National Endowment for the Arts  
NEA Partners
  Design Partnerships  
 

The Endowment's leadership initiatives in design are run in partnership with private non-profit organizations.  Although each was developed at a different time, the three programs work comprehensively to protect and enhance the American built and natural environment across all scales.  These programs are:
 

View of Burlington, VT with a church at the end of a long bricked street.  

The Mayors' Institute on City Design is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors. Since 1986, the Mayors' Institute has helped transform communities through design by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities.
Country landscape, a road winds to the left and rolling green hills with a blue sky and clouds  

The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design® (CIRD) is run in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Project for Public Spaces, along with the Orton Family Foundation and the CommunityMatters® Partnership. This program gives local leaders in rural areas the tools they need to wisely direct the physical growth of their communities.
     
Panoramic view of a small town with a field in the foreground and mountains in the background. The steeple of a church is visible above the roofs and the tops of the trees.  

The Governors' Institute on Community Design™, was created in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Environmental protection Agency to advise governors and state leaders as they seek to guide growth and development in their states. It was supported by the NEA until 2011.

Photo Credits
Top: Michael Watkins   
Middle: Jeff Speck 
Bottom: Richard Hawks
 

Privacy Policy          Important Notices          Contact Us          USA.gov