TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS

Cultural Districts | Economic Development | Tourism

Once designated as a Cultural District by TCA, organizations are eligible to apply for specific Arts Respond funding that attract artists, visitors, and cultural enterprises to the community. Eligible programs will promote the unique, authentic identity of the community, support local partnerships, and strengthen cultural strategic planning through specific projects, events, or capital improvements.

TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS
Administrative Support

The TCA Arts Create program provides operational support funding to established art organizations and college level art institutions for advancing the creative economy of Texas. Eligible organizations must be positively impacting their surrounding communities by providing a public service, education, outreach, or economic development that involves impactful arts-based practice. Five program categories are offered to target various capacity organizations, minority arts organizations, and local government agencies. The significance of this funding for creative placemaking lies in its flexibility around eligible organizations and impact of projects.

TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS
Education | Supportive Services | Economic Development | Criminal Justice | Environment

The Arts Respond Project supplies project-based funding to arts organizations throughout the state. Funding supports a range of priority areas, including education, health and human services, economic development, public safety and criminal justice, and natural resources and agriculture. While creative placemaking can be supported through all of these program areas, providing assistance to populations living in affordable housing directly relates to positive health, economic development, and criminal justice outcomes.

TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS
Public Service | Education | Outreach & Engagement | Economic Development

The TCA Arts Create program provides operational support funding to established art organizations and college level art institutions for advancing the creative economy of Texas. Eligible organizations must be positively impacting their surrounding communities by providing a public service, education, outreach, or economic development that involves impactful arts-based practice. Five program categories are offered to target various capacity organizations, minority arts organizations, and local government agencies. The significance of this funding for creative placemaking lies in its flexibility around eligible organizations and impact of projects.

TEXAS PRESERVATION FUND
Historic Preservation | Culture | Tourism

The TPTF awards funding for preservation projects that support acquisition, survey, restoration, preservation, planning, and heritage education activities of and for historic sites or districts. These projects reflect the dynamic diversity of people who have called Texas home, and preserve them for future generations to enjoy and learn from. Historic preservation can be used as a community building tool through heritage education, which promotes a sense of place and belonging in time. Eligible education opportunities include curriculum development, workshops, heritage events, and publications.

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
Housing | Affordable Housing | Community Development

The Qualified Action Plans (QAPs) for housing tax credits incentivizes housing developers to incorporate quantifiable community participation into their projects and provide supportive services to future residents. For both the Competitive and Non-Competitive tax credits, the QAP allocates a minimum of 11 points to these two ends: 9 to community support, and 2 to services. This is not insignificant. While the current procedures outline written forms of support as the minimum for community engagement, any additional opportunities to earn points would be marked on the development community’s radar.

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
Permanent Supportive Housing | Health | Community Health

CSBG funds designated nonprofit and health organizations state-wide to support activities designed to assist low-income, immigrant, and houseless individuals removing the obstacles that block them from maintaining stable housing conditions. The objective is to keep people in-place and in homes that help them achieve self-sufficiency. Programs to support these efforts include employment, personal finance, and assistance training, as well as efforts to get them involved in their communities. At the same time, CSBG allows its partner organizations to further fund capacity building efforts for small, grassroots groups and methodologies that work towards these ends.

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
Community Development | Infrastructure

The Colonia program provides opportunities for community development, improvements and education in south Texas communities. Funding supports infrastructure projects, but also includes placemaking and community development opportunities via engagement and public notices.

TEXAS STATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CORPORATION
Housing | Affordable Housing | Supportive Services

The Texas Foundation Fund provides financial support to non profit organizations that serve low-income, disabled households by assisting with home repairs, accessibility modifications, and supportive services (case management, mental health counseling, job training). Home improvement projects must be allocated to owner-occupied structures. Supportive services also include reducing the risk of homelessness for these populations, so creating spaces where recently housed individuals feel a sense of ownership and home is important.

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Infrastructure

Both the Downtown Revitalization & Main Street programs under TxCDBG offer opportunities for non-entitlement municipalities (localities with less than 50,000 residents or counties with fewer than 200,000 persons) to improve their cultural and historical centers of commerce. The grant provides funding for infrastructure improvements that address the conditions of aging public or commercial structures and infrastructure that hold community significance.

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Capacity Building | Needs Assessment | Strategy Development

The Planning & Capacity Building Fund from TxCDBG is a competitive program for local public facility, planning, and housing activities. Award money can be used to develop needs assessments, develop strategies, or implement local planning projects. Activities and projects include but are not limited to: mapping, land use planning, housing, economic development, tourism, business districts, and capital improvements. The flexibility built into this grant allows a lot of room for creative placemaking practices to be integrated in the planning process.

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Infrastructure

The Community Development fund is the largest funding opportunity offered by TDA using TxCDBG. It is available to non-entitlement municipalities and counties in the 24 state planning region for public facilities and infrastructure improvements. However, citizen participation, hearings and access to information is a large part of TxCDBG compliance. As it stands, satisfying these requirements is highly administrative, as the majority of funded projects are not conventional community-building opportunities.

TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health | Mental Health | Community Health

Awards for the Community Mental Health Grant Program fund community mental health groups to improve the quality of life for people with mental illness. The program is designed to support these groups and help them collaboratively build their capacities to provide more robust continuity of care in treatment and transition services. In these instances, creative placemaking can be used as a way to build community support networks for people with mental illness.

STATE-WIDE PROGRAM
Economic Development

Type B EDCs, although they include all uses for Type A EDCs, have additional community cultivation opportunities. They allow for public uses, such as parks, sports facilities, and affordable housing. These projects have an open window for the use of arts-based community engagement activities. Funds dedicated to planning and professional services and administrative expenditures would include community outreach and involvement.