News

FY 2016 Creative Placemaking Grants Awards

By Anne B. Pope, Executive Director –

Nonprofit organizations, cities and counties receive grants to strengthen economic vitality, livability and growth in TN communities through the arts

Twelve diverse applicants that include nonprofit organizations, cities and local governments have been awarded FY 2016 Creative Placemaking grants by the Tennessee Arts Commission. In Creative Placemaking, partners from public, private, nonprofit and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of their neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities or assets.

The Creative Placemaking grants competition was designed to help build stronger communities through the arts to enhance the distinctive character of local Tennessee places for positive economic and community outcomes. The twelve awards totaled $75,000 for a wide variety of projects taking place in FY2016. Six of the awards were made to rural applicants.

Tennessee is home to a wealth of creative talent, resourceful leadership and rich traditions. The grant competition was created for FY 2016 because the Tennessee Arts Commission believes that creativity is a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship, invention, and an essential quality of a competitive workforce.

Creative Placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business visibility and public safety, and brings diverse people together to build shared understanding of culture and community. To increase the likelihood of success and sustainability, applicants were encouraged to involve public, private (including nonprofit organizations) and institutional partners in the development of their Creative Placemaking grant proposals.

The Commission’s allocation process involved a review by an independent panel that included national experts on creative placemaking and local leaders. The panel met on August 26, 2015 to evaluate all eligible applications based on published criteria. All grant applications were evaluated on a competitive basis taking into account the project type, geographic location and whether the project was in a rural or urban community. Half of all eligible applications were from rural communities. The Tennessee Arts Commission congratulates the recipients of the grants.

See a list of the FY 2016 Awards