HOW SCFD HELPS
What is SCFD?
The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) provides consistent funding to more than 300 local scientific and cultural organizations in the Denver metro area. Created by voters in 1988, the .1 percent retail sales tax (which equals one penny for every $10 spent) funds large, medium and small organizations in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties.
The citizen-supported SCFD, at approximately $14.92 per capita, provides an exceptional return on the publics’ investment. Proceeds from the tax currently exceed $30 million annually and go directly to support art, music, theater, dance, zoology, botany, natural history and cultural history. Free Days at major cultural attractions, scholarships and tickets for deserving youth, and a multitude of community partnerships are just some of the ways that the SCFD helps improve our lives. Ultimately, these funds make Colorado an attractive destination for tourists and a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Why is SCFD important?
- Culture is good business. The same qualities that guide successful business growth—innovation, creativity and diversity—originate in culture. More than 11.3 million people annually visit Denver metro attractions. As an industry, metro Denver culture generated more than $1.3 billion in economic impact in 2003.
- Funding for world-class exhibitions and programs make life in Colorado interesting and entertaining. It also helps attract tourists.
- Free Days to major cultural attractions provide lifelong memories and experiences for all Colorado residents.
- Provides cultural outreach to seniors, ethnic communities, people with disabilities and children living at or below the poverty level.
- SCFD funds contribute to scientific research and scientific collections. From dinosaur digs to Mars programs, the SCFD helps the public appreciate the spirit of discovery.
How has SCFD funding helped the Denver Museum of Nature & Science?
- Fun and Informative Permanent Exhibitions
SCFD funding has helped the Museum add innovative and exciting permanent exhibitions, including expanded and improved wildlife exhibits, the Hall of Life health sciences exhibition (installed in 1989), Coors Gems and Minerals Hall (renovated in 1990), the Prehistoric Journey exhibition (opened in 1995), the North American Indian Cultures Hall (completely updated in 2002), and most recently the Space Odyssey exhibition and the new digital Gates Planetarium (2003).
- World-Class Traveling Exhibitions
SCFD funding helps bring the world to Denver by providing funding for two to three major traveling exhibitions per year at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, giving our community a chance to experience history, appreciate cultural diversity, and see rare and authentic artifacts. These exhibitions also attract tourists to Colorado. Some of the most popular temporary exhibitions supported by the SCFD include Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition (2005), Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas (2004), The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt (2004),Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga (2001), Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story (1999), Imperial Tombs of China (1996), Sharks (1992), and AZTEC (1991).
- Outreach to Diverse Audiences and Partnerships with Our Schools
SCFD funding helps the Denver Museum of Nature & Science enrich lives by reaching young people, diverse audiences and those who may not be able to afford the regular price of admission. Offerings include SCFD Free Days for all Colorado residents; partnerships with teachers, schools and other cultural organizations; and traveling science programs at school assemblies, community fairs, festivals and senior centers. More than 2.5 million people have been served by the Museum’s community and school outreach programs since 1989.
- Museum Collections and Research
SCFD funding helps scientists acquire, study and preserve fossils, minerals, images from space, zoology specimens and cultural artifacts. Thanks to SCFD funding, the Museum has been able to acquire significant objects, such as the first T. rex fossils from the Denver metro area, leaves from an ancient Colorado rainforest near Castle Rock, mammoth fossils, new Colorado meteorites, exquisite mineral specimens, genetic samples from Colorado wildlife and more. In addition, the Museum has also been able to computerize its collection records and perform important research on topics relating to Native American culture, Colorado history, the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Ice Age, meteorites and Colorado plants and animals.
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