NEA selects YSU to participate in exclusive pilot project

Youngstown State University has been selected by the National Endowment for the Arts to participate in a pilot program that will provide assistance with the implementation of INPLACE, Innovative Plan for Leveraging Arts through Community Engagement.

INPLACE, funded with a $100,000 NEA grant announced this past summer, is a plan that will fund five placemaking projects at $20,000 each focused on wayfinding, technology, parking, green infrastructure and lighting for Youngstown.

YSU applied to participate in the pilot program and was chosen through a competitive, peer-review process as one of only seven organizations nationwide.

“Our community does not lack quality ideas or human resources; the challenges are finding financial resources needed to implement high-level programs and projects,” said Dominic Marchionda of the Regional Economic Development Initiative at YSU. “Receiving this technical assistance will help our community learn to implement a successful system for long-term community development.”

Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Creative Placemaking Program and PolicyLink will manage the program and are experienced in developing learning networks and enhancing the capacity of organizations involved in community development projects.

Leslie Brothers, director of the YSU McDonough Museum of Art, said the project will benefit from the technical assistance that LISC and PolicyLink will provide.

“They will help arrange mentorships, convene webinars, create a learning network with the participating organizations, and draw out lessons learned,” she said. “Both LISC and PolicyLink are experienced in managing learning networks and enhancing the capacity of organizations involved in community development projects.”