CREATECO  
224 Webber St.  
Colorado Springs, CO 80905 
(719) 584-8746 
CreateCO@arts.org 

March 24, 2019 

We Love the Arts Council 

1426 Tejon St  
Colorado Springs, CO 80909 

Dear We Love the Arts Council, 

CreateCO is pleased to present an enclosed proposal for a $50,000 grant from We Love the Arts 
Council. We look forward to partnering with you to support the general operations of our 
organization and the vital programming we offer within the Colorado Springs Community. 

CreateCO is a hub for creativity, learning, and community building. We offer programming that 
provides support for local artists, free and open access to professional level arts education, and 
opportunities for communities to partner with us to create public art projects. The work we do 
has a significant measurable impact on the community we serve. With this grant of $50,000, we 
would be able to fund this work and fortify the general operations of our organization to ensure 
it’s sustainability.  

We thank you for your consideration of our proposal and taking an interest in investing in our 
organization and in turn the Colorado Springs community as a whole.  

Best regards, 

Jenelle Grosser 
Head of Fundraising, CreateCO   

 
  

CREATECO a​ 501c3 Non- Profit Organization  

224 Webber St.  
Colorado Springs, CO 80905 
719-584-8746 
CreateCO@arts.org 
 

CONTACT 
Jenelle Grosser Head of Fundraising  
Jenellegrosser@CreateCO.com 
630-723-9363   

 
  

NARRATIVE 
CreateCO believes a strong community is built through empowered artists and open 

access to the arts. Our goals are to empower artists through support for unfettered creative 

practices and to build a stronger community through open access to arts programming. In order 

to provide support for local artists, we plan to offer free studio space for one local artist each 

year and 10 local artist grants of $1,000 followed by an exhibition opportunity. To expand open 

access to the arts we plan to enroll 30 students of a demographic that mirrors the racial and 

socioeconomic demographics of Colorado Springs, in a weekly free/open access art class. 

Each summer, local artists and community members will create one permanent public art 

project in an underserved Colorado Springs neighborhood.  

We are requesting $50,000 from We Love the Arts Council to support the general 

operations of CreateCO. We will match the $50,000 from this grant 1:1 with funds generated 

from the class fees from our art education program. The funds from this grant would support 

CreateCO’s general operations, including space, materials, and the talented staff that allows all 

of these amazing programs to thrive.  

The funds from this grant help give depth and breadth to the programming offered 

through CreateCO. Transforming individual programs into a unified and powerful center for the 

arts with the capacity to effect change in thousands of lives all across Colorado Springs. The 

community-based programming offered through CreateCO serves thousands of Colorado 

Springs residents. More than 100 local artists create art in our studios, over 6,500 students take 

art classes, the 4

​ 64,474 citizens of colorado springs benefit from the ​close to 150 public 

 
  

artworks CreateCO has created in partnership with the community, contributing to a safer 

and more vibrant city. 

The heart of CreateCO’s success lies in the talented staff that works tirelessly to make 

the professional level programming we offer possible. Faith Jones heads our community public 

art program, is a community activist serves on the D12 school board, is an art educator, and 

muralist. Her eye for art, ability to teach and heart for the community makes her a powerhouse 

in engaging the local community with the arts. Jackie Hollis makes our open access art 

education program flourish with her 7 years of teaching experience and extensive personal 

merits as an artist. Our executive director Darius Wood leads the CreateCO team towards it’s 

Northstar of building community in and around the arts. With 20 years of involvement in 

community planning and large-scale public art in Los Angeles. Darius now applies his wealth of 

knowledge and experience to CreateCO in order to make a tangible impact on the growing 

community of Colorado Springs.  

CreateCO generates $132,240 of its own sustaining revenue through studio rental fees, 

class fees, and gallery sales fees. CreateCO relies on donations from individuals, like Ben and 

Raynell Kuckel, as well as funding from local businesses and organizations like Colorado 

Creative Industries and Colorado Industrial Recyclers. These generous funding contributions 

make up $45,760 of our operating funds. CreateCO also receives 61k of In-Kind donations of 

goods and services from local businesses like Habitat for Humanity Restore and Transit Mix 

Concrete Co. Without funding from all of our individual, corporate, and organizational funders 

like the ones listed above and We Love the Arts Council we would only have the capacity to 

conduct about one-third of our programming.  

