Grant Program Description Art works to improve the lives of America’s citizens in many ways. Communities across our nation are using smart design and leveraging the arts to create livable, sustainable neighborhoods with enhanced quality of life, increased creative activity, distinct identities, a sense of place, and vibrant local economies. The NEA defines these efforts as Creative Placemaking: "In creative placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities. Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired." Ann Markusen, Markusen Economic Research Services Anne Gadwa, Metris Arts Consulting From Creative Placemaking Through Our Town, based on the availability of funding, the National Endowment for the Arts will provide a limited number of grants, ranging from $25,000 to $250,000, for creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, are looking to increase their livability, and specifically are seeking to: • Improve their quality of life. • Encourage creative activity. • Create community identity and a sense of place. • Revitalize local economies. A key to the success of creative placemaking involves the arts in partnership with a committed governmental leadership and the philanthropic sector. All Our Town applications must reflect a partnership that will provide leadership for the project. These partnerships must involve at least two organizations: one a nonprofit design or cultural organization, and one a government entity. Additional partners are encouraged and may include an appropriate variety of entities such as foundations, arts organizations and artists, nonprofit organizations, design professionals and design centers, educational institutions, developers, business leaders, and community organizations, as well as public and governmental entities. Federal agencies cannot be monetary partners. In addition, each Our Town project must have: • A systemic approach to civic development with a persuasive vision for change. • Clearly defined civic development goals and objectives that recognize and enhance the role the arts play at the center of community life. • An action plan aligned with the project vision and civic development goals. • A funding plan that is appropriate, feasible, indicates strong community support, and includes a well-conceived sustainability strategy. Funding under Our Town is not available for: • Projects that do not involve a partnership of at least two organizations (one a nonprofit design or cultural organization, and one a government entity) that are willing to provide leadership for the project. • Activities that are not tied directly to long-term civic development goals. • Projects where the arts, design, or cultural activity are not core to the project’s plan. • Capacity building initiatives for artists that are not integral to a broader civic development strategy. • Construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities. (Predevelopment, design fees, and community planning are eligible; however, no Arts Endowment or matching funds may be directed to the costs of physical construction or renovation or toward the purchase costs of facilities or land.) • Subgranting or regranting. • Financial awards to winners of design competitions. Note: The Grants for Arts Projects guidelines provide additional information on what we do not fund; see “Administrative Requirements” for more information. Projects Each project should represent the distinct character and quality of its community. The Arts Endowment plans to support a variety of diverse projects, across the country in urban and rural communities of all sizes. Projects may include planning, design, and arts engagement activities such as: Planning • The development of plans for cultural and/or creative sector growth. This includes activities such as planning for arts/cultural districts and creative industry hubs/districts/clusters, cultural asset mapping, and other cultural planning activities. • The engagement of artists and/or arts organizations in place-based planning such as community engagement activities. Design • The use of design to enhance/revitalize public spaces. This includes design activities such as charrettes, competitions, community engagement, and the development of design specifications for streetscapes, pedestrian bridges, sustainable parks, and landscapes, or for the renovation, restoration, or adaptive reuse of existing structures to be used as cultural facilities or for mixed use purposes (e.g., for affordable housing for artists and others, artist studios, or live/work space). Arts Engagement • New arts activities to foster interaction among community members, arts organizations, and artists, including festivals, outdoor exhibitions, innovative programming, performances in public spaces, and activities that encourage the activation of existing cultural and community assets and facilities. • The commissioning and/or installation of new art to improve public spaces. This includes the commissioning of permanent and/or temporary site-specific public art such as murals and sculptures, sculpture gardens, and waterfront art. All phases of a project -- planning, development, design, and implementation -- are eligible for support. Applicants generally should limit their projects to a single phase.
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A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the RCWE’s mission is to connect people with jobs through collaborative workforce development efforts and strong partnerships with economic development, business, education, and government sectors in the Northwest Pennsylvania region.