Engage your community with art

Challenge America Fast-Track from National Endowment for the Arts

Arts tourism is big business.

This grant is targeted at small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. (Most cities and towns in Northwest Oklahoma could claim geography and probably economics.) City governments and nonprofits are eligible.

The involvement of professionally trained, experienced artists and arts professionals is essential.

Fast-Track grants are available only for specific types of projects in these two categories.

1. Engagement of the public with art:

• events that feature one or more guest artists
• unified promotion of community-wide arts activities and cultural tourism
• development of professionally-directed public art projects

2. Livability, or strengthening communities through the arts:

• design and planning for new or existing cultural facilities and civic spaces (including streetscapes and signage)

Deadline: May 24, 2012
Start date: January 1, 2013