Colfax organizers push public voting campaign to win Levitt Foundation concert grant

Erin Newington, president of the Historic Colfax Downtown Association, asked city officials and residents on Aug. 19 to help mobilize votes and local support after Colfax advanced to the top 100 finalists for a Levitt Foundation grant that could bring up to $120,000 in matched funds over three years to support professional outdoor concerts.

The Levitt Foundation program advances communities through a public voting round; Newington said the public voting window is Sept. 6–15 and finalists will be notified of award decisions in November. "We made it into the top 100," Newington told the council and meeting attendees, adding that the grant would allow seven to 10 professional concerts in Colfax each year if the city wins and completes the required match.

The application Newington submitted included a budget and a plan for raising the required match funds, she said. According to Newington, an average concert in her budget is projected to cost $10,000–$12,000; the Levitt award…