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2024 Impact Report

Dear Friends of Tri Arts Project,

As we welcome 2025, we are filled with gratitude and pride as we reflect on all we have accomplished together in just one year. It’s incredible to think that at our very first gala in October 2023, we were dreaming out loud about what an art center could mean for Castle Rock. By spring of 2024, those dreams began taking shape when the Town of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation Department issued a Request for Proposal to partner with an organization to provide Arts & Enrichment programming at Cantril School. TAP answered and was selected. This past September, we officially launched our classes with a grand opening celebration we’ll never forget. Over 200 of you came to support TAP and what we stand for: providing space and opportunities for people to learn, create, and experience art. Your belief in this vision has been the driving force behind every step we’ve taken.

This report is more than a reflection on our progress—it’s a celebration of the community that makes it all possible. From the numerous classes and workshops that have been running since September to our first exhibition, Tri Arts Project has quickly become a vibrant hub for creativity in Castle Rock. But this is only the beginning. As we plan for the future, including launching over 150 new classes in the first half of 2025, our mission remains clear: to ensure that there is always a place and opportunities for art education, creation, and presentation in our community. We invite you to explore the highlights of this incredible year and join us in building what comes next. Together, we are shaping something truly lasting.

Sincerely,

Tri Arts Project’s Board of Directors

2024 Highlights

Launch

Our most remarkable achievement in 2024 was the monumental launch of Tri Arts Project at the Town of Castle Rock’s historic Cantril School Building in September. Founded in 2022 with a bold vision to create a dedicated space for art education, creation, and presentation, TAP reached a pivotal milestone by securing the Cantril School Building as our home—a game-changer for the arts in Castle Rock.

We celebrated this milestone in style with a grand opening event that brought over 200 supporters to see what TAP is all about. From that unforgettable start, we hit the ground running: offering an impressive 70 classes across a wide range of artistic disciplines, welcoming 32 exceptional instructors, and inspiring over 190 students who eagerly joined us to learn, create, and connect through the arts– all in just four months.

Give Back

In June, Tri Arts Project hit a major milestone, thanks to two generous grants from the Douglas County Community Foundation and Vaughn Law Offices. This funding powered a dynamic community outreach initiative, allowing us to bring engaging art classes—complete with all the materials—to three underserved senior care facilities in Castle Rock.

As a result, over 35 seniors had the chance to experience the joy of creative expression, connecting with others and stimulating their minds in ways they hadn’t before. These classes weren’t just about making art—they were a lifeline, offering emotional release, cognitive enrichment, and a renewed sense of purpose.

We are excited to continue this initiative in 2025.

 
 

Grow

In 2024, TAP proudly expanded the ways our community can experience and engage with the arts. We believe that having a space to view art is just as important as creating it. To kick things off, we unveiled our first-ever exhibition at Cantril: Inspiration Ignites. Featuring 29 stunning works by Douglas County artists, the exhibit was on display from September to December 2024. Missed it? You can still explore the exhibition virtually, along with our current show, Abstracts and Landscapes, by clicking here.

To keep the inspiration flowing throughout the year, we also published our second-annual calendar featuring 13 incredible local artists. Now, the community can connect with new artwork every month. (Get your copy here!)

Lastly, we launched the TAP Artists Directory, an online platform where artists can share their stories and showcase their work to a growing audience of art lovers.

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Financial Summary

TAP has demonstrated steady financial growth since its founding in 2022, driven by the strong support of the Castle Rock community, local government, and businesses. Starting with a modest budget in our first year (filing taxes under the e-postcard threshold of $50,000), we raised nearly $98,000 in 2023. By 2024, this figure grew to just over $140,000, reflecting our expanding base of donors, participants, and grant opportunities.

As a nonprofit dedicated to fostering arts education and creativity in Castle Rock, we rely on diverse funding sources, including grants, class fees, community donations, and fundraising events. Every dollar raised helps us expand our art programming, maintain Cantril School’s historic building, and increase our ability to subsidize class fees— ensuring anyone can take a class.

This section outlines our financial standing, showcasing how we allocate resources to sustain our mission of providing space and opportunities for art education, creation, and experiences.

2024 Revenue

  • Earned Income: Approximately 45.5% of total revenue came from class registrations and events. 
  • Individual Donors and Family Foundations: Around 43.5%, including generous contributions from the Aloha Fund, the Schrader Family Foundation, and individual donations from nearly 100 engaged individuals in the Castle Rock/Douglas County community.
  • Corporate Sponsorships: 6.8%, with key support from partners like CORE Electric.
  • Grants: Approximately 3.6%, funding initiatives such as free art classes for low-income seniors. 

