Creative Counties Placemaking Initiative
Integrating arts into solutions to local challenges
Developed in partnership with Americans for the Arts and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Creative Counties Placemaking Initiative equips county leaders with tools and resources to identify and strengthen ways to integrate the arts into solutions to local challenges.
Creative Placemaking Toolkit for Counties
Webinars
NACo's webinars are free to everyone and recorded for viewing after the live event. Recent webinars have included:
- Building Arts-Driven Community and Economic Development Solutions for Your County
- Leveraging New Tools & Resources to Build the Arts in Your County
- Telling Your Community Story: Strengthening Economies through Place Branding
Check out all of NACo's upcoming and past Creative Counties webinars here.
Resource Hubs
- Arts & Economic Prosperity 6
- Arts & Economic Prosperity 5
- Social Impact Explorer
- 2019 Profile of Local Arts Agencies
- Animating Democracy
- Local Arts Agency Dashboard
Reports
- Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 National Statistical Report
- Business Support for the Arts 2021: Art for Everyone's Sake
- Community-Based Arts Organizations: A New Center of Gravity
- Building Worlds Together: The Many Functions and Forms of Arts and Community Development
- Programs Supporting Art in the Public Realm: A National Field Scan
- Artists & Communities: Conversations on Passion, Practice, and Engagement
- Animating Democracy--Aesthetic Perspectives
- Animating Democracy--Diving into Racial Equity
- Creative City Report
- Local Arts Agency Partnerships: Types, Components, and Impacts
Fact Sheets
Dive Deep
Explore All Arts & Culture Resources
Explore all of NACo's resources on arts and culture, including latest news and resources, related committees and featured initiatives.
San Diego County addresses growing gaps in arts funding
San Diego County, Calif. is investing millions of dollars into arts and culture programming for diverse and underserved communities as the city of San Diego prepares to slash $11.8 million in arts and culture grants.
House unveils revised housing package with key county wins
House amends Senate-passed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, reflecting feedback offered by counties.
Hawai'i locals stress planning to avoid extractive tourism
As a popular tourist destination, Hawai’i faces a challenge shared by many public lands counties — being loved to death.
Museum expansion amplifies a rural county’s story
In a frontier Montana county, local history and culture will get a larger stage as a museum prepares for a major addition.
WIOA reauthorization bill clears markup, reviving old concerns over local flexibility
House reintroduces WIOA reauthorization bill, raising concerns over local flexibility.
Successful rural development capitalizes on community groundwork
Effective rural development operations capitalize on local systems that identify needs and opportunities and fortify communities.
Leveraging Opioid Settlement Funds for Housing Supports: Strategies for Counties
This webinar will highlight practical strategies for using opioid settlement funds to support housing initiatives at the local level.
2026 NACo Energy Symposium
Join county leaders from across the country in the Texas Panhandle to engage with the most pressing energy issues shaping rural America today. Hear from experts, exchange ideas with peers and gain practical insights into the policies, projects and partnerships driving rural energy development.
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