Colorado Business Committee for the Arts

About Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) 

CBCA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been forging inspiring partnerships between business and the arts since 1985 through year-round advocacy, research, training and arts engagement efforts. 

As a champion of artists, cultural organizations and creative industries, CBCA advances Denver and Colorado as a cultural hub and validates the arts as an integral part of our regional economy. CBCA also demonstrates that art is smart for business by providing the business community with access, exposure and visibility for their investment in the arts.

Mission

CBCA advances Colorado’s creative economy by connecting business and the arts. 

Vision

CBCA envisions a Colorado where arts and business are integrated to catalyze and build strong and vibrant communities.

Core Values

• Collaboration: Arts and business enhance one another. Fostering partnerships between them helps strengthen our communities.
• Creativity: Encouraging new, different and innovative ideas is necessary for our community to grow.
• Education: Civic and business leaders, as well as the people they serve, should understand and advocate for the importance of the arts.
• Inclusiveness: The arts are for all Coloradans. All forms of creative expression are valuable.
• Cultural Vitality: The arts are an indispensable part of our community and economic development, as well as our day-to-day lives.

Inclusivity Statement

As an organization that respectfully lives at the intersection of arts and business, we are on a journey toward building community and belonging for all. We commit to an inclusive and equitable approach to everything we do. We believe that appreciating individuals with different backgrounds, identities and experiences fosters growth for everyone.

CBCA History

In 1984, Denver developer John Madden, Jr. brought together a distinguished, forward-thinking group of Colorado business leaders who believed in the importance and value of arts and culture. hey were inspired by David Rockefeller’s national Business Committee for the Arts, which was formed in 1967 by a group of business leaders committed to demonstrating corporate social responsibility through supporting the arts. Under this model, CBCA was created in 1985 with the mission to educate, motivate and recognize business support for and participation in the arts in Colorado.

CBCA was originally founded with a strong focus on the inherent benefits of nonprofit arts on the business community with services and programming primarily serving the private sector. CBCA has evolved to serve the mutually beneficial intersection of arts and business with industry-leading programs, trainings and cultural opportunities for members and the broad community. The organization’s work has also expanded to include the for-profit creative industries with programming, resources and professional development for individual artists and creative enterprises.

As an affiliate of Americans for the Arts, CBCA remains a successful membership organization of leading Colorado companies, individuals, artists and arts organizations.