Fitchburg Creative Cities Partnership announces Dream It, Create It Grant Program
Fitchburg Creative Cities Partnership is proud to announce the launch of its “Dream It, Create It” Grant Program for 2023, with a focus on supporting placemaking/placekeeping projects in Fitchburg’s neighborhoods. The program aims to directly involve and impact residents, visitors, and businesses, and to advance Fitchburg as one of the most culturally unique and creative cities in America.
The program is open to individuals and organizations across the city, but projects that aim to activate underutilized public spaces in downtown Fitchburg or demonstrate a meaningful connection to the downtown will be given priority.
“We believe that placemaking and placekeeping are essential for building strong, vibrant communities, and we’re excited to support projects that bring people together and make our city a better place,” said Derek Craig, Program Manager of Fitchburg Creative Cities Partnership.
Placemaking, according to the Project for Public Spaces, is “the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people’s health, happiness, and well-being.” Placekeeping, as defined by the USDAC, is “the active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there.”
For the “Dream It, Create It” Grant Program, the goal is to use arts and culture to shape the physical and social character of a place, to spur economic development, promote enduring social change, and improve the physical environment. Successful projects will involve diverse partners, such as neighborhood residents, businesses, non-profits, places of worship, and government agencies, and artists should be involved in the planning, execution, and activity.
“We’re looking for projects that use creative approaches to activate underutilized places into something useful, beautiful, and vibrant for the district,” added Joe Ferguson of Intown Fitchburg. “Successful creative placemaking and placekeeping projects attract people, and this becomes the catalyst for other improvements.”
The “Dream It, Create It” Grant Program will award up to $50,000 in funding to support placemaking/placekeeping projects in Fitchburg’s neighborhoods. Applications will be accepted starting on February 24, 2023, and the deadline for submissions is March 31, 2023. Award recipients will be announced on April 7, 2023. Interested individuals and organizations can learn more and apply by visiting https://smr.to/p87388
About Dream It, Create It Grant Program
This grant program is facilitated by the Fitchburg Creative Cities Partnership and is funded by MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Creative Cities program. Made possible by the Barr Foundation, TDI Creative Cities is working to build a sustainable artistic and cultural infrastructure within cities as a mechanism for supporting economic growth.
