The Nebraska Arts Council has announced its FY25 Creative Districts Development Grants recipients, and several communities in Nebraska Public Power District’s footprint are celebrating major wins.
With more than $1 million in requests submitted by 17 Creative Districts statewide, this year’s awards highlight how strategic investment in arts and culture is driving local momentum. Five Creative Districts within NPPD’s service territory secured funding, each receiving $100,000 to advance community building and placemaking efforts.
- Auburn Creative District, Auburn
- The Bricks Creative District, Kearney
- Valley County Creative District, Ord
- Oshkosh Creative District, Oshkosh
- Seward Creative District, Seward
The Nebraska Creative District Program helps communities across Nebraska build on what makes them unique by using arts and culture to tell their stories and bring more attention to their communities.
Some of the projects made possible by this grant program include an Artist-in Residence Program in Seward and the funding of six Creative District Coordinators in Kearney, Lincoln, Grand Island, Dundee, Valley County, and Seward. The planned projects will have significant impact on tourism and economic development in each district and their surrounding communities.
“We’re excited to support the Creative Districts and see the economic growth these projects will bring to their communities,” says Rachel Morgan, Program Specialist at the Nebraska Arts Council.
The Nebraska Creative District Program was created through legislation in 2020 to utilize the arts as an economic driver to support communities in Nebraska by telling their stories and elevating the value of the arts. Creative Districts are designated cultural and economic areas where innovation flourishes and neighborhoods come together in the name of art. They provide significant economic impact by creating purposeful spaces like art galleries, theatres, and music venues.
For more information on the Creative District program, please visit www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/explore/creative-districts/.
Written by: Sara Groteluschen – NPPD Economic Development Specialist