The Request for Proposals is on the new CIRD website: www.rural-design.org. The deadline for submitting a proposal is Tuesday March 5, 2013. CIRD will offer three free application-assistance calls to answer questions and guide interested applicants in assembling their proposals on January 23, February 7, and February 28. For more details and to register, visit www.rural-design.org/application-assistance.

Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to:

• Improve their quality of life;
• Encourage greater creative activity;
• Foster stronger community identity and a sense of place; and
• Revitalize economic development.

Other key information:

• Complete Our Town application guidelines are available at arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/index.html
• Application deadline is January 14, 2013 at 11:59 pm. This deadline is earlier than last year.
• Program Inquiries: Email OT@arts.gov to schedule a call with an NEA design program specialist
• For Our Town FAQs, go to arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/FAQ.html
• Webinars to learn more about this funding opportunity will be held on November 6 and 13, 2012 at 3:00 pm EST at arts.gov

Projects may include arts engagement, cultural planning, and design activities. Definitions of these activities can be found in the FY 2012 Our Town grant announcement.

Now in its third year, Our Town has provided $11.57 million to fund 131 projects in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Those projects are diverse in geographic distribution, number and types of partnerships, artistic discipline, and type of project. As regards population size, in FY 2012 alone, 41 of the 80 grants supported projects in communities with populations under 50,000.

To view a map of these projects along with descriptions and images, visit the Our Town section of the NEA website.

Our Town grant examples in rural communities:

The Yadkin/Pee Dee Lakes Project  (Central Park and Star, NC, $50,000)
Central Park NC and the Town of Star partnered again on an Our Town grant related to the creation and promotion of a glass arts community in Star. Project activities include planning and development of a new annual FireFest event, an annual glass public sculpture competition, and development of multimedia promotional materials for the community including video, social media, wayfinding signage, and downloadable print materials.

Wormfarm Institute (Reedsburg, WI, $50,000)
Wormfarm’s Our Town grant will support the planning, pilot, and evaluation of Farm/Art D-Tour. These guided and self-led tours will take place primarily along rural roads in northern Sauk County, Wisconsin, and will feature farm-based ephemeral art installations and performances; mobile farm stands designed and built by artists; and interpretative signage about rural culture and the local arts, food, and farming communities.

Program inquiries: Email OT@arts.gov to schedule a call with an NEA design program specialist.

• In July 2012, the National Endowment for the Arts will host three webinars to talk with experts in creative placemaking about current trends, challenges and policies in the field. The webinars will focus on “Creative Placemaking in Rural Areas” (July 17th), “Creative Placemaking through Design and Cultural Planning” (July 24th), and “Creative Placemaking through Arts Engagement” (July 31st). The webinars will take place at 4:00 pm ET. For more information, visit here.
• On July 19, the EPA Office of Sustainable Communities will host a webinar to discuss tools and strategies that can help rural communities spur economic growth while maintaining their rural character. Presenters will highlight zoning strategies from EPA’s recent publication, “Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning and Development Codes,” and provide tips for implementation. The webinar will take place from 2:00-3:00 Eastern; to join this webinar, click on https://epa.connectsolutions.com/epasmartgrowth and phone in using conference number (866) 299-3188 and participant code 2025662950.
• Registration is open for the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference –Midwestern Region. This is a one-day educational opportunity for municipal professionals, elected officials and business leaders on Oct. 3, 2012, preceded by three concurrent half-day workshops, two mobile tours and a networking reception on Oct. 2. This event is hosted by the City of Dubuque and Sustainable City Network, Inc. For more information, visit here.
• The 2012 Western Planner Conference will take place in Billings, Montana, on August 7-10. What is the New American Dream? How can you help your community respond to a rapidly changing world today? How well do you know the future residents of your community? Experience how planners can “rehearse the future” and minimize risk in a time where social and economic change and uncertainty are high and a shared American Dream seems like an illusion. For more information, visit here.