In 2007, a study by the Colorado Council on the Arts placed creative industries as the fifth largest sector of the Colorado state budget. In 2009, the Council had to cut a fourth of the state arts budget, and arts organizations in El Paso and Teller counties received $90,400 instead of the $183,490 they had gotten in 2008. The local convention and visitor bureau began to concentrate more on culture in the Pikes Peak region. When the Colorado Tourism Office awarded the local tourism office with a grant of $15,000, the local office matched $7,5000 to give to COPPeR. COPPeR used this funding to create the cultural events website at PeakRadar.com.