 
  

The effectiveness of the grant will be determined by CreateCO’s ability to meet its 

objectives and observe the tangible results. The local artists we support will be recognized with 

awards and additional grants for their exceptional work in the field. The students that develop 

their creativity and skills in our open access art education program will mirror the racial and 

socioeconomic demographics of the Colorado Springs population. The community in which a 

public artwork has been installed will have a statistical increase in safety and community 

engagement. Lastly, the strength and sustainability of CreateCO will be fortified through its 

ability to offer competitive salaries to all staff and employees as well as having ample funding 

for programming. 

OUR STORY 
CreateCO is a thriving arts center in the heart of Colorado Springs which serves as a 

catalyst for the community to gather and create together. Over 100 empowered artists produce 

work in our studios and thousands of students dare to explore their creativity in our classrooms. 

Around town, you will see hundreds of public art projects made by CreateCO artists in 

partnership with the community. All of this resulted from three broke art school graduates, 

unable to find a quality local art center to get involved with, so they set out to create their own! 

CreateCO was formed in 2010 when our founders converted the basement of a rental 

house into a makeshift studio space. It was a small start, but with passion, connections, 

fundraising, and grants our founders were able to raise enough funds to purchase an 

abandoned office building. From this forsaken space emerged studios, galleries, and 

classrooms that quickly drew in a community eager to engage with the arts. CreateCO is a living 

reminder that we can build our dreams from humble beginnings when we work together. Check 

out CreateCO for yourself and see how we can create our Colorado together! 

 
  

KEY PERSONNEL 
Faith Jones​ first joined CreateCO in 2010 as an 
intern. She is an activist and community member in 
Ivywild where she leads our community art projects 
programs. She is a neighborhood liaison for the 
CreateCO, teacher, and muralist. 

Brian Patrick​ works in the field of architecture 

and is an artist and active community member. 
Brian manages the construction and development of 
CreateCO’s space and previously served as the 
Chair of the Pikes Peak Arts Council.  

Jackie Hollis​ leads our open access art 

education program. She is a rockstar artist and art 
educator with a wealth of community connections. 
Jackie has a vibrant studio practice including 
printmaking, painting, and drawing.   

   

 
  

BOARD MEMBERS 
Aaron Collins​ P
​ resident​- Teacher at Atlas Prep School 

Jonny O'Hannegan​ ​V.P.​- Director of The Bridge Gallery 

Veronica Putzer​ S
​ ecretary​- Creative Director Media Bistro 

Natasha Johnson​- Executive Director of Manitou Arts Center 

Leah Howe​- Teacher at Skyway Elementary School 

Brad Coleman​ -​ City Planner   

Josh Holzheimer​- Owner of Meininger's art supply 

YOUTH BOARD MEMBERS 

Peyton Cruze​- Student at Atlas Prep School 

Lizzy Lemmons​- Student at Cheyenne Mountain Junior High    

 
  

CREATECO BUDGET 
Expenses  Revenues  
Salaries   Grants  
Executive Director $50,000  We Love the Arts Council Grant 
Program Director $15,000  $50,000 
Community Coordinator $15,000  Donations  
Development Director $15,000  Individual Donations $36,480 
Teachers $18,400  Business Donations $9,280 
Rent/Utilities $3,240  Fees  
Professional Services $3,240  Studio rental fees $60,000 
Professional Development $1,620  Class fees $50,000  
Materials $12,960  Gallery sales fees $22,240 
Payroll Taxes $8,100  In-Kind Donations  
Other   Insurance $5,440  
Office supplies $332  Office Space $41,000  
Phone $528  Advertising $8,000  
Insurance $4,200  Maintenance services $4,000  
Artist in Residence Studio Space  Art supplies $2,560  
$6,000  Revenues Total $289,000 
Artist Grants $10,000 
In-Kind Donations  
Insurance $5,440  
Office Space $41,000  
Advertising $8,000  
Maintenance services $4,000  
Art supplies $2,560  
Expense Total $224,620