FINAL FY23 Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 11
ArtistiCO
Minority-Owned Creative Industries
Colorado Nonprofit Corporation
ArtistiCO is a non-profit dance academy
that opened their doors in May 2020. Jose
Rosales and his business partner and
husband, Alfonso Meraza Prudente,
wanted to bring the love of Folklorico and
Flamingo dancing to their community.
Jose struggled to secure financing from a
traditional bank for a startup nonprofit, so
he was introduced to CEF. After working
with CEF’s Business Navigation team to
help with their financials, projections, and
business plan, CEF approved ArtistiCO for
a small loan to purchase a state-of-the-art
dance floor and other equipment for their
primary studio located at 6th & Inca in
2022.
"If it weren’t for CEF
giving us the opportunity
when no one else would,
we would not have been
able to purchase stateof-the-art floor or access
the resources CEF has
provided. CEF is
accessible and
amazing."
As a result of ArtistiCO’s success and the
foresight of a landlord wanting to make a
meaningful impact, ArtistiCO had an
opportunity to purchase the studio at 6th
& Inca that they had been renting. Once
again, ArtistiCO reached out to CEF in
spring 2023 for a larger loan for the studio.
With CEF’s commercial real estate loan,
Jose and Alfonso are not only securing a
permanent home for the ArtistiCO dance
studio, they are also building wealth for
themselves and families. This studio is
located within a creative district enterprise
zone in the City of Denver. Despite the
ongoing revitalization of this
neighborhood in recent years, ArtistiCO is
committed to serving a predominantly
low-income, high minority community.
Their objective is to provide a safe,
inclusive environment where the vibrant
Latino/Hispanic dance culture can be
embraced and enjoyed by all. The future
looks bright for ArtistiCO and CEF is
excited to be part of their business journey.
Owner, Jose Rosales
ArtistiCO works to make dance lessons to
Latinos and Hispanics accessible to all,
regardless of income or demographics.
Jose and Alfonso collaborate to secure
funding and grants to cover the cost of 50
students to participate in their classes.
ArtistiCO also presents four annual
professional performances to showcase
and educate the community on their
Latino/Hispanic culture. Jose and Alfonso
host local, national, and international
dancers to achieve this objective.
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