Cultural Institutions

El Paso, TX

A central entertainment hub and source of pride for the El Paso community.

Queens, NY

A program that uses the rich cultural heritage of the community to engage and educate neighborhood youth

San Francisco, CA

A professional theater that actively seeks to educate youth from communities that have been historically under-represented in the theater industry.

Tucson, Arizona

A cultural organization that fuses arts and heritage to bring community members of all ages together.

Bridge Builders Award

The National Children’s Museum and The Peterson Companies, Developer for National Harbor, for working together to create a stronger region through the development of a successful mixed-use destination for residents and tourists in Prince George’s County, and helping link National Harbor, a new riverfront project, to the nation’s capital.

Entrepreneurial American Community Award

For its 25 years of collaboration with Partners for Livable San Diego on quality of life improvements and community building practices.

Founders Award for Civic Leadership

Senior Advisor at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, for furthering cultural heritage development and historic preservation for over 40 years.

Chicago, IL

A lively art studio transformed from a previously vacant, three-acre lot into a wonderful cultural resource and an educational tool for youth around Chicago.

Entrepreneurial American Community Award

For the community partnership that went into the creation of the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center.

Written by Tom Borrup with Partners for Livable Communities, this book features best practices and technical assistance how-to's on using culture as a fundamental tool for transformative community development. The book is a tool of broad scope covering topics such as: Asset Mapping; Funding and Policy; Effective Partnerships; Assessment and Evaluation. The book follows up on Partners ground-breaking Culture Builds Communities work.

Borrup writes, “In 1993 PLC began an extensive developmental program called Culture Builds Community, which aims to systematically place cultural assets within the portfolio of community development efforts…Nationwide in scope, the program gave rise to a publication, Culture Builds Communities, that inspired this book.”

Published by Fieldstone Alliance, Saint Paul, MN, 2006, 261 pages ($25)

(This Report/Book is only available for purchase. Partners does not have an electronic version available)

By the Rand Corporation

The study argues that cultural institutions attempting to grow their audiences are increasingly challenged by changing social and demographic trends, intense competition, and tensions between art-oriented and market-oriented aspects of their missions. The report is available here>

Founders Award for Civic Leadership

Former Secretary of State for the State of Florida, for enhancing the quality of life and culture across the state

Bridge Builders Award (St. Louis, MO)

Richard D. Baron, Co-Founder and CEO, McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. and Stephanie Riven, Executive Director, Center for Contemporary Arts for their efforts towards creating The Center for Contemporary Arts, which has become an exemplary site for affordable arts and education programs for youth and family in the St. Louis community. Special recognition will be extended to Mr. Baron for his 30-year commitment towards using culture and heritage as a bridge for community improvement in residential and commercial development of mixed income neighborhoods.

Bridge Builders Award (Charlotte, NC)

Kenneth D. Lewis, President and CEO, Bank of America, Robert Cannon, Executive Director, Public Library of Charlotte/Mecklenburg County and Bruce LaRowe, Executive Director, Children’s Theater of Charlotte for their visionary leadership and initiative in creating ImaginOn-The Joe and Joan Martin Center a joint venture between a library, children’s theatre, and progressive chairman. Through innovative programs using the written, spoken and electronic word, ImaginOn will be an interactive learning environment for young people and their families in the greater Charlotte area.