Basic Organization Information
THE CORTEZ CENTER INC
- Also Known As:
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Cortez Cultural Center
- Physical Address:
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Cortez, CO
81321 3212
- EIN:
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74-2503370
- Web URL:
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www.cortezculturalce...
- NTEE Category:
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A Arts, Culture, and Humanities
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A20 Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose
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None
- Year Founded:
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1988
- Ruling Year:
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1988
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Mission Statement
The mission of the Cortez Cultural Center is to provide a forum for our community's educational, cultural, artistic and scientific interests. We are a catalyst for cultural respect, continuity and innovation.
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Impact Summary from the Nonprofit
<div>The diversity of programming and activities that the Cortez Cultural Center offers to locals and area visitors means that we have social and economic impact locally and regionally. In 2011-2012, we organized and hosted Ladies' Night Out as a fundraiser for our annual Patsy Brown Art Scholarship for a local high school student pursuing training in the arts (2012 recipient is Bailey Morris from Montezuma-Cortez High School); the Pueblo-to-Pueblo Run and Bike Race; the Ute Mountain/Mesa Verde Birding Festival; Native American Dances and Cultural Programs from Memorial Day through Labor Day; a Kids' Culture Camp; Bring it to Market: Heritage Harvest Celebration; Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair; and the Community Christmas Dinner. The Cortez Cultural Center has an art gallery that features work by area artists, with 16 exhibits annually, including exhibits by each of Montezuma County's high schools. Our gift shop features books about southwestern cultures, past and present, and carries hand-made items by local and Native artisans. We have provided a performance venue for area high school students who performed internationally. The Cortez Cultural Center also offers lectures and workshops throughout the year, including art and acting classes for youth and adults, lectures on diverse topics from archaeology to travelogues, and historical re-enactments. The Cortez Cultural Center collaborates with several area non-profits and other businesses to offer a variety of opportunities for tourists and local residents alike. </div><div>The main goals of the Cortez Cultural Center in 2012 through 2014 (as set forth in our business plan) focus on significantly increasing programming and activities that will benefit area residents throughout the year, while maintaining the quality of seasonal programming for which we have become known to tourist populations. By increasing our services to locals, we hope to increase and diversify our membership and volunteer base, and to further secure the Cortez Cultural Center as a 'sacred place' in our community.<br /></div>
Revenue and Expenses
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Balance Sheet
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Leadership
Shawn K Collins
Term:
Since
May
2011
Leadership Statement:
Since becoming Executive Director of the Cortez Cultural Center in 2011, I have learned that there are common misconceptions about not-for-profit businesses in general, and about the Cortez Cultural Center in particular. The broadest misconception is that if a non-profit fails to be profitable, then that’s okay. Unfortunately, a failure to achieve a balanced budget means that a not-for-profit must dip into its savings to make up for its losses–this is not a sustainable business practice.<br />A specific misconception about the Center that impacts our access to funding is that we don’t provide “essential services.” While we may not provide food or shelter, our services and programs impact a wide variety of people from different cultural and economic backgrounds. We provide tuition waivers for programs, and we seek for many people to benefit from the excellence of our programs. Our economic impact as one of the primary destinations in the Four Corners region keeps people in southwestern Colorado one or two nights longer than they might have stayed without enjoying our program; restaurants, shops, hospitality, and other businesses see an increase in business that would not happen without the Cortez Cultural Center. “Essential services,” indeed.<br />Given the history that the Center has for providing diverse programs and activities, we must strike a delicate balance between mission impact and profitability. The Center is at a critical point in its history, and must change in order to achieve organizational sustainability and profitability.<br />In the spring of 2012 I wrote a business plan for the Cortez Cultural Center that will be implemented from 2012 through 2014 in a three-year plan. The plan strives to achieve a balanced budget for the Cortez Cultural Center in Year 1, 2012, a 3% profit margin in Year 2, 2013, and 6% growth over the 2012 budget in Year 3, 2014.
Highest Paid Employees & Their Compensation
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Program:
Ute Mountain/Mesa Verde Birding Festival
- Budget:
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$13,000
- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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Adults
Program Description:
<p>Spring migrants and early nesters attract birdwatchers from across the nation to the Ute Mountain-Mesa Verde Birding Festival. Located in the Archaeological Center of America, many of the birding field trips visit spectacular archaeological areas such as Mesa Verde National Park and the Ute Tribal Park. Workshops, an art show, and a special dinner speaker round out the events for the festival weekend. Join the flock in the land of ancient cultures and modern day Native Americans for an incredible birding adventure.</p>
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Program:
Native American Dances and Cultural Programs
- Budget:
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$26,255
- Category:
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Arts, Culture & Humanities
- Population Served:
-
Program Description:
<p>Enjoy a cross-cultural experience at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market Street in Cortez, with our Native American Dances Monday through Saturday 7:00 p.m. starting May 25, 2012, through Labor Day Weekend. Learn about a variety of dance styles, traditions, and regalia, from cultures including Ute, Navajo, Lakota, and Pueblo. Learn about Native American cultures at the Cortez Cultural Center’s after-dance Cultural Programs 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from May 29 through Labor Day Weekend. The Cultural Programs will take place in the Cortez Cultural Center’s Art Gallery at 25 N. Market Street in Cortez. Programs will include Native American music and flute-playing, art, and other opportunities for in-depth appreciation of Southwestern cultures.<br /></p> <p>All ages are welcome and admission is free; the dances and cultural programs are supported by a grant from Mesa Verde Country. The Cortez Cultural Center’s gift shop features hand-made Native American and Southwestern merchandise.</p>
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Evidence of Impact
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