4 Philly Finalists Up for $3 Million Artplace Grant

Earlier this week, ArtPlace America announced the finalists who will participate in its ArtPlace America Community Development Investments program. The one-time program will support place-based organizations with a primary mission of community planning and development to incorporate arts and cultural strategies into their work.

The CDI program is designed for place-based NGOs that:

• have a defined geographical area of focus (neighborhood, town, city, region, etc.)
• are working to achieve a variety of social, economic, and physical outcomes in that geographical area
• regularly partner and work across sectors to achieve these community outcomes
• have long-term vision and presence in a community
• do not have a significant history of working with the arts and cultural sector

ArtPlace America’s website said it was looking for organizations who didn’t have a significant history of working with arts and culture because “one of the core goals of the program is to learn more about the challenges and opportunities that arise in integrating arts and cultural strategies across many different aspects of a place-based NGO’s work.”

The program will provide each selected organization with up to $3 million in grant funding over three years. The organizations will also have access to national creative placemaking experts, a team that will look at the deployment of debt capital, a team to advise on federal grant opportunities, and a team that will focus on research and documentation throughout the program.

Grant recipients will receive $250,000 initially to cover administrative costs, planning, and creative asset mapping in their communities. According the ArtPlace FAQ for the grant, each organization will have access to up to an additional $2,750,000 to execute projects during the three year period — the ability to access all of these funds will be dependent on plans submitted to ArtPlace staff and technical advisers.

The 21 finalists, selected from a pool of 261 applications in six different geographical regions, one of which is Philadelphia, range from community development corporations to public health organizations to universities.

“The 21 finalists represent extraordinary opportunities to integrate arts and cultural strategies into the work of organizations that serve as long-term stewards for their communities,” said ArtPlace Executive Director Jamie Bennett.

One finalist from each of the six regions will be chosen as a grantee in August 2015.

The following organizations were the finalists from Philadelphia:

• Drexel University
• Fairmount Park Conservancy
• People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation
• Women’s Community Revitalization Project

“We’re interested in promoting the assets of community and the rich cultural resources that exist in the five neighborhoods that we serve,” said Kira Strong, vice president of People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation, in a press release. “It’s all about the collaborative work. We see creative place-making as a way to maximize the potential of the neighborhood. We are so honored to be in consideration for the Art Place Community Development Initiative grant.”

PEC CDC has a number of efforts that use art as a tool to help advance the community’s revitalization goals, including monthly “Second Friday” events along Lancaster Avenue, the annual Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival, and the Neighborhood Time Exchange initiative.

Image via Meg Lemieur