National Endowment for the Arts: 2017 Mayor’s Institute on City Design (MICD)

Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply. To be eligible, the applicant organization must:
• Meet the National Endowment for the Arts’ "Legal Requirements" including nonprofit, tax-exempt status at the time of application.
• Have submitted acceptable Final Report packages by the due date(s) for all NEA award(s) previously received.
• Have, at the time of application, at least a three-year history with education and advocacy regarding policies and practices affecting the design of American cities.

An organization may submit only one proposal under this program solicitation.

This Cooperative Agreement may begin no earlier than October 1, 2016, and may extend for up to 12 months.

Description

The purpose of this Program Solicitation is to select an organization (Cooperator) to administer the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD), a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). MICD brings U.S. mayors together with design professionals in workshops to assist mayors with urban design challenges, to promote design excellence, and to enhance the livability of communities across the country.

Since 1986, the MICD has helped transform communities through design by training more than 1,000 mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities. MICD achieves its mission by organizing sessions where mayors engage with leading design experts to find solutions to the most critical urban design challenges facing their cities. Institutes are organized around case-study problems in closed-door sessions. Each mayor presents a problem from his or her city and receives feedback from other mayors and design experts.

Every year, the MICD hosts at least six institutes held throughout the country. Each 2½-day institute is limited to fewer than twenty participants consisting of two equal cohorts: mayors and a resource team of city design and development professionals. Mayors present a case study that might include a range of challenges, such as waterfront redevelopment, downtown revitalization, transportation planning, and the design of new public buildings such as libraries and arts centers. Following each presentation, mayors and the resource team identify important issues, offer suggestions, and discuss potential solutions. This interchange generates creative solutions to urban design challenges. MICD’s success stories are well documented on the program’s website. The program has also been recognized with a number of awards, including a Presidential Award for Design Excellence in 2000.

The National Endowment for the Arts will provide general guidance and financial support for the MICD through this Cooperative Agreement. As a federal agency, we regularly issue Program Solicitations for organizations to manage collaborative projects.