Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design Issues RFP for Rural Communities Facing Design Challenges

Partnership of federal agencies and national organizations offers workshop funding, technical assistance, and additional resources  The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is issuing a request for proposals to rural communities facing design challenges to host local workshops in 2013. Successful applicants will receive a $7,000 grant and in-kind design expertise and technical assistance valued at $35,000. The Request for Proposals is on the new CIRD website. The deadline for submitting a proposal is Tuesday March 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST. The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design is a National Endowment for the Arts leadership initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Project for Public Spaces, Inc., along with the Orton Family Foundation and the CommunityMatters^® Partnership. CIRD (formerly known as "Your Town") works to help rural communities with populations of 50,000 or fewer enhance their quality of life and economic vitality through facilitated design workshops. The program brings together local leaders, non-profits, and community organizations with a team of specialists in design, planning, and creative placemaking to address challenges like strengthening economies, enhancing rural character, leveraging cultural assets, and designing efficient housing and transportation systems. The workshops will be augmented with conference calls and webinar presentations led by experts who will cover topics related to rural design. The calls will also be open to the general public through CommunityMatters. The new website is a portal for resources on rural design gathered from diverse organizations across the country. It will be a place for interested citizens to connect with one another and get information about improving design in their own communities. Find the RFP and application guidelines here. Selected communities will be announced in May 2013, and the workshops will be held during the summer and fall of 2013.  The Orton Family Foundation, based in Middlebury, Vermont, and Denver, Colorado, seeks to help small cities and towns discover and describe their heart and soul—the collective attributes that make communities unique—and build on those attributes in planning toward a vibrant, enduring future. For More Information Contact: John Barstow, Director of Communications The Orton Family Foundation 802.388.6336 PO Box 111 (152 Maple St., Suite 101) Middlebury, VT 05753 jbarstow@orton.org www.orton.org