ARCH Development Corporation Recipient of Kresge Foundation Grant

I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to share this on CHotR. It goes without saying that I am so excited about what this means for the revitalization of Anacostia!

From www.archdevelopment.org:

LUMEN8Anacostia/photo credit: David Lee

ARCH Development has received an eighteen month $223,000 grant from The Kresge Foundation for its program to develop arts and cultural activities in Anacostia that will assist in the regeneration of the community. ARCH believes  “that arts, cultural and the creative economy can be employed as part of a comprehensive, synergistic approach to community revitalization of Anacostia”, that properly organized facilities  and development programs designed to attract artists, performing arts groups, theater companies, green businesses and other creative industries can serve as the engine for neighborhood economic development. This creative economy approach will yield other benefits. It can nourish the spiritual and creative energies to allow individuals to regenerate themselves. It also can bridge the many differences that seemingly divide the residents of Anacostia: age, gender, income, race and ethnicity.

The relationship between a community's art and creative activity and its residential and commercial life is a symbiotic one.  On the one hand, arts and creative activities improve the climate for residential and commercial investment.  On the other hand, improved housing and retail activity enlarge and improve the market for galleries, theaters and other arts-related ventures.  This grant will not only increase the capacity of ADC to serve its target audiences, but will also increase the capacity of the Anacostia neighborhood to develop economically.

The Kresge Foundation is a $3 billion private, national foundation that seeks to influence the quality of life for future generations through its support of nonprofit organizations working in its seven program areas: Arts and Culture, Community Development, Detroit, Education, the Environment, Health, and Human Services.  Go to www.kresge.org for more information

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