Arts in Society Grant

The Arts in Society Grant, administered by RedLine Contemporary Art Center, is a unique funding opportunity aimed at integrating arts and culture into various disciplines that promote social justice and community well-being in Colorado. This program supports projects that foster collaboration between artists and organizations to address civic challenges. Grants also provide access to learning communities and resources, including evaluation tools and marketing support. The program runs an annual cycle; the 2026-27 cycle opened July 20, 2026 with an LOI deadline of September 4, 2026.

NOTE: Arts in Society is currently closed and will open in July 2025.
What is the Arts in Society Grant?
Arts in Society is a collaborative grant-making program that fosters cross-sector work through the arts by supporting the integration of arts and culture into multiple disciplines critical to the health and well-being of Coloradans.
Administered by RedLine Contemporary Art Center and funded through a cohort of Colorado foundations and government agencies, the program provides grants to individuals and organizations seeking to implement projects that utilize the arts as an integral element in promoting social justice and community welfare.
The program supports projects that engage a wide range of issues and media.
Whether it be a dancer working within a hospital system to bring awareness to nurse burnout and compassion fatigue, a coalition of community organizations using art to engage neighbors in participatory budgeting, or The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment working with artists to communicate the priorities of its public health improvement plan, the Arts in Society grant program funds projects that engage arts organizations and artists as partners in illuminating and finding solutions to a wide array of civic and social challenges faced by Colorado communities.
Grants are determined by a selection panel, which seeks projects that best illustrate artistic excellence, broaden the understanding of the role arts play in society, demonstrate cross-sector work, exhibit cultural relevancy, foster community engagement, and present opportunities for shared learning. .
In addition to receiving financial support, Arts in Society grantees participate in a learning community program through which they share expertise and learn with like-minded practitioners from across the state.
About Arts in Society Support
Arts in Society provides both financial and organizational support. In addition to receiving project funding, Arts in Society grantees benefit from the following resources:

• Learning Community Meetings

Arts in Society grantees participate in a learning community program through which they meet three times with their annual cohort of grantees throughout the first year following funding. Through these meetings they share resources and learnings, and build a coalition of support.
Evaluation Support
Through a collaboration with University of Colorado Denver's School of Arts and Media, Arts in Society grantees are provided an evaluation toolkit to aid in collecting program feedback and data.
Mini-Documentaries
All Arts in Society grantees will get assistance in filming a 2-minute documentary so that they can share their work with the world.
Marketing and Communications
Grantees receive marketing and communications support through various Arts in Society marketing channels, including the Arts in Society Facebook page, Instagram, and by contributing blog posts to the Arts in Society blog.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants must reside in the state of Colorado, and have an arts idea that engages a social issue. Organizations, individuals, schools, and government agencies are all eligible to apply. Arts in Society funds cross-sector work through the arts; we specifically look for projects that demonstrate a high level of collaboration between artists, organizations, and a target community to address a problem or social justice issue.Arts in Society is open to nonprofits and individuals. Basically, all who reside in the state of Colorado can apply. You do NOT need to be an arts organization. We encourage applications from individual artists, non-arts organizations like human service groups, neighborhood organizations or healthcare organizations (as examples).Primary applicants must be from Colorado. If you are an organization or artist outside the state of Colorado interested in applying, you must partner with an organization within the state in order to be eligible. A fiscal sponsor does not count as a “partner”. Partner organizations must play a critical role in the implementation of the project.
If I am already a grantee of one or more of the funding partners (currently Bonfils-Stanton, Hemera, and Colorado Creative Industries) can I also apply to this program? Yes.How many applications may I submit?There is no limit. Each application should be for a different project. If I am an artist or arts group, is a non-arts partner required?No, but if your project addresses or works with a social issue (as it should), the final proposal should speak to your ability and cultural competency in engaging with that social issue.

Ineligibility

Capital projects are not eligible.