PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mass MoCA's Assets for Artists and partners THECOLLAB, Katunemo Arts & Healing, WANDER, R.O.P.E. Berkshires, and Let it Shine were awarded a $125,000 Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Creative Catalyst Grant

 

The organization will use grant funds to enact a range of projects aimed at supporting leadership development for youth and young adults, community gathering spaces, neighborhood beautification, and partnership development. 

 

MassDevelopment announced $915,000 in grants to 11 organizations for public-facing projects in Gateway Cities that support arts- and culture-based economic development and neighborhood revitalization, such as public art, arts programming, events, educational opportunities, and more. MassDevelopment awarded the funding through the fifth round of its TDI Creative Catalyst Grant program, a competitive opportunity for eligible Gateway Cities.

 

"Over the past 10 years, MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative has worked on the ground in our Gateway Cities helping local stakeholders invest in their downtowns and commercial districts," said Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment's Board of Directors. "Today we are announcing funding for locally-initiated projects like public art, events, and more that aim to foster economic opportunity and vibrancy within these communities." 

 

The Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) is MassDevelopment's signature place-based economic development program for Gateway City downtowns and commercial districts. TDI uses an accelerator model, committing intensive resources for a defined period to real estate development, small business stability and growth, arts and cultural amenities, placemaking, and targeted technical assistance and strategic planning. This work is laid on a platform of community engagement and partnership development; the agency requires that cities assemble a cross-sector partnership to apply, and over the course of the program works to make the partnership more representative of the neighborhood and use it as a platform to grow sustaining, working relationships. Since 2015, MassDevelopment has invested $38 million in TDI districts through tools such as technical assistance, real estate investments, grant programs, and fellows who work in the districts. That investment has directly influenced over $151.3 million in public and private investments in the districts and assisted in securing an additional $241.2 million. Injecting social and financial capital in TDI districts generates a multiplier effect, circulating resources locally, which ultimately stimulates further economic activity in Gateway Cities.

 

MassDevelopment's TDI Creative Catalyst Grant program is made possible by the Barr Foundation, which since 2019 has awarded $8 million to MassDevelopment to create and administer arts-based programming that directly supports the expansion of cultural and creative industries in Gateway Cities. 

 

Through its first five rounds, the TDI Creative Catalyst Grant program awarded $2,875,000 in 49 grants to support unique and significant contributions from the artistic and cultural sectors to advance the revitalization of commercial districts in Gateway Cities. 

 

"The arts are essential to fostering connection and shared purpose in vibrant, thriving communities," said Giles Li, Senior Program Officer of Arts & Creativity at the Barr Foundation. "Creative Catalyst projects demonstrate the power of the arts to bring diverse people together, build a sense of belonging, and create conditions for lasting economic growth."