CATS Holidaze Edition Meows-Letter
OMG IT’S ALMOST GAYLA TIME, BIG $$, etc.
Greetings fellow friends, freaks + artists,
As the foam settles on your pumpkin spice latte and the price of holiday flights to visit your family spike, we’d like to alert you to our exciting upcoming art-y ongoings.
The 4th Annual Gayla-la-lala-la la la la is less than a month away! **
Buy tickets + send donations here.
🎨 THE 4TH ANNUAL APOGAEA GAYLA 🎨
A fundraiser benefiting Apogaea, a Colorado 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit
Saturday Dec 5 @ Kirk of Highland
📍 7:00–10:00 PM
🎉 On-site After-Party: 10:00 PM–12:00 AM
✨ Creative Formal Attire
Join us for an evening of food, drinks, performances, art installations, surprises, and community — all while raising money to support local arts and education programs throughout the Denver Metro area.
And don’t miss our “Silent” Auction, open for bids now:
https://www.32auctions.com/gayla2026
WHERE YOUR GAYLA $$ MONEY $$ GOES
Apogaea Inc. is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of the arts. Through C.A.T.S. — Creative Art Team Support — Apogaea distributes approximately $60,000 in annual grants to local and regional artists and arts initiatives.
The GAYLA is one of the ways we make that possible.
All proceeds from this year’s GAYLA will directly support Community Arts & Education Programs in the Denver Metro area.
Our first three GAYLAs have raised thousands of dollars that have been redistributed directly into local art programs, schools, creative spaces, and community projects.
Most recently, in Fall 2026, C.A.T.S. distributed nine $500 microgrants to Front Range educators, supporting projects ranging from elementary and middle school art classrooms to high school 3D-printing projects and after-school circus programs.
With just $3,500, these grants will help provide new art supplies and creative resources to approximately 2,000 students this school year.
Some recipients have told us that receiving a C.A.T.S. grant effectively doubles their annual classroom art-supply budget.
“We’re so excited to collaborate with CATS to improve our STEAM program at our small public school that serves a large population of impacted and divergent teenagers.”
— Alisha Black-Mallon, Art Teacher,
Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning
Got good ideas for how CATS ought to spend this year’s Gayla donations?
Want to volunteer at the Gayla?
Do you have homemade goods or services to donate to our auction?
Email [email protected] asap.
Big $$$ Art Grant Round Opens Nov. 11
- Featuring newer, better, more clear + concise question formatting
- Open thru New Year’s Day
- Now funding new, unique ideas for Temple + Effigy (that don’t necessarily have to feature fire!)
- Back by popular demand: CATS will be hosting another “How to Apply for an Art Grant Real Good” webinar and Q&A session – hosted by CATS members and artists-for-pay Mike Lustig + Nathan Koral, time/date tbd
Apogaea 2027 Theme Contest Now Open, thru Dec 1
- Submit your best/worst ideas here
- Theme will be announced at the GAYLA! (+ then on website + socials shortly thereafter)
- Apo 2027 dates to be announced in the near future, stay tuned
also included in the Gayla auction