policy and advocacy
2004: National Endowment for the Arts Applications and Grants Forms
Challenge America Grant Awards
Challenge America: Access to the Arts
Fast Track Grants
Listing of Grants Made to State and Local Arts Agencies and Local Governments
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Metropolitan Arts Council
Birmingham
$10,000
To support presentation of a new arts festival in a recently restored historic playhouse and adjacent park in order to stimulate redevelopment in Birmingham's southside. Approximately 35 arts organizations of all artistic disciplines will participate in the festival, launching what is expected to become an annual event that will encourage additional economic activity in the neighborhood boosted by the restoration of the Virginia Samford Theatre. The City of Birmingham will partner with the Highland Park Neighborhood Association to implement the project.
- Tucson-Pima Arts Council Inc.
Tucson
$10,000
To support promotion of the Tucson Cultural Arts Festival as a major tourist attraction. Project partners will plan and implement marketing efforts to expand the three-year-old Family Arts Festival into a larger and more tourist-focused event by reaching out to potential visitors from Mexico, timing promotions to lure tourists arriving at the beginning of the winter season, and creating weekend tour packages with hotels and resorts. The Metropolitan Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the US/Mexico Trade Commission will assist in the completion of this project.
- City of Encinitas Commission for the Arts
Encinitas
$10,000
To support planning and dissemination of promotional materials to increase awareness of Encinitas' artistic, historic, and natural resources. Facilitators and artists will help guide constituents through a process to identify goals to advertise Encinitas' cultural assets in a brochure and parallel website. The city's Cultural Tourism Committee and Mainstreet Association will coordinate the overall process. - Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz
$10,000
To support marketing efforts to increase the visibility of Santa Cruz County as a cultural destination. This project will promote a newly launched online cultural events calendar to regional and national audiences and finance ads, press kits, and Web advertising for the 19th annual Open Studios Art Tour. Major partners includes the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council and the Cultural Council Associates, a 65-member multidisciplinary advocacy group composed of large and small cultural organizations in the region. - El Dorado Arts Council
Placerville
$10,000
To support production of Web and print directories of cultural and artistic resources in El Dorado County. As an expansion of an existing map and brochure, the new ArtsAccess directories will include information on performance and class schedules, facility accessibility, tourist discounts, travel directions, contact details, and, on the Internet, links to organizations' websites. Project partners will design and implement distribution of the print directory and promotion of the website. - Upstate Community Enhancement Foundation, Inc.
Chico
$10,000
To support a county-wide cultural planning process. By reviewing surveys of cultural and educational resources and profiles of the local population and business community, project partners hope to finalize this planning effort. The project seeks to better coordinate the development of cultural resources to be a more integral part of the local economy. The Chico Chamber of Commerce, the city's Arts Commission, Butte County Cultural Tourism Project, and Butte County Economic Development Corporation are partners in this project.
- City of Delta, Colorado
Delta
$10,000
To support the events and increased promotion of the Council Tree Pow Wow and American Indian cultural festival. The festival will feature American Indian tipi construction, cooking classes, and an artisan marketplace, as well as traditional dancing, singing, and drumming performances. Increased marketing efforts will help develop new audiences for this event. Participants are expected to include individuals from approximately 30 tribes in 20 states.
- City of Nampa, Idaho
Nampa
$10,000
To support the presentation and promotion of performing arts events and education outreach programs. These events and programs are designed to provide increased visibility for the arts and stimulate positive economic development through cultural tourism. Artists include David Roche, solo performer; Imago, a theatre mask ensemble; the Juan L. Sanchez Ensemble, a Latin music band; and the Count Basie Orchestra. The Nampa Chamber of Commerce and motels in the city will assist with marketing initiatives, including creating special regional tourist packages. - Idaho Falls Arts Council
Idaho Falls
$10,000
To support implementation of a marketing plan for the newly developed Idaho Falls Cultural District. Through this project, the council will disseminate newly designed brochures, particularly to tourists visiting Yellowstone; construct street signs to guide visitors to the cultural district; create identifying banners; and post billboards advertising events on major highways. Partners include two museums, the symphony, a theatre, and the public library, all located within a small downtown area filled with tourist amenities.
- Hutchinson—Reno County Cultural Commission
Hutchinson
$10,000
To support the development of Kansas Murals: A Traveler's Guide, a book that will feature photographs of and narratives about significant murals within the state. Project activities include research, photo selection, writing text for various sections of the book, creating an index and other reference guides, and publication design. In conjunction with an existing website, the book will document several important Kansas murals, provide an educational and reference tool, and serve as a guide for visitors touring the state.
- Appalshop, Inc.
Whitesburg
$10,000
To support workshops to design a community arts space at a newly purchased local building. The project includes assessment of Appalshop's programs, facilitated meetings with community representatives, and a professional process to design space in the Boone Motor Company building, purchased in 1999. The facility will serve as a cultural resource for this largely rural, economically distressed region.
