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Community Screenings: The Art of Growth

In celebration of our cultural community, SCFD and our funded partners are hosting 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 Mascot

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!

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.

Free Days/Events

Organizations from across the metro area provide hundreds of free days and free programs each year, made possible in part, by funding from SCFD. Some organizations are free every day such as Broomfield Veterans Museum, Foothills Art Center, Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Depot Art Gallery, and the Louisville History Museum. Here are a few free days on tap for November:

• Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance – Nov. 7 and Nov. 15
• Clyfford Still Museum – Nov. 8
• Colorado Chamber Players' free concert – Nov. 10
• Sacred Voices LIVE – Nov. 14
• Friends of Dinosaur Ridge – Nov. 23
• Forney Museum of Transportation – Nov. 28

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.

SCFD Board of Directors News

A board of directors governs the SCFD with representation from district member counties Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson and four governor's appointees. The board oversees district funding and ensures the district is running the way voters intended. The board meets eight times a year and all meetings are open to the public.

• The next meeting of the SCFD Board of Directors will be hosted virtually at 1:00 p.m. on November 20. Get information for joining 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.

We Fund Culture

Thanks to the voters and residents of the seven-county metro area, SCFD has come a long way in its more than 35 years of existence. SCFD is the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, a tax collected and distributed to more than 300 cultural organizations in our seven-county Denver metro region including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties. Just one penny on every $10 spent in the district creates vibrancy for us individually and collectively.

SCFD | scfd.org