Host a Design Workshop in Your Rural Community with CIRD

Oct 26, 2015
May 1, 2024
“Breakout sessions at the 2015 workshop in Houston, MS encouraged community members to imagine possibile ways to connect the tanglefoot trail to downtown Houston.” | Photo by PPS
Breakout sessions at the 2015 workshop in Houston, MS encouraged community members to imagine possible ways to connect the Tanglefoot Trail to downtown Houston. | Photo by PPS

It is our pleasure to announce The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design™ (CIRD) 2016-2017 request for proposals for rural communities facing design challenges. The RFP is intended to help small (50,000 people or fewer) towns and rural communities build their capacity and acquire technical expertise to solve their design challenges. As many as six communities will be selected, and each will receive a $10,000 stipend and in-kind professional design expertise from CIRD to host a two-and-a-half-day workshop. CIRD will assemble a resource team of subject matter experts to guide your community in addressing the challenges that matter most to you. Apply to submit your proposal here.

Community Members at CIRD workshop craft a new vision for their community with CIRD workshop coordinator James Rojas. | Photo by PPS
Community Members at CIRD workshop craft a new vision for Live Oak, FL. | Photo by PPS

CIRD workshops yield positive measurable outcomes that help communities grow and achieve their goals. Take the 2013 design workshop in Seguin, TX, which focused on the development of a new riverfront trail to provide access and mobility to an underserved low-income community. Seguin’s trail is currently under construction and slated for opening this November. The trail is part of series of improvements the city has made to Seguin including the opening of Park West and the unveiling of a new skate park. The workshop hosts credit CIRD for reinforcing the city’s commitment to delivering social and health benefits to the community and spearheading an important workshop to advance the trail’s development.

Similarly, the workshop in Live Oak, FL has helped the community revitalize its downtown following the devastation incurred by Hurricane Debby. Live Oak has since installed new sidewalks, improved mobility through the development of Heritage Trail connecting its downtown with Heritage Park and Gardens, opened a new farmers market and successfully launched a Fourth of July festival that attracted over three thousand people to downtown.

To get a sense of the type of workshops CIRD has supported in the past, check out our recent blogs on Franklin, NHLancaster County, NEOregon County, MO, and Houston, MS

CIRD, with the assistance of our partners at the National Endowment for the Arts and Orton Family Foundation, will host two webinars intended to introduce you to the CIRD program and guide you in the preparation of your application. You'll learn about the application process and eligibility requirements, as well as strategies for submitting a successful proposal.

Click here for our full press release.

Key Dates

November 10, 2015 -- Pre-Application assistance webinar, "CIRD Program Information: All You Need to Know to Give it a Go." Click here to register.

December 10, 2015 -- Our second Pre-Application assistance webinar, "Secrets to Crafting an Outstanding CIRD Application." Click here to register.

January 12, 2016 -- Deadline for Submission. Click here to apply.

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