Led by Six Executive Directors
The Scientific and Cultural District (SCFD) is a respected and envied national model for regional cultural funding. The District’s primary task is to distribute money collected from the one-tenth-of-a-cent sales tax to the cultural organizations and the counties in the district in a precise formula detailed by the SCFD statute (today about $85 million annually). The District has held three successful renewal elections and will have another in 2028.
The District has had six executive directors since its inception in 1989. All have been selected and governed by a board with representatives from the six – now – seven, counties in the Denver region and several additional appointments by the governor.
Executive directors’ terms have generally been 8 or 9 years. As the first director and person who helped draft the statute, I organized the first year’s distribution of approximately $14 million and helped hire the next executive director, Jane Hansberry. Directors have all had backgrounds in nonprofit or public policy management and have been mindful of the restrictions and purpose of the statute and its basic principles. The core of those are being frugal and careful stewards of taxpayer money and avoiding partisan and political activities.
RELATED:
The SCFD is Designed to be Frugal and Accountable August 12, 2025
SCFD: Logos and Principles October 14, 2025
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