Scientific & Cultural Facilities District

For the past 5 consecutive years, the Denver Classical Guitar Society has been granted Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) monies and is currently applying for yet another grant for the next fiscal year. Because of their help, we have been able to implement and maintain several items which further our mission statement to promote the Classical Guitar in our local community. Many people have no idea what the SCFD is all about, and because it is a citizen supported initiative which will be up for re-election in a few years, we felt it appropriate to give out the following facts and info on the SCFD.

In 1988, greater Denver metropolitan-area voters created the SCFD to provide a consistent source of unrestricted funding to scientific and cultural organizations. Since then, the SCFD has funded more than 300 organizations via the 0.1 percent retail sales and use tax (a penny on every $10).

The SCFD is a great value. In 2000, the average per capita SCFD tax collection was $14.58. The SCFD facilitates the annual distribution of $38 million in tax funds to organizations that “provide for the enlightenment and entertainment of the public through the production, preservation, exhibition, advancement or preservation of art, music, theater, dance, zoology, botany, natural history or cultural history.”

In addition, the SCFD is a special, regional tax district that has physical boundaries contiguous with the Regional Transportation District (RTD). The SCFD uses RTD boundaries because it is a cost-effective way to collect the tax funds without having to create more infra-structure.

A 10-member board of directors oversees the distributions in accordance with the Colorado Revised Statutes. Seven board members are appointed by county commissioners (in Denver, the Denver City Council) and three members are appointed by the governor of Colorado.

By statute, SCFD recipients are currently divided into three “tiers” with each qualifying for funding in different ways:

• Tier I is defined by statue and includes regional organizations: the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Zoo. It recieves 59 percent or #22.5 million.
• Tier II currently includes 20 sub-regional organizations that have operating incomes of $858,290 or more, adjusted annually for inflation. Tier II receives 28 percent or $10.6 million.
• Tier III has more than 280 local organizations such as small theaters, orchestras, art centers and natural history, cultural history and community groups, of which the DCGS is included. Tier III organizations apply for funding to the county cultural councils via a grant process. This tier receives 13 percent or $5 million.

Citizens make it possible! In sum, the SCFD helps make Colorado a great place to live, work and play. It is the largest citizen-supported cultural initiative in the nation. The district is a jewel that not only supports a better quality of life for citizens, it is an economic asset that creates jobs, attracts new business and diversifies the economy. It is a remarkable form of self-investment that pays incredible dividends for Colorado.