Bee Vradenburg envisioned a vibrant and collaborative arts community in the Pikes Peak region. She valued and embodied innovation, creativity, enthusiasm and energy. She embraced and was deeply devoted to a successful arts community, both with her philanthropy and time. Her commitment spanned the building of the Pikes Peak Center to paying for individuals’ music lessons and instruments. She encouraged new talent, believed the arts should be accessible to all and advocated for the arts as a profound part of the human experience and of the quality of life in our community. Reflecting her values, our mission:

The Bee Vradenburg Foundation advances Bee Vradenburg’s vision of a thriving and diverse cultural community by investing in the excellence, innovation and sustainability of the arts in the Pikes Peak region.

Our Goals

Through its granting and other activities, Bee Vradenburg Foundation is keenly interested in the health of the arts community of the Pikes Peak region, especially the performing arts. Our grants touch many parts of the cultural sector, with particular interest in:

• Growing and sustaining cornerstone arts organizations that are part of the cultural fabric of the region.
• Supporting smaller, new and emerging arts organizations and artistic endeavors.

We measure the effectiveness of our grants by their ability to achieve one or many of five primary goals:

• Building the capacity and effectiveness of arts organizations.
• Broadening, deepening and diversifying arts audiences.
• Encouraging employment in the arts sector and recognizing and advancing the talents and skills of individual artists.
• Supporting arts education and youth participation in the arts.
• Fostering diversity in artistic employment, art forms and arts audiences.

Additionally, the Bee Vradenburg Foundation has three primary goals for the work of our staff and trustees in the community:

• Providing education, mentoring, leadership and research to assure performance measurement, accountability and best practices for arts organizations in our community.
• Cultivating partnerships with individual funders, businesses and the public sector to bring new resources to the arts.
• Advocating for a thriving and diverse arts community as a vital part of the region’s economy and quality of life.