Innovation & Collaboration Incubator Grant
The Collaborative established the Innovation and Collaboration Incubator Grant to foster cross-organizational partnerships to develop innovative, dynamic programs that serve and expand community access across Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, and Douglas Counties.
2025-2026 Recipients
Celebrating the Child in Everyone: Día del Niño with Butterfly Pavilion and Mexican Cultural Center
This innovative partnership reimagines a cherished Latin American tradition through the fusion of cultural celebration and natural science. This day deliberately merges various disciplines by blending arts and cultural education with scientific discovery and will provide engaging invertebrate activities, enabling children and families to interact with fascinating creatures while learning about their importance in our ecosystem. A highlight of this blend is a special butterfly release, creating a meaningful link between cultural heritage and natural science education.
Through this thoughtfully designed celebration, this partnership creates an inclusive Día del Niño- Day of the Child event that honors cultural traditions while fostering new connections across our diverse community, truly embodying the spirit of celebrating the child in everyone.
Fluidity
Through this collaboration, Fluidity pushes the boundaries of traditional performance; offering a transformative, self-guided artistic experience that explores music, movement, and identity in innovative ways. This project reimagines the traditional concert experience by inviting attendees to self-curate their experience during an immersive performance taking place in November 2025 under the artistic direction of DYAO’s Music Director Wilbur Lin. This performance will coincide with MCA Denver’s fall exhibition; where the artist’s work explores themes of water as a metaphor for identity, transformation, and fluidity—concepts that resonate deeply with music.
Footsteps to the Mountains
Cal-Wood Education Center and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies are partnering with Adams 14 School District to provide a multi-tiered, multi-contact environmental education program designed to engage elementary school students at various stages of their education, with a particular focus on reaching underrepresented populations in outdoor learning experiences. The partners will be engaging with all six elementary schools in Adams County 14 School District to provide a suite of programming that ensures equitable access to nature for all students and will inspire lifelong connection to nature, empowering students from all backgrounds to embrace outdoor spaces and environmental education as a valuable part of their lives
The Lullaby Project
This pilot program in Denver is based on an initiative of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute focused on pairing new and expecting parents and caregivers with professional artists to write and sing lullabies for their babies. The project will pilot a small cohort of expecting parents or newborn – 36 months and their caregiver(s), representing diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
Reel Stories: AANHPI Voices in Film
This collaborative film festival event will celebrate and amplify Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voices through film, performance, and cultural engagement in May 2026 at the PACE Center. Attendees will screen short films showcasing AANHPI stories and perspectives and be immersed in a dynamic, multisensory experience and will include live performances, culinary storytelling and a talk-back session reflecting the diverse creative expressions of AANHPI communities.
Sensory Inclusive Holiday and Panel
With a shared goal of creating high-quality programming for people with disabilities by elevating disabled artist voices and talent, this project will entail relaxed, holiday-themed cabaret performances featuring a live string quartet of Colorado Symphony musicians and actors from Phamaly Theatre Company geared towards those in the community who need a more sensorily relaxed environment to enjoy a performance. The audience accessibility services will include American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, captioning, audio description, braille and large print programs, sensory devices, quiet spaces, wheelchair-accessible venues, an adapted program, reduced venue capacity, and glowed houselights. It will also culminate in a Disability in the Arts Panel Discussion.
Get In Touch
email: info@CollaborativeSCFD.org
phone: (303) 946 2089
address: PO Box 102995 Denver, CO 80250 USA