Wednesday July 10, 2024, 12 PM – 2 PM EST
ReImagine Appalachia and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) came together for a Grant of the Month Club event featuring opportunities for programs that support design, arts, culture, and creative placemaking, focusing on opportunities for underserved communities. This conversation was relevant to small businesses, community leaders, nonprofits and artists or designers seeking support for projects related to economic development and especially involving design, arts and culture.
You can view the presentation that was shared here.
The benefit and pertinence of arts and culture work is often overlooked or undervalued regarding the development of communities, economically and otherwise. The creative sector, though, holds much power and potential for economic stimulation/development, as well as transitions in energy, whose effects can be observed in initiatives throughout the region. Arts and culture is the missing link between folks on the ground and partners working in community development and environmental issues, holding the ability to provide valuable perspectives and solutions while helping orient what work is being done.
This event featured Courtney Spearman from the National Endowment for the Arts. She talked about the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD), a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council. CIRD’s work focuses on communities with populations of 50,000 or less with the goal of enhancing the quality of life and economic vitality of rural America through planning, design, and creative placemaking. Courtney will also touch on grant opportunities from the National Endowment for the Arts, which can support later phases of CIRD projects.
A few notes from the chat:
- CIRD has an archive of events
- There was a lot of interest in this recent event by CIRD on Design and Disaster planning for rural communities.
- How to check for rural eligibility.
- Recent article on how coal communities cultures are impacted by energy and economic shifts.
- Funding stream for historic preservation
- Philadelphia Fund for Black Sacred Spaces
- Blog highlighting regional funding opportunities
- Sign up to learn about upcoming NEA funding and technical assistance opportunities
This event is part of the ReImagine Appalachia Grant of the Month Club Series, an ongoing series which aims to share information on a funding streams and resources that we believe are of particular interest to rural communities, communities facing energy transition or deindustrialization, historically disinvested communities, and/or Appalachian communities.