In narrowing its grantmaking focus in recent years to the arts, the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation has come to be seen as a leading funder of the arts community in Colorado, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

Ten years ago, the Denver-based foundation directed little more than half of its modest grantmaking budget — $3.5 million in its most recent fiscal year — to arts projects, with the rest allocated to programs in science, health, and human services. As it came to realize there was a huge gap in arts funding in the Denver area, however, it began to wean non-arts grantees from its support, and in late 2012 — at a time when grantmaking by other foundations, in the state and nationally, had not yet returned to pre-recession levels — decided "to go all in" on the arts. Since then, the foundation has awarded grants to enable a public radio station to add a team of art critics to its lineup, help the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver refinance its debt, and underwrite whimsical projects like a giant hopscotch course for arts fans of all ages.

Gary Steuer, who previously served as Philadelphia's chief cultural officer and led Bonfils-Stanton's move into arts-focused grantmaking, told the Chronicle he believes the foundation can be an arts leader in Denver by using its resources to attract support for the field from other funders. "The breadth and quality of the cultural sector in Denver has grown exponentially over the past twenty years," he said. "At the same time, the philanthropic growth has been in foundations that explicitly exclude arts and culture."

The foundation's timing couldn't be better, as even big funders in the state like the Denver Foundation have cut back on their arts grantmaking "We will never relinquish our support for the arts," said Angelle Fouther, a senior communications officer at the foundation. "But we have to respond to the priorities of the community." Recognizing the bigger foundation's predicament, Bonfils-Stanton provided $22,500 over two years to  Art Tank, a contest created by a group of the community foundation's donor-advised fund holders that will award grants totaling $65,000 this year to arts projects in the state.

Indeed, as loyal patrons of the arts grow older and many arts organizations struggle to attract new audiences, support from Bonfils-Stanton gives many grantees a little time to figure out their next move, said Rick Tallman, co-chair of the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs. "They're helping traditional arts organizations transition to a more sustainable business model," he told the Chronicle. "It's not about just helping them make ends meet. It's about how to change their organization so they're here fifty years from now."

For his part, Steuer hopes the partnership with the Denver Foundation will lead to similar collaborations. "If we're able to target our resources area, we can hopefully inspire and become partners with other funders."