Grant Program Description Art works to improve the lives of America's citizens in many ways. Communities across our nation are engaging 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 that capitalize on existing local assets.

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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, tribe, 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.

The Arts Endowment’s support of a project may start on September 1, 2012, or any time thereafter. A grant period of up to two years is allowed.

Original Closing Date for Applications: Mar 01, 2012    The Grants.gov system must receive your validated and accepted application no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on March 1, 2012.

Grant Program Description

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, tribe, 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, subject to the availability of funding, the National Endowment for the Arts will provide a limited number of grants, ranging from $25,000 to $150,000, 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, seek to:

• Improve their quality of life.
• Encourage creative activity.
• Create community identity and a sense of place.
• Revitalize local economies.

Partnerships

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 two primary partners: a nonprofit organization and a local government entity. One of the two primary partners must be a cultural (arts or design) organization.

Additional partners are encouraged and may include an appropriate variety of entities such as state level government agencies, foundations, arts organizations and artists, nonprofit organizations, design professionals and design centers, educational institutions, real estate developers, business leaders, and community organizations, as well as public and governmental entities.

Projects

Our Town projects should represent the distinct character and quality of their communities and must reflect:

• A systemic approach to civic development and a persuasive vision for enhanced community vibrancy.
• Clearly defined civic development goals and objectives that recognize and enhance the role that the arts and design 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 the required partnership that will provide leadership for the project. Partnerships must involve at least two primary partners: a nonprofit organization and a local government entity. One of the two primary partners must be a cultural (arts or design) organization.
• 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, community planning, and installation of public art 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, except for local arts agencies that are designated to operate on behalf of their local governments or are operating units of city or county government. (See more information on subgranting.)
• Financial awards to winners of competitions.
• Fund raising or financing activities.

Note: The Grants for Arts Projects guidelines provide additional information on what we do not fund; see "Administrative Requirements" for more information.

The Arts Endowment plans to support a variety of diverse projects, across the country in urban and rural communities of all sizes. Please review the list of grants on our website to see the types of projects that have been funded recently through Our Town and the related Mayors' Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative.

Projects may include planning, design, and arts engagement activities such as:

Planning

• Creative asset mapping.
• Cultural district planning.
• The development of master plans or community-wide strategies for public art.
• Support for creative entrepreneurship.
• Creative industry cluster/hub development.

Design

• Design of rehearsal, studio, or live/work spaces for artists.
• Design of cultural facilities – new construction or adaptive reuse.
• Design of public spaces, e.g., parks, plazas, streetscapes, landscapes, neighborhoods, districts, infrastructure, bridges.
• Design of wayfinding systems.
• Community engagement activities including charrettes, competitions, and community design workshops.

Arts Engagement

• Innovative programming that fosters interaction among community members, arts organizations, and artists, or activates existing cultural and community assets.
• Festivals and performances in spaces not normally used for such purposes.
• Public art that improves public spaces and strategically reflects or shapes the physical and social character of a community.

We understand that creative placemaking projects are often multi-year, large-scale initiatives. Please specify in your application which phase or phases of your project are included in your request for NEA funding. All phases of a project -- except for construction, purchase, or renovation of facilities as noted above -- are eligible for support. All costs included in your Project Budget must be expended within your period of support.

If relevant to your project, you will be required to provide information in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and/or the National Historic Preservation Act. See here for more information.

If you would like assistance in preparing your grant, CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Award Ceiling:	$150,000
Award Floor:	$25,000