New Year, New Logo:

Double Check Your SCFD Branding!

Happy New Year! This time of year is one of resolutions, of shedding the old and welcoming in the new. In that spirit, it's time to double check whether your organization is using SCFD's updated logo. While we love the white polar bear, it's time to let him retire - from websites, programs, windows, banners, and more. That white fur is great camouflage on promotional materials, so keep your eyes peeled!

You can find tons of up-to-date, colorful branded resources like logos, social media graphics, boilerplate language, and more in our toolkit. Is your aesthetic more minimal? We even have black and white versions of our current logo for you. Thanks for helping us bring SCFD into 2025!

If you need something that's not in the toolkit, reach out to emma@scfd.org.

Engage With Us

Executive Director Transition Update

Following the announcement of Executive Director Deborah Jordy's transition in 2025, the SCFD Board of Directors formed an executive search committee. The committee, chaired by current board member Gino Greco, will consist of past and previous board members including Tamra Ward, Patty Salazar, Teresa Valerio Parrot, Jack Finlaw, and Marcela de la Mar.

The SCFD sent out a request for proposals to local, regional, and national search firms on January 6, 2025. Proposals will be reviewed by the search committee with the goal of selecting a firm this spring.

Deborah Jordy will stay on as the senior advisor to the SCFD, providing consultation on matters related to the reauthorization of the district set for 2028.

Save the Date: SCFD Day at the Capitol

Mark your calendar: Arts, culture, and science will fill the halls of the Colorado State Capitol in celebration of SCFD Day on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. We hope you can join us that morning! Stay tuned for additional details and registration information.

Add Your Free Days to the SCFD Website

We are so excited to support another great year of Culture For All. Please help us share the amazing programming you provide by adding your organization's free days to our 2025 Free Days calendar here. This is one of our most-visited webpages, and we need your help making sure it has the most updated information so district residents can take advantage of free programs.

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 

Resources for Good

Roundtables from The Collaborative of the SCFD

The Collaborative of the SCFD hosts roundtables, trainings and networking events, which are open to all SCFD Tiers. Please RSVP to Brianna Firestone (Brianna@CollaborativeSCFD.org) if you would like to attend the events below or if you have any questions.

Education Roundtable

Thursday, January 9, 2025 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Colorado Symphony (Room TBD)

The Commons on Champa - 1245 Champa St, Denver, CO 80204

Kick off the new year with your fellow educators at 2025’s very first Education Roundtable. This is an opportunity for educators and education coordinators to have the opportunity to connect and share updates and ideas in person.

Development Roundtable

Friday, January 31, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Wings Over The Rockies – Exploration of Flight

13005 Wings Way, Englewood, CO 80112

Kick off the new year with your fellow Development colleagues at 2025’s very first Development Roundtable. This is an opportunity for development teams to have the opportunity to connect and share updates and ideas in person.

DOVIA/The Collaborative of the SCFD - Volunteer Program Idea Exchange Session

Thursday, February 6, 2025 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Denver Botanic Gardens

1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206

Join us at Denver Botanic Gardens for the annual DOVIA (Directors of Volunteers in Agencies Colorado) and Collaborative SCFD volunteer program idea exchange session. This is an opportunity for educators and education coordinators to have the opportunity to connect and share updates and ideas in person.

Development Roundtable

Friday, March 7, 2025 | 10:00am – 11:30 a.m.

Location TBD

Please join us for another Development roundtable as we head into the spring season.

Volunteer Roundtable

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 | 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Mizel Arts & Culture

350 S Dahlia St, Denver, CO 80246

Please join us for another Volunteer Roundtable right before Volunteer Appreciation Month begins! This is an opportunity for us to chat about volunteer initiatives as well as volunteer appreciation month ideas and efforts. Bring yourself, discussion topics, and questions!

Education Roundtable

Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Lone Tree Arts Center

10075 Commons St, Lone Tree, CO 80124

Please join us at Lone Tree Arts Center for another Education Roundtable. This is an opportunity for educators and education coordinators to have the opportunity to connect and share updates and ideas in person.

Development Roundtable

Friday, June 20, 2025 | 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Colorado Railroad Museum

17155 W 44th Ave, Golden, CO 80403

Please join us for our final Development roundtable of the season.

Partnership Opportunity: Denver Philharmonic

Denver Philharmonic Orchestra is excited to offer SCFD organizations an opportunity to collaborate as part of its More Than Music programming!

This initiative is designed to create meaningful connections with the community by engaging audiences beyond the performance itself. More Than Music transforms the concert lobby into a vibrant space for pre-concert and post-concert activities that enhance the patron experience. Every activity is thoughtfully tailored to complement the theme of the concert, including children's book readings, instrument petting zoos, art projects, nonprofit showcases, and more.

Denver Philharmonic is seeking SCFD organizations to partner with for the following concerts:

• Happily Ever After (February 15 & 16, 2025): A whimsical and family-friendly program inspired by love stories.
• RETROspective (May 2 & 3, 2025): A nostalgic journey celebrating timeless classics and different eras of Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.

Learn more on SCFD's Community Bulletin Board and reach out to Stephanie Gillman and Roger Haak if your organization is interested in collaborating.

Tier III Partnership Opportunity: VISIT Denver

VISIT DENVER will be offering a free partnership to all SCFD Tier III cultural organizations in 2025.

The free partnership includes the following benefits:

• A 75-word business listing on VISITDENVER.com (10.5M+ visits/year) complete with a link, photos/videos, social media and more 
• Leads and referrals from the 60+ staff at VISIT DENVER that interact with meeting planners, media and leisure tourists every day 
• Submit special offers appearing on VISITDENVER.com and also convention and meeting microsites 
• Monthly networking with nearly 1,300 partners representing all aspects of the hospitality industry 
• Paid advertising opportunities and access to industry research 

Please reach out to Abby Schirmacher at aschirmacher@visitdenver.com to finalize this process and for more information about VISIT DENVER partnership benefits. 

New Staff? Make Sure They're Signed Up for SCFD Email Communications!

As the 2025 grant cycle continues, please ensure that any new staff at your organization who might be involved with SCFD funds signs up for our email communications. We send regular updates to organizations by Tier regarding grant deadlines, trainings and more.

"Elevating the SCFD" Shout Out

As part of our ongoing work with you to help raise the profile of the SCFD for residents across the metro area, we’ll be giving a hat tip to organizations who have found a way to include SCFD in their outreach. The goal is to highlight all the ways your organization can help. 

We welcome all funded partners to join us in elevating the value of SCFD. Need ideas or content? Check out our Communicator's Toolkit. And don't forget to tag SCFD in your social media shout-outs or make sure there's an SCFD staff member on the distribution list for any email shout-outs for the chance to be featured below.

Hat Tip to Douglas County

A special thank you to Douglas County for the social media shout-out to SCFD!

News from the Board

January Board Planning Session

The SCFD Board of Directors will have a board planning session on January 16, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the American Red Cross (444 Sherman St. Denver, CO 80203). This event is open to the public.

February Board Meeting

The next meeting of the SCFD Board of Directors will be held virtually at 1 p.m. on February 27, 2025. Get information for joining meetings and see the full calendar of 2024 board meetings.

Other 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!