Amplifying Community: The Campaign to Build KGNU's New Home in Boulder, Colorado

Incentive Fund

Amount: $1250000

Provided By: The City of Boulder

Details: In 2017, KGNU's Amplifying Community proposal was selected by a City of Boulder stakeholder's committee, vetted by City Council, and approved by 83% of voters who supported the 2M & 2N ballot initiative, awarding KGNU an extraordinary matching grant of $1.25M, meaning that nearly every dollar contributed will be doubled! Check out the concept design.

Summary

Dear Community Amplifier,

We are excited to lead Amplifying Community: The Campaign to Build KGNU's New Home in Boulder, Colorado. Though we share a passion for community, culture, and music, we are people from all walks of life. We could live anywhere but choose Boulder and the Colorado Front Range because it speaks to us in a special way. KGNU enhances that experience by amplifying the voices that reach deep into our hearts and across the globe. Representing a diverse cross-section of the KGNU community, we're thrilled by the prospect of the new downtown KGNU facility that will impact more lives than ever.  

The money we raise will cover the purchase, renovation, and repurposing of our new facility located at 1720 14th St, Boulder, including new equipment and digital improvements. But we're building much more than a radio station. This dynamic, multicultural community media center in the heart of Boulder will be the epicenter of a cultural shift in how tens of thousands of people experience community, culture, and music for generations to come.

KGNU's new home for media, arts, and culture will be like none other. We see a dynamic place with expanded community space for forums, community conversations, concerts, and multicultural events. A place that will increase capacity for expanding the station's reach to train more youth and interns, reach an increasingly diverse demographic, and provide accessible low-cost or no-cost opportunities and instruction for the next generation of media makers for communication and media jobs of the future.

In 2017, KGNU's Amplifying Community proposal was selected by a City of Boulder stakeholder's committee, vetted by City Council, and approved by 83% of voters who supported the 2M & 2N ballot initiatives, awarding KGNU an extraordinary matching grant of $1.25M, meaning that nearly every dollar contributed will be doubled!

To raise the funds necessary to expand our current building we've launched a $3.5M capital expansion campaign. The result will be a transformational space that opens KGNU's doors to offer improved media resources, a more adequate space for the growing and diverse communities that we serve, and improved independent media services to strengthen the local media landscape for a well-informed and engaged civil society and a healthy democracy.

Capacity and Innovation for Media that Matters: KGNU brings Boulder County residents together around issues that matter. Our state-of-the-art studios will offer a platform for new and expanded programming shared with the community through audio, video, and expanded digital-first content. The new downtown location will help facilitate expanded dialogue and will be a powerful place to tease apart important issues central to life in Boulder and the Front Range.

A Home for Eclectic Music Discovery: A place to explore, celebrate and discover independent eclectic music with a place for local artists to showcase their talent with an expanded performance space for the broadcast of live in-studio gigs and a modern music library.

A Place to Celebrate Boulder's Cultural and Artistic Vibrancy: A place for the community and artists to recharge, create, and connect with each other, with event spaces available to the public for community events, artist exhibitions, and public art.

More Media Training Changing More Lives: State-of-the-art digital studios and training facilities designed to teach more members of the community about audio and multimedia production.

You Can Help us raise the $1.75 M ($1.25 M to be matched by the City of Boulder):  

You can redefine the local media landscape and amplify the community for generations to come. KGNU's new home will improve the culture of our city and the surrounding region. Our bold plan calls on us to transform today to meet the needs of tomorrow!

Check out the 3D Video Fly-Through of the New Design.

Fulfilling our plans requires a strong commitment from the entire community...