Why This Guide / References

Public funding streams are intended to be available broadly, yet knowing what they are or how to tap into them can pose challenges. Federal opportunities are especially difficult to navigate for several reasons. Eligibility requirements can be strict, application documents are often long and complex, the universe of grants is vast while opportunities themselves are highly specific, and the administering agencies may not always understand how creative placemaking strategies can advance the outcomes of their programs. We hope this guide will be a starting place not only for practitioners seeking opportunities, but for the intermediaries and public and private grant makers that provide technical assistance to stakeholders seeking such resources.

Why We Made This Guide

We created this practical how-to guide as a useful first step in making federal funding more accessible to creative placemaking practitioners. As demonstrated in Financing Creative Placemaking, a report from Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, state and federal funding have been vital to supporting creative placemaking. Moreover, as a key recommendation, the report calls for guides that demystify and translate public agency opportunities focused on other disciplines that may advance creative placemaking outcomes.

Public funding streams are intended to be available broadly, yet knowing what they are or how to tap into them can pose challenges. Federal opportunities are especially difficult to navigate for several reasons. Eligibility requirements can be strict, application documents are often long and complex, the universe of grants is vast while opportunities themselves are highly specific, and the administering agencies may not always understand how creative placemaking strategies can advance the outcomes of their programs. We hope this guide will be a starting place for practitioners seeking opportunities, but also for intermediaries and public and private grant makers as they provide technical assistance to stakeholders seeking such resources.

Acknowledgments

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. In collaboration with the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts councils, we advance the arts as a powerful path to economic prosperity, rural resilience, good health, education success and strong communities in which everyone thrives. NASAA serves as a clearinghouse for data and research about public funding for the arts as well as the policies and programs of state arts agencies. For more information about NASAA and the work of state arts agencies, visit www.nasaa-arts.org.

The Creative Placemaking Public Resources Guide is part of NASAA’s strategic partnership with ArtPlace America, Strengthening the State Arts Agency Support System for Creative Placemaking. This initiative, with a special focus on the work of the state arts agency community development officers, encompasses a variety of research, professional development and networking activities. NASAA thanks Artplace America for its generous support of this guide.

Metris Arts Consulting and Susan Fitter Harris wrote and assembled the Creative Placemaking Public Resources Guide with input from NASAA, ArtPlace America and the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Agencies (NACEDA).