- VSA arts of Maine
Portland
$10,000
To support the development of an accessibility survey for cultural institutions, provide consultation on 504 guideline compliance, and post information on the VSA website about accessible venues. This project will refine and test survey materials on how cultural organizations may better serve the more than 200,000 people in Maine identified with a disability by the US Census. Students from the occupational therapy program at Husson College and Alpha One experts in universal design will assist in the project.
- City of Baltimore Development Corporation
Baltimore
$10,000
To support the creation of marketing materials to identify and promote cultural resources in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. This project will generate brochures to be distributed to tourists, an arts and entertainment guide, and signage at the gateways of a newly designated downtown Arts and Entertainment District. The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts will work with the Station North advisory board to attract visitors to this culturally diverse area where artists have been given incentives to locate their homes, studios, and businesses.
- Downtown New Bedford, Inc.
New Bedford
$10,000
To support programming and outreach activities to community and regional arts groups to attract additional visitors to AHA! Nights. Reaching out to ethnically diverse groups that have not participated in the program, this project will develop arts programs with downtown partners such as the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Pinske Gallery, New Bedford Art Museum, and Culture Park Theatre and add regional cultural venues to the roster of hosting organizations. Eight evenings of related events for underserved community groups in regional arts venues will be coordinated as part of this project.
- Greater Flint Arts Council
Flint
$10,000
To support completion of the Greater Flint Arts Council's cultural planning process, which will define specific goals for local arts and cultural activities. Using a completed assessment of resources and needs, this project will solicit input to finalize details of a cultural plan for Flint and Genesee Counties, including disseminating the proposals in the communities. Consultant Morrie Warshawski will continue to facilitate the cultural planning process. - Thornapple Arts Council of Barry County
Hastings
$10,000
To support community cultural planning in Barry County. Seven towns and villages will participate in assessment meetings, followed by county-wide sessions that will review strategies and lead to the formulation of a cultural plan for the county. This project is an attempt to bring residents together to address the transition of the local economy from a manufacturing base to one more dependent on tourism.
- Hannibal Arts Council, Inc.
Hannibal
$10,000
To support The Provenance Project that will develop arts and cultural destinations along a fifty-mile section of Scenic Byway 79. This project will continue redevelopment plans based on cultural tourism. Also, a project coordinator will be appointed to direct activities in three Missouri riverfront communities, including supervising artist recruitment and the preservation of historical assets, and ensuring communication with the project's partners. Partnering organizations include the Northeast Missouri Development Authority, Pike County Development Authority, Raintree Arts Council, the Hannibal Convention and Visitors Bureau, Main Street Clarksville, and the Great River Road Guild of Professional Artisans.
- City of Las Vegas
Las Vegas
$10,000
To support the development, promotion, and marketing of the downtown arts district in Las Vegas. Components of this project will lead to promoting the arts district and demonstrating how public art can be incorporated into public transit projects. Teams will design signage and a graphic identity for the district, promotional brochures will be developed for First Friday open house events, and models will be created to illustrate strategies for the addition of public art in the Monorail system. This project will help the mixed-use arts district prepare for an anticipated increase in economic activity in 2006, when the Monorail will link the downtown arts district with the "Strip" commercial area.
- Arts Rochester, Inc.
Rochester
$10,000
To support the development of a cultural plan for Rochester. The planning project will engage city officials, artists, and members of the Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders to educate citizens about the range of arts resources in the community and their potential positive impact on life in the region. Experienced consultants that have developed similar plans will be invited to discuss what might be applicable to developing a viable cultural plan for the Rochester area.
- City of Santa Fe
Santa Fe
$10,000
To support the establishment and promotion of cultural districts in Santa Fe. This project will support a range of preliminary efforts to establish six arts and cultural districts in Santa Fe, including mapping existing cultural resources, compiling a master events calendar, e-mailing event announcements, branding each district with specific signage and logos, and placing advertisements in regional and national markets. Partners include major cultural institutions and associations in all artistic disciplines. Principal responsibility for coordinating the promotional campaign will be undertaken by the Santa Fe Conventions & Visitors Bureau.
- Bronx Council on the Arts, Inc.
Bronx
$10,000
To support marketing and audience development efforts for the South Bronx Trolley/First Wednesdays program. The Bronx Council will undertake the development of a comprehensive marketing plan and initiate strategies that will build local audiences as well as tourist interest in taking the trolley to attend performances, gallery events, craft festivals, and other cultural events on the first Wednesdays of the month. Partners include the Bronx Tourism Council and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, each offering assistance in promoting the trolley tours and linking participating sites to economic redevelopment resources. - Chemung Valley Arts Council
Corning
$10,000
To support launching the Mark Twain Festival of American Humor, a regional festival focused on the hometown literary icon. Productions of contemporary, cross-generational humor will be rehearsed and performed in Elmira, Corning, and Watkins Glen, to celebrate the tradition of fine American humor as exemplified by the work of Mark Twain. - Chenango County Council of the Arts, Inc.
