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<BODY style="MARGIN: 4px 4px 1px; FONT: 10pt Tahoma" lang=EN-US background="cid:LFOAJUIMEPQA.IMAGE_3.gif" link=#6666ff bgColor=white vLink=#993333>FYI - Brian Wagner, Oregon Arts Commission, sent me an email noting there weren't any applicants from Oregon in 2011 nor any grantees for the NEA Our Town program. See below for info about the program and the timeline for applications next year...Sheri<SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: windowtext"> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN>
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<P class=MsoNormal><A href="http://www.nea.gov/"><SPAN style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><IMG id=_x0000_i1026 border=0 alt=http://apps.nea.gov/images/mh_logo.gif src="cid:JDHJUITYLCHI.IMAGE_4.gif" width=81 height=23></SPAN></A><o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal><A href="http://www.nea.gov/"><SPAN style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><IMG id=_x0000_i1025 border=0 alt="National Endowment for the Arts" src="cid:TYNNWCDKRJHW.IMAGE_5.gif" width=529 height=23></SPAN></A><o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><BR><BR><B>Greetings from the National Endowment for the Arts.</B> <BR><BR>We are pleased to announce that the National Endowment for the Arts has posted the <A href="http://arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/index.html">guidelines for 2012 Our Town grants</A>. <BR><BR>Now in its second year, <I>Our Town</I> supports creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. <I>Our Town</I> will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to: <o:p></o:p></P>
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<LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Improve their quality of life. <o:p></o:p>
<LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Encourage creative activity. <o:p></o:p>
<LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Create community identity and a sense of place. <o:p></o:p>
<LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class=MsoNormal>Revitalize local economies. <o:p></o:p></LI></UL>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal>Pending availability of funding, grants will range from $25,000 to $150,000. Projects may include planning, design, and arts engagement activities that reflect a systemic approach to civic development and a persuasive vision for enhanced community vibrancy. <o:p></o:p></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>COMPLETE GUIDELINES:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal><A href="http://arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/index.html">http://arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/index.html</A> <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>APPLICATION DEADLINE:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal>Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 11:59PM EST <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>GRANT AMOUNTS:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal>$25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000, or $150,000 <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>PERIOD OF SUPPORT:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal>September 1, 2012 through December 31, 2014 <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>ELIGIBILITY:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal>A partnership between a local government entity and a nonprofit cultural institution is required; additional partners are encouraged. <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>FAQs:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal><A href="http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/FAQ.html">http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/FAQ.html</A> <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>PROGRAM INQUIRIES:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal>Email <A href="mailto:ot@arts.gov">ot@arts.gov</A> to schedule a call with NEA staff. <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR>
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<P class=MsoNormal><B>GRANTS.GOV QUESTIONS:</B> <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<P class=MsoNormal>Contact Grants.gov Help Desk at 800-518-4726 or <A href="mailto:support@grants.gov">support@grants.gov</A> <o:p></o:p></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt" class=MsoNormal><BR><BR>NEA staff will be conducting <I>Our Town</I> webinars on Wednesday, January 11 and Tuesday, February 7, 2012 to answer questions and walk applicants through this year's guidelines. Schedule and registration details will be posted on the <I>Our Town</I> guidelines webpage next week. <BR><BR>For more information on creative placemaking and to view the 51 <I>Our Town</I> grants awarded in 2011, visit <A href="http://www.arts.gov/national/ourtown/index.php">http://www.arts.gov/national/ourtown/index.php</A>. <BR><BR><B>Please share this opportunity with any organizations or communities that may be interested in applying.</B> <BR><BR><BR>The National Endowment for the Arts <BR><A href="http://www.arts.gov">www.arts.gov</A> <BR><BR><BR>This email is for notification purposes only. Please do not reply. <o:p></o:p></P></TD>
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<DIV>Sheri Stuart, Coordinator</DIV>
<DIV>Oregon Main Street</DIV>
<DIV>725 Summer St., Suite C</DIV>
<DIV>Salem, OR 97301</DIV>
<DIV>503.986.0679</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.oregon4biz.com/Grow-Your-Business/Business-services/Main-Street/">http://www.oregon4biz.com/Grow-Your-Business/Business-services/Main-Street/</A></DIV>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">**CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE**<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">This e-mail may contain information that is privileged or confidential.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you are not the addressee or it appears from the context that you have received this e-mail in error, please advise me immediately by reply e-mail, keep the contents confidential, and immediately delete the message and any attachments from your system.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></o:p></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>