Colorado's media landscape and esteemed within the Hispanic community. With over 25 years of experience, she's a bilingual, consummate professional at crafting communication strategies across all media formats. Her expertise lies in aligning messaging with program objectives, ensuring client's communication materials resonate effectively across diverse platforms. Virginia will ensure authentic and impactful engagement with the Hispanic communities across the district.
Fun Fact: Virginia holds three nationalities—American, Argentine, and Uruguayan—making her a true citizen of the world.
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John Karner, Financial Modeling and Forecasting Lead
John Karner, Principal of Summit Street Group, is a strategic, results-driven leader with extensive experience across public and private sectors. He recently served as Director of Finance for the City of Greeley and has held senior roles with the City and County of Denver's Department of Finance and the Office of the Mayor of Chicago under Richard M. Daley. Prior to relocating to Colorado, John served as Senior Advisor to the Chief Financial Officers' Council in Washington, D.C. Summit Street Group's clients are well-served by his expertise in innovative public financing, economic development, and complex public—private partnership projects that drive sustainable economic growth. John will analyze historic trends in the current model and help develop and forecast potential changes to the existing model as we move toward reauthorization.
Fun Fact: John married his middle school sweetheart who he met after watching her in the school musical.
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Kayleigh Cornell, Communication and Engagement Management
Kayleigh Cornell, Associate at GBSM, specializes in government and public affairs with emphasis on policy analysis, technical research and writing, issue advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications. With expertise in energy, natural resources, and local affairs, she brings analytical thinking and a strategic mindset to navigate complex issues. Prior to GBSM, Kayleigh served as Policy Director for the Colorado House Minority Office, where she produced detailed legislative analysis, fostered collaboration across sectors, and advanced common-sense solutions for Colorado. She holds a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Kayleigh will ensure strong communication and engagement throughout the reauthorization effort.
Fun Fact: Kayleigh holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and U.K. As such, she is simultaneously a first-generation American and a granddaughter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
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Share Your 2026 Free Days!
As you finalize your calendars for new year, don't forget to submit your free admission opportunities to the Free Days calendar here. This is one of our most popular webpages, and we'd love to help spread the word about your free events!
| | Seeking County Cultural Council Members | | | | There are four openings on the Douglas County Cultural Council - two in District 1 and two in District 3. Interested applicants can learn more and apply here. | | |
Tier III Grant Deadlines
As a reminder to our Tier III funded partners, final grant reports are due in February and grant applications are due in March! We highly recommend that you submit applications early so that SCFD staff can assist if there are any issues. Deadlines are as follows:
- Final Grant Report: February 11, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
- Multi-County: March 4, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
- Single-County: March 11, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
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What you need, when you need it
Just a friendly reminder that we continually add information, tutorials, grant deadlines, and other important details to pages dedicated to your tier of partnership with the district. Of note, 2026 grant process calendars are now available on each of the webpages below. Please use these resources to help answer your questions.
Tier I | Tier II | Tier III
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Save the Date: Communications Committee Meeting on April 1
Calling all grantee communicators! The SCFD Communications Committee will meet virtually on April 1, 2026. We'll discuss opportunities to uplift SCFD and the communicator's toolkit as well as conduct some polling about ongoing strategy for the committee. Please save the date and stay tuned for additional information.
If you would like to join the committee, please reach out to emma@scfd.org to be added to the mailing list.
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Updated Materials Available in the Communicator's Toolkit
There are updated materials available in SCFD's Communicator's Toolkit, from newsletter blurbs to social media graphics and more. Please take a look and plug these into your ongoing communications about SCFD. We need your help to remind district residents that it's thanks to their support that culture is available and accessible to all here in the district. Please reach out to emma@scfd.org with any questions!
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Tune into the SCFD Wonder-Cast with Krystin Maloney
Go behind the scenes at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance with Lead Animal Ambassador Care Specialist, Krystin Maloney and a special serpentine guest! Keep an eye out for the season 1 finale of the SCFD Wonder-Cast, dropping on February 11 here.
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.
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