SCFD review could change funding for Broomfield cultural groups
A two-year review will develop a proposed funding and operating model before voters in seven counties decide whether to reauthorize SCFD in November 2028.
The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District is beginning a two-year process that could change how cultural organizations across the seven-county region are funded before voters decide whether to reauthorize the district in November 2028.
Under the SCFD reauthorization timeline, the district board is expected to approve proposed changes before the Colorado General Assembly considers them. The measure would then go to voters in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. If approved, the new model and structure would take effect July 1, 2030, the district’s materials say.
The process matters in Broomfield because cultural organizations have received more than $4.91 million since Broomfield County joined SCFD in 2001, according to a Broomfield City Council agenda packet. The packet does not provide a separate annual amount or estimate how much Broomfield organizations could receive under a future model.
The council packet lists an SCFD reauthorization update as an informational item for the council’s Aug. 25 meeting. It carries no direct financial impact for the city.
SCFD is funded by a 0.1% regional sales-and-use tax — described in the packet as one penny for every $10 collected — across the seven counties. The tax supports organizations working in performing arts, visual arts, cultural history, natural history and natural sciences. The district’s fact sheet says the tax supports nearly 300 cultural organizations.
The review’s five phases are research and landscape analysis, a district-wide listening tour, proposal development, consensus-building, and presentation to the SCFD board. The first two phases are scheduled for 2026 and the remaining phases for 2027. The board is expected to decide on proposed statutory changes in 2027, followed by legislative action, a public campaign and the 2028 election.
SCFD says the review will include financial analysis, interviews with community leaders, surveys of funded organizations, focus groups, financial forecasting and development of possible new models. No specific replacement funding formula, tax-rate increase, tier allocation, eligibility rule or governance change has been adopted or publicly detailed in the materials reviewed.
Broomfield has a seat on the SCFD board. The board roster identifies Deven Shaff as the county’s appointee; his term began in March 2026 and expires in March 2029. The eventual effect on Broomfield organizations will not be known until the district develops and advances a proposal.