City Partnerships

Boulder is a natural home to some of the most innovative businesses and nonprofits in the nation, many of them eager to collaborate to support the community. The city shares this enthusiasm and looks to activate partnerships that increase community participation and expands options for how the city funds and delivers services. The city is committed to partnership with nonprofit organizations, conservancies, community groups and businesses whose goals align with the city's mission, vision, values, and that provide additional benefit to the public.

The following are examples of some of the hundreds of successful partnerships that the city it is engaged in. In each, the city provides something of value to the partner in return for equal or greater value provided to the community.

The city provides use of city right-of-way for docking stations and financial support in return for increased two-wheeled transportation options for our community. Boulder's nonprofit bike-share operator, Boulder Bike Sharing, partnered in 2010 with the city to launch one of the first station-based bike-sharing programs in the U.S. More Information

The Dushanbe Teahouse is a natural draw for Boulder residents and tourists alike. The decorative elements inside and outside are awe-inspiring – from the hand-carved pillars and original oil paintings covering the interior to the exterior featuring ceramic tiles and the perfectly situated patio that rests alongside an off-shoot of the Boulder Creek.

The history of how the teahouse was created by artisans in Dushanbe, Tajikistan – one of Boulder’s sister cities – gifted to the city, shipped here only to sit unassembled for 10 years before being rebuilt is an incredible story by itself. But it is only part of the story. More Information

The Boulder Open Space Conservancy (BOSC) is a nonprofit organization, established through a public-private partnership with the City of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP), that will leverage public resources with private philanthropy to protect, enhance, and preserve Boulder’s natural legacy of open space and mountain parks for all our residents and visitors, for current and future generations. More Information

The Dairy Arts Center was founded in 1992 to provide cooperative workspaces for local artists and venues for live performance in Boulder County. Originally owned by the Watts-Hardy Dairy, the building’s transformation from a former milk-processing facility to a thriving multi-disciplinary arts hub for Boulder and beyond is a nationally recognized example of constructive urban development and renewal. The City of Boulder provides The Dairy with a subsidized lease in exchange for the day-to-day operation of the facility, office and performing space for the city’s cultural nonprofits, and access to the arts for the community and visitors. More Information

Growing Gardens, a Boulder-based nonprofit organization established, has a mission to enrich the lives of our community through sustainable urban agriculture. The city provides Growing Gardens with a lease of city land at a nominal rate in exchange for programming that builds community and provides gardening, education, youth camps, and fresh produce yields for low-income beneificieiers and other members of the community. More Information

The NoBo Art District is an inclusive, grassroots, community-focused organization dedicated to promoting artists and creative businesses located along Broadway and the adjoining neighborhoods in north Boulder, Colorado. The city facilitates coordination for the Art District with nonprofits and city departments and provides in-kind and sponsored support. In exchange, the NoBo Art District supports artists and other businesses in the areas through events, First Friday art walks, creative placemaking, and advocacy. More Information

The PLAY Boulder Foundation is the Parks and Recreation Department’s official nonprofit partner. For over 30 years, PLAY Boulder has been working to support excellence in parks and recreation by mobilizing community support through education, philanthropy and advocacy. PLAY Boulder focuses on providing access for all, supporting placemaking efforts, and ensuring environmental sustainability. More Information

Located at the base of Boulder’s Flatirons and one of only 25 National Historic Landmarks in the state of Colorado, the Colorado Chautauqua is one of only a few remaining chautauquas in the U.S. It is considered the western representation of the cultural movement that swept the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is the only site west of the Mississippi that has been in continuous operation since its founding and with its original structures intact and used for their original purposes. More Information