To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Michelle Halstead, Director, Commissioners' Office
Prepared By:
prepared
Daniela Villarreal, Management Analyst, Commissioners' Office
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presenter
Presenter: Daniela Villarreal, Management Analyst, Commissioners' Office
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Subject:
title
2:00 PM *Arapahoe County Cultural Council 2025/2026 SCFD Tier III Award Recommendations
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this study session is to present the Arapahoe County Cultural Council Tier III award recommendations for 2025/2026 for Board consideration.
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Background and Discussion:
The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) is a seven-county tax district established under Colorado law, approved by the Colorado General Assembly, and repeatedly renewed by voters for more than 30 years. SCFD distributes funds generated by a 0.1% (1/10 of 1%) sales and use tax to qualified cultural organizations across the Denver metro area through a three-tier funding structure:
1. Tier I provides direct funding to the largest cultural organizations based on a formula defined in state statute.
2. Tier II supports regional organizations, such as the City of Aurora Cultural Services Division and Wings Over the Rockies, which qualify by meeting specific budget and attendance thresholds.
3. Tier III allocates funding to each participating county, which in turn distributes its share through local Cultural Councils, such as the Arapahoe County Cultural Council (ACCC).
The Arapahoe County Cultural Council (ACCC) is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to review applications and make funding recommendations for the County's share of SCFD revenue, in accordance with SCFD's established grant process and timeline. Once the BOCC approves the ACCC's recommendations, they are submitted to the SCFD Board for final ratification.
For the 2025/2026 grant cycle, Arapahoe County's share of SCFD tax revenue is $2,572,863.94, with $8,804...
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