Norwich
$10,000
To support a comprehensive planning process for Chenango County that highlights the potential of the arts to positively impact regional quality of life and economic development. Consultants hired for this project will conduct stakeholder interviews, survey the needs and resources in the area, and convene public meetings in order to formulate an action plan. River Street Planning & Development will facilitate the process and coordinate all activities with project partners, the Chenango County Department of Planning and Development and the City of Norwich Planning Department. - Columbia County Council on the Arts, Inc.
Hudson
$10,000
To support marketing for the Modern Art Tour: Art and Landscapes of the Hudson Valley, which includes bus tours during off-seasons in late spring, fall, and early winter. After great success with off-season tour packages for individual travelers, the planned bus packages will allow the council to increase the number of visitors to sculpture parks, contemporary art collections, and ancillary events at historic sites, nature preserves, performing arts facilities, and other area attractions. The tour is a collaborative effort of the tourism and cultural agencies in Columbia, Orange, and Dutchess Counties, and Berkshire County in Massachusetts. - Westchester Arts Council
White Plains
$10,000
To support the development of a design for the adaptive re-use of the first floor of a historic building as a professional exhibition space. The primary focus of this project is to develop wall, lighting, window, and furniture systems that will transform a former Grand Banking Room into a flexible gallery space for art exhibits, as well as for public performances and other arts-related events. Shauna Mosseri has been hired as the principal designer for the building located in the center of downtown White Plains.
- United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Inc.
Raleigh
$10,000
To support RaleighNow!, a marketing initiative to promote a telephone hotline and Internet site that provide access to cultural events and tourist packages in Raleigh and Wake County. This project will distribute brochures and support other public relations efforts to market the hotline and website that provide listings and a reservation system for the activities and services of participating cultural groups, hotels, and other local attractions. The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau is managing the marketing strategy for RaleighNow!
- Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Inc.
Toledo
$10,000
To support the development of a conceptual design for The Gateways initiative, a public art program that will lead to installations at eight designated entry points to central Toledo. The project will allow the Gateways Committee to hire an artist and landscape architect to evaluate the locations and their surrounding environments and establish site-specific guidelines for the artists competition that will solicit designs for the installations. The creative vision for each of the gateways will emerge from meetings among the professionals hired and review committees representing each community location.
- Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc.
Philadelphia
$10,000
To support a process to develop a comprehensive visual design for renewing several blocks of a commercial district on Germantown Avenue in North Central Philadelphia. Partnering with the Urban Design Workshop at Temple University and the Germantown/Lehigh Avenue Merchants' Association, the Village of Arts and Humanities will conduct neighborhood design charettes to create plans for signage, storefront renovations, and green spaces. The project will provide cohesive images, standards, and a methodology for using arts and culture to revitalize the community and thereby increase the area's readiness for inclusion in city-wide development strategies.
- Arts Council of Greenwood County, Inc.
Greenwood
$10,000
To support the development of a design for the renovation of the Federal Building in downtown Greenwood for use as an arts and visitors' center. This project will result in the completion of construction documents for the renovation of a 26,000-square-foot historic federal property that will create a downtown cultural campus in conjunction with the neighboring Greenwood Community Theatre and The Museum. DSP Architects of Greenwood has been selected to design workshops, storage, dressing rooms, visitor facilities, offices, and other areas in the building.
- Jubilee Community Arts, Inc.
Knoxville
$10,000
To support research and production of a guide to dance and music events in the eastern Tennessee valley. Project staff will document community performances of traditional music and dance and prepare a color brochure that will feature a map, historical information, event calendar, and a section that addresses issues host artists might anticipate in dealing with new visitors. The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association will partner to identify events and assist in the design and distribution of the brochures.
- City of Austin
Austin
$10,000
To support the implementation phase of a plan to market Austin as a cultural tourist destination through the media, a website, and event packaging. Project activities include fine-tuning the overall public relations message, creating and launching television and newspaper campaigns, launching a website, developing tour packages with the assistance of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, and creating and distributing print materials. - City of San Antonio, Office of Cultural Affairs
San Antonio
$10,000
To support a cultural planning process that will result in strategies to enhance cultural resources and services in San Antonio. The Office of Cultural Affairs will hire consultants to research resources, needs, and economic data; conduct public forums and advisory meetings in various communities; and distribute the plan to collect feedback concerning audience and resource development, collaborations, and economic development. This project builds on a preliminary study that assessed pervasive needs within the diverse, largely Hispanic-American community.
- City of Suffolk
Suffolk
$10,000
To support the development of a landscape design for the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. The project will provide designs for landscaping around a historically significant landmark, the Suffolk High School, currently being renovated as a multidisciplinary arts and community center. The new center will house a theater, restaurant, a school museum, galleries, technology labs, and various visual arts studios and rehearsal and workshop spaces. The center represents a public/private partnership consisting of City of Suffolk government, the Fine Arts Commission, and the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts Foundation.