Funding
Ballet Nouveau Colorado is a non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization and as such is supported by donations, fundraisers, and ticket sales. BNC is also supported in part by the The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District of Adams, Broomfield, and Jefferson Counties and by the Broomfield Community Foundation. Ballet Nouveau earns 60 percent of its revenues from ticket sales and school tuition. BNC also partners with local communities and businesses to assist in fundraising.
One of BNC's partnerships has been with local businessman Don Ferguson, who donated time and services to the ballet company for free. Ferguson has provided BNC with about 200 hours a year of his time and has saved the organization an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 a year.
Due in part to profiles in Dance and Pointe magazines, the company is gaining a national reputation, standing alongside Colorado Ballet and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet as a leader in the Rocky Mountain West. However only half of the company's $1 million annual budget goes to professional performances, significantly less than either Colorado Ballet or Aspen Santa Fe.
On July 8, 2010 a message was e-mailed to all of BNC's "patrons, friends, and partners" requesting an additional $198,000 in donations before July 31, 2010. The message, which was also posted on the main page of the company's website warned that without the additional funds the company would need to suspend operations. The letter, signed by artistic director, Garrett Ammon and his sister, the newly appointed executive director, Shari Ammon Mills stated, "We are determined to never find ourselves in this position again. We are diligently working on new strategies and objectives that will enable us to more effectively support and sustain the continued advancement of our school, company and community programs."
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