Posts Tagged ‘revolving loan fund’

design:SD — More on the Boards

April 2nd, 2009

Design:SD is a lot of fun because we don’t focus on financing – or more specifically, the lack of it.  Instead, the team and community spend  a lot of time brainstorming and imagining creative projects.   Unfortunately, what sometimes happens next is that the design team leaves, and community members are left wondering, “Where is the money going to come from?”

In Deuel, the design team didn’t even get out of town before the question was asked.  In response, the team created a board with a list of funding opportunities to address the question.  (see slide below)

 

The point behind the board was that lots of funding opportunities exist:  so the task becomes matching the funding source with the type of project being developed. 

After the board was done, team members began identifying opportunities not listed and we added a couple more ideas (see DOT Enhancement Grant and HOME Funds).  We could have added many others (like USDA Rural Development programs) as well, but decided the board wasn’t big enough.  In any case, the list is far from complete.

 

A bit of further advice

As I reflect on the slide, I can’t help but offer some further advice. 

People often worry about funding way too early in a project’s lifespan.  Rather than focus on money, community members should begin by prioritizing the community’s needs and developing a ranked list of projects that meet those needs. 

Once complete the community can take the first few projects off the list and begin developing them, including their cost estimates.  It is at this point that attention should be focused on both local resources and outside funding opportunities like those described on the board. 

At that point, projects either acquire the necessary funding or they don’t.  If they don’t, projects may have to go back on the list and wait.  The list may also need to be reprioritized.  It has been my experience, however, that if the project has merit, the support of the community, and is well thought out, the project will find its funding.   

I am offering this advice because it seems that if too much attention is directed at funding at the start, projects appear unrealistic and nothing ever gets started.   But if the energy goes into developing a good project that meets the community’s needs, the funding will eventually materialize.

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Housing, Leadership, Rural | Comments (0)

Mount Rushmore or an Art Festival

March 5th, 2009

If the development of the arts is economic development, should communities focus on creating an attraction like Mount Rushmore or a one-day arts festival?

In a comment on yesterday’s post, Paul alerted us to the importance of Mount Rushmore to economic development in South Dakota.  No doubt about it.  Gutzon Borglum hit a home run for the tourism industry in SD when he started the project in the 1927. 

That project, however, stands in stark contrast to what is perhaps more realistic for most small, rural communities – a one- day arts festival.  But does it make sense for a community to invest their time and effort into an activity that only has an impact one day a year?  Where are the jobs everyone so desperately needs?

Vision:  If a community wants to use the arts as a tool for economic growth, they need to create a larger vision for the future of the arts in their community.  They then need to lay out some steps that help build that vision.

Planning:  In that plan, they need to think about what tools are necessary to further the arts development in the community.  In other words, it is no different than identifying the need for a revolving loan fund and a marketing plan for recruiting a business. 

Time and Effort: In this scenario, an arts festival could be a starting point.  But the effort can’t end there; at least not if the goal is to create jobs and economic opportunity.  More of a critical mass of artists and activities would be needed to accomplish this.  And that’s going to take time and effort. 

Conclusion:  In the end, communities probably shouldn’t focus on whether they should create a Mount Rushmore or a one-day arts festival.  Instead they should ask:  What’s the vision?  What’s the plan?  And are we willing to put in the time and effort to make that happen? 

 

Note:  Interestingly, vision, planning, time and effort are equally important to the success of traditional economic development strategies.  I’d also like to be clear that I’m not recommending the arts development over other economic development strategies.  I just want to lift up arts development as one of the possibilities. 

Other Resources: If you are looking for ideas on how to stimulate the economy in your rural community through the arts, I’d recommend the following links:

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Posted in Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)