Dream It, Create It Grant Program
Welcome to the Dream It, Create It Grant Program – Turning Dreams into Reality!
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Program Description
The Dream It, Create It grant program is dedicated to advancing Fitchburg as one of America's most culturally unique and creative cities. In 2024, this grant aims to support placemaking and placekeeping projects that directly involve and impact residents, visitors, and businesses in Fitchburg's neighborhoods. While we welcome applications from across the city, projects that activate underutilized public spaces in downtown Fitchburg or demonstrate a meaningful connection to the downtown area will be given priority.
What is Placemaking and Placekeeping?
- Placemaking: Placemaking is a community-based process that harnesses local assets, inspiration, and potential to create quality public spaces that contribute to people's health, happiness, and well-being.- Placekeeping: Placekeeping involves actively caring for a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there, preserving cultural memories and supporting the way of life chosen by the locals.
Creative Placemaking/Placekeeping to Us
Creative Placemaking involves using arts and culture strategically to shape the physical and social character of a place, promoting economic development, social change, and improving the environment. High-quality projects in this category include:• Use of Arts and Culture: Incorporating various forms of arts and culture, such as murals, street carnivals, public art, and more, with artists actively involved.
• Diverse Partners: Collaborating with neighborhood residents, businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and more to strengthen projects and ensure long-term ownership.
• Shaping a Place: Transforming underutilized places into useful, safe, beautiful, and vibrant spaces.
• To Spur, Promote, and Improve: Attracting people to the project, fostering community growth, and catalyzing further improvements.
Examples of Creative Placemaking
• Abandoned buildings becoming artist studios and galleries.
• Abandoned parking lots transformed into inner-city sports venues and outdoor cinemas.
• Overgrown parks becoming hubs for libraries, garden clubs, live music, and public art.Learn more about Creative Placemaking/Placekeeping here.
Grant Details
• Total Funds: $60,000 allocated for 3-4 projects in Fitchburg.
• Eligible Applicants: Individuals, nonprofits, community groups, and for-profits.
• Use of Funds: Approved projects can cover materials, operational expenses, capital improvements, permits, insurance, equipment, and more.
• Disbursement: Funds will be disbursed within 30 days of receiving award approvals.
Dream It, Create It – Round Two Timeline
• November 1 at 12:00am: Application launch.
• November 1, 11:00am: Webinar/Info Session.
• November 10-30, 1pm-3pm: Weekly office hours (online or in-person).
• November 15, 6:00pm: November 15: Grant Writing 101 Workshop with Kerry Flathers (NewVue Communities) -Livestream
• November 17: Recording available on Facebook + YouTube.
• December 1 at 11:59 p.m.: Application deadline.
• December 4-17: Committee reads and scores proposals.
• December 18: Final scores due.
• December 19: Committee meeting to determine funding recommendation.
• By December 29: Grant awardees selected.
• January 2: Public announcement of grant awards.
• January – September: Project performance period.
• October 15: Project deadline for submitting invoices.
• December 15: Extension deadline for project completion.
Eligible Applicants
Individuals, organizations, and project teams of nonprofit and/or for-profit status proposing projects in or for the City of Fitchburg are eligible to apply. We encourage diverse and inclusive project teams.
Eligible Projects
Projects should directly involve and/or impact residents, visitors, and/or businesses in Fitchburg’s neighborhoods by utilizing the arts, creativity, and/or culture.
Prioritized Applications
We prioritize applications that:1. Are submitted by Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and women applicants.
2. Facilitate programs, events, and/or initiatives that highlight and strengthen the creative economy of Fitchburg.
3. Positively impact the Fitchburg community identity and help shift negative perspectives and narratives.
4. Include the youth's voice and positively impact Fitchburg’s Youth Population.
5. Have a significant cultural impact on Downtown Fitchburg (InTown Fitchburg) – MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) District.
Evaluation Criteria
Successful applications will meet the following criteria:1. Narrative (10 points): Effectively uses placemaking or placekeeping to involve and impact Fitchburg’s neighborhoods.
2. Community Benefit (10 points): Benefits the community, with specific participants or intended audience(s) clearly identified.
3. Partnership (5 points): Includes at least one partnership with a member of the project team based in Fitchburg.
4. Planning and Timeline (3 points): Sufficient planning and a logical timeline for quality implementation, including necessary permissions and permits.
5. Budget (2 points): A clear and reasonable budget that aligns with the project's feasibility.
6. Underutilized Space: Describe the underutilized space to be engaged in your project and if applicable, provide evidence of permission to use the space.
Grant Selection Committee
All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of representatives from the Fitchburg community.
Grant Terms and Conditions
- Project applicants must sign a grant agreement to receive funds.
- Applicants must send out a press release and provide project data and images as requested by Fitchburg Creative Cities.
- Projects must begin implementation within four weeks of receiving the grant award notification and complete implementation by October 31, 2024.
This grant program is facilitated by the Fitchburg Creative Cities Partnership and is funded by MassDevelopment/TDI and the Barr Foundation, as part of the "TDI Creative Cities" initiative to boost arts-based economic development.For additional details or to schedule consultation hours, please email Derek Craig, Program Manager at [email protected]. Join us in shaping the future of Fitchburg through creativity and community involvement!
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