Milwaukee receives grant for creative economy research

The Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee has received a $50,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to fund its Creativity Works! research and strategic planning effort.
The grant is part of the organization’s  Mayors’ Institute on City Design 25th Anniversary Initiative. The 21 grants awarded across the country total $3 million. The NEA received approximately 200 submissions from organizations interested in participating in the national grant program.
“We’re honored to have the Creativity Works! project selected for this national recognition from such a vast pool of worthwhile initiatives,” said Jill Morin, of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. “The grant is instrumental to our continued effort to define and strengthen our creative economy, and allow us to compete more effectively on a regional and national scale.”
Creativity Works!, is the Milwaukee regional creative economy project. It’s a joint project of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee. The goal of the project is to develop a plan to identify and promote the region’s creative economy in a way that supports economic progress and encourages economic investment.
“We’re excited about the opportunities the grant and project will allow our city to define and strengthen the creative community, create jobs, develop neighborhoods, and add to creative life in Milwaukee and the southeast Wisconsin region,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “The Creativity Works! project is a valuable tool as we re-imagine strategies to improve the global competitiveness of our local economy.”
The National Endowment for the Arts hopes the grant awards will spark innovative methodologies for the recovery of communities during the difficult economic times currently facing the nation.