scfd & denver botanic gardens

The SCFD is a special regional tax district. By statute, the SCFD distributes $35 million annually 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.

As directed by statute, SCFD recipient organizations are currently divided into three "tiers" with each qualifying for funding in different ways. Denver Botanic Gardens is a Tier 1 along with the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Center for Performing Arts and the Denver Zoo. The Tier 1 receives 59% of the SCFD funding and Denver Botanic Gardens receives approximately 15% of the 59%.

Our citizens benefit from SCFD-funded activities. More than 9 million people, twice the population of Colorado, attended metro area scientific and cultural activities in 2001. At $14.92 per capita the SCFD provides an exceptional return on the publics' investment. Furthermore, because the SCFD tax is a "sale and use tax," almost 860,000 out-of-state visitors defray the cost by spending millions of dollars on tourism.

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

Please click here to reach the SCFD home page.