This diverse mix of revenue sources ensures we remain adaptable and mission-focused while laying a strong foundation for future growth. We are deeply grateful to every supporter, participant, and partner who contributed to making 2024 a banner year for TAP!

2024 Expenses
This year, Tri Arts Project made significant strides in establishing a strong foundation for future growth. Our expenses reflect the unique priorities of a launch year, with a larger percentage allocated to events and a smaller percentage to programming. This is because our classes began in September, making our operational and programming expenses lower than what we expect in 2025 as our offerings expand.

This distribution reflects our early-stage priorities of building awareness and creating a solid foundation for sustainable growth. As we look forward to 2025, we anticipate programming expenses will represent a much larger share of our budget as TAP continues to provide meaningful art experiences for the Castle Rock community.

Financial Responsibility
We prioritize financial efficiency and transparency. Aside from compensating our instructors, TAP operates entirely through volunteer efforts, with no paid staff. This means 100% of our funds are reinvested into the organization to support classes, events, and community outreach. Our commitment to fiscal responsibility has enabled us to expand our offerings while keeping enrollment fees low, ensuring art remains accessible to everyone in Castle Rock. 

2024 Donors and Sponsors

Thank you to everyone who made 2024 an incredible year for Tri Arts Project. Your generosity helped us launch our first art classes, our first exhibition, as well as continue our series of free, community events. Together, we are building a stronger, more inspired artistic community. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to the arts and look forward to creating even more opportunities for artistic growth in 2025!

$20,000+

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Powered By Volunteers

Tri Arts Project is a labor of love, powered by the dedication of 10 passionate board members and a rotating crew of around 15 incredible volunteers. Aside from our paid instructors, every aspect of our organization is volunteer driven– from event planning to day-to-day operations. We simply couldn’t bring our vision to life without the unwavering support of people like you. Thank you for making it all possible!

Interested in volunteering? We’d love to hear from you!

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2024 Financial Report

Explore the impact of your support in 2024! Tri Arts Project’s Financial Report provides transparency into how your contributions helped us bring art to life in our community.

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2024 Year in Pictures

Looking Ahead to 2025

Get ready for an exciting year ahead! In the first half of 2025, TAP is taking creativity to new heights with over 150 classes across 10 revamped artistic categories. Whether you’re into painting, music, crafting, textiles, or even the business of art, we’ve got something for everyone—no matter how you want to TAP into your creativity.

We’re also growing our instructor team to 55+ talented artists, each eager to share their expertise and passion with you. And that’s not all!

This year, we’ve scheduled 4 exciting exhibitions and our brand new TAP Talks—insider insights into each exhibition and the stories behind the art. Our first TAP Talk debuted alongside the Abstracts and Landscapes exhibition on January 17—click here to catch the online version. Don’t miss our next unveiling and TAP Talk on April 4 from 6-7:30 p.m., where we’ll shine the spotlight on our incredible instructors.

Building on the momentum from 2024, we’re gearing up for an even bigger year, with expanded programming, increased outreach, and deeper community connections. We’re also expanding our senior-focused programs and launching new events to celebrate the diversity and creativity of Castle Rock.

Mark your calendars for our rescheduled Art of Giving Gala on April 25, 2025—an unforgettable event to help secure the resources needed to further our mission.

And there’s more! We’re introducing TAP Creatives, a new open studio experience where you can create freely in a supportive, communal atmosphere. Whether you’re looking for guidance from rotating instructors or just want to work independently alongside fellow artists, TAP Creatives is all about exploration, connection, and inspiration.

As we reflect on an incredible year of growth and impact, we also bid a fond farewell to four dedicated board members who have cycled off the board: Lisa Lopez Huffman, Adam Sheridan, Cristina Bowes, and Maddie Stansell. Their leadership, passion, and commitment have left an indelible mark on our organization, and we are deeply grateful for their service. While we’ll miss their insight and guidance, we are excited to welcome two new board members in 2025: Rhea Hiemstra and Jay Boykin. We look forward to the fresh perspectives and energy they will bring to our mission as we continue to work toward positive change in the year ahead. Check out the full Board of Directors here.

With a clear vision and the unwavering support of our community, the future of TAP has never been brighter!

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