Denver Arts & Venues Supports Jazz in Five Points Through a New Grant Fund
In 2020, Denver Arts & Venues joined forces with Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO-FM to present a virtual Five Points Jazz Festival, a broadcast event that garnered two Colorado Broadcasters Association awards (television and radio) and a Heartland Emmy® nomination. In 2021, due to COVID-19 health guidelines and event restrictions, as well as the difficult financial state of the agency, Arts & Venues was not able to host the Five Points Jazz Festival.
Nevertheless, Arts & Venues continues to support the jazz heritage of the Five Points neighborhood, once known as the Harlem of the west, through a new grant fund.
“The festival was not feasible this year, but we didn’t want our support of jazz in the Five Points neighborhood to vanish completely, not after bringing the Five Points Jazz Festival to Denver for almost two decades,” explained Brooke Dilling, Denver Arts & Venues strategic partnerships and community programming specialist. “So, along with our ongoing support of the monthly Five Points First Friday Jazz Hop, we developed this fund.”
“Our hope is that we will be able to keep jazz music alive in Five Points, while also supporting artists, musicians and businesses in the community,” she continued.
The Five Points Jazz Activation grants will fund programs and initiatives that celebrate jazz and ensure that the legacy of jazz lives on in the Five Points neighborhood.
Applicants may apply for grants up to $5,000. Applications for funding will be open Tuesday, Sept. 7 through Thursday, Sept. 30, 5 p.m. MST.
Funds for the first round of grants must be used for events in 2021, but there will also be a second round of grants for events in 2022. Applications submitted before Sept. 30 will be considered for both rounds of funding.
For more information on the Five Points Jazz Activation grants, please visit www.ArtsandVenues.com/5PJF.