The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, along with three other organizations that support arts and culture, have a new idea: the consortium offered grants for arts and culture activities to be produced in the new Confluence Park during a two-week period in July.
The program is being financed by the Bee Vradenberg Foundation, Pikes Peak Community Foundation, Springs Community Action Network and the Gay & Lesbian Fund For Colorado. Its purpose is to attract residents and visitors to the new park in the heart of downtown, while helping to build awareness of the thriving arts and culture groups from the area. Nonprofit organizations will be eligible for stipends of $250 to $1000.
The consortium is hoping that the cultural festival, July 8-24, will appeal to a broad audience with a program of family-friendly events at little or no-cost.
“Colorado Springs is rich with public assets, and Confluence Park is the latest and greatest addition to the list,” said Mary Lou Makepeace, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Fund For Colorado. “We put this funding group together because we believe in the power of art to bring people together, and we have a beautiful place to do it. Could there be a nicer way to spend a summer evening than in a beautiful park, listening to live music, watching a puppet show or enjoying dance?”
About the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado
The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado was established in 1996 as a project of the Gill Foundation. The Gay & Lesbian Fund For Colorado has a dual mission: to support community nonprofits that offer equal opportunity regardless of sexual orientation, and to raise public awareness of the contributions that gay men and lesbians make to Colorado. www.gayandlesbianfund.org
The Gill Foundation, established in 1994 by software entrepreneur Tim Gill, seeks to secure equal opportunity for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. The Gill Foundation is the largest funder focusing principally on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights in the United States. www.gillfoundation.org