President Barack Obama has announced that in tandem with a program by the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtPlace America will invest $18 million in six place-based organizations, four of which focus on place-making.
ArtPlace America is a national collaboration among private foundations, federal agencies, and financial institutions.
Its executive director Jamie Bennett has said the money will be used to “incorporate arts & culture into their community development work.” In the announcement, Bennett went on to say: “these six organizations will demonstrate the unique value that artists and arts organizations can bring to the full spectrum of community development priorities, including community resiliency, economic development, housing, open space, public health, and youth opportunity.” Each organization will receive $3 million each over the course of three years.
In the last four years ArtPlace America has invested over $67 million in 227 creative place-making projects in 152 communities spreading across 43 states. The winning organizations were selected from a list of 21 and include:
- Cook Inlet Housing Authority (Anchorage, AK) – focuses on affordable housing development and broad neighborhood revitalization strategies
- Fairmount Park Conservancy (Philadelphia, PA) – champions the role parks play in strengthening civic life and economic development
- Jackson Medical Mall Foundation (Jackson, MS) – promotes local economic and community development opportunities with a health-based lens
- Little Tokyo Service Center (Los Angeles, CA) – focuses on affordable housing development, social services, and community organizing and planning
- Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership (Southwestern Minnesota) – looks at comprehensive housing and community development
- Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (Zuni Pueblo, NM) – promotes healthy lifestyles among Zuni youth and families
Each organization is due to hold a public meeting in October to introduce the Community Development Investments (CDI) program.