En español

Denver Arts & Venues is pleased to announce the third year of the Denver Music Advancement Fund, with a combined $75,000 in grants being made available. The grants are intended to provide funding for Denver-based, music-centered projects driving economic vibrancy, building a more resilient, equitable and connected city, while creating positive social change.

This year, Denver Arts & Venues is teaming up with Illegal Pete’s and a new 2020 partner, Take Note Colorado.

“Take Note is proud to be a part of the Denver Music Advancement Fund which aligns perfectly with our goal to provide music instruments and instruction,” said Walt DeHaven, Take Note Colorado chair and CBS4 general manager. “It is so important right now that we continue to help our students to have meaningful music experiences.”

As Denver responds to the COVID-19 health crisis while addressing racial inequities in our city, the Denver Music Advancement Fund continues to provide a platform to elevate the vital role music can play in addressing community needs and social justice.

“We particularly appreciate the fund's emphasis on equity, inclusion and accessibility for all students” continued DeHaven.

The Denver Music Advancement Fund is accepting grant proposals Aug. 28 through Oct. 2. The effort is being funded by Denver Arts & Venues and partners at Illegal Pete’s and Take Note Colorado, and will provide grant opportunities of up to $7,500 per grant to individuals and organizations supporting Denver’s music ecosystem.

The recent "Initial Impacts of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Music Industry in Colorado and the Denver Metropolitan Region" report released by Denver Arts & Venues in partnership with Colorado Creative Industries and Colorado State University estimates that 4,525 jobs and $213.7 million in sales revenue has been lost in Denver’s music industry since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While this year has been as challenging a year as the restaurant industry has ever seen, it’s been equally or more challenging for our music and arts community,” said Pete Turner, founder and owner of Illegal Pete’s. “Though Illegal Pete’s is fighting the existential threat we are all fighting, we’re proud that we will still be able to partner in presenting the 2020 Denver Music Advancement Fund. Our creative communities need all of the support that we can offer right now; it is even more important now to celebrate the light and breath that these communities provide.”

Denver Music Advancement Fund applicants can be individuals, businesses, educational institutions, nonprofit or community organizations located in the City and County of Denver, or entities outside of the City and County of Denver collaborating with Denver-based applicants or supporting City and County of Denver residents through their programming. Denver Arts & Venues encourages proposals that do one or more of the following:

  • Respond to current COVID-19-related programming gaps
  • Advance positive change in societal inequities
  • Use music to create a more empathetic and equitable society
  • Demonstrate a clear understanding of a population that lacks access to music
  • Address a specific need with inclusive and culturally relevant programming
  • Explore a broad range of musical genres
  • Engage and benefit diverse and historically marginalized communities
  • Provide student-centered and culturally relevant instruments and instruction
  • Have potential for significant artistic and cultural impact on a community
  • Support career growth and capacity-building to help build workforce in difficult times
  • Explore global and culturally diverse connections
  • Emphasize sustained music-making and other experiential approaches to music instruction
  • Devise and test new ideas to address emergency preparedness and planning

Funded projects must take place in 2020-2021 calendar years and demonstrate financial, time and/or in-kind resource matches. For full guidelines, criteria and application instructions, please visit www.artsandvenuesdenver.com/denver-music-advancement-fund.

The Denver Music Advancement Fund is an initiative of the community-led Denver Music Strategy, released in 2018.