This morning, Americans for the Arts' and the United States Conference of Mayors presented our three annual awards for public leadership in the arts. Congratulations to The Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado, for the State Arts Leadership award; The Honorable Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston, TX, for the Mayors National Award for Local Arts Leadership for cities with a population of 100,000 or more; and The Honorable Donnalee Lozeau, Mayor of Nashua, NH, for the Local Arts Leadership Award for cities with a population of 100,000 or less.

Animating Democracy creates a series of brief papers and podcast interviews featuring funders who support arts and culture as a creative strategy to achieve community building and development goals, civic engagement, or social justice goals.

In late December, Americans for the Arts released two reports that showcase the enduring strength and impact of United Arts Funds and Business Volunteers for the Arts® programs around the country. These programs focus on encouraging partnerships with the private sector through a mix of activities.

Americans for the Arts celebrates its 4th year of partnering with Vans for the Custom Culture student arts and design contest.

Americans for the Arts has launched the National Cultural District Exchange this week - a new web-based resource, produced in part with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, that includes a host of tools and resources specific to cultural districts. Cultural districts play an important role in helping to strengthen local economies, create an enhanced sense of place, and deepen local cultural capacity.

Americans for the Arts has just released its 2015-2017 strategic plan with a key focus on building recognition for the transformative power of the arts in all of our lives and communities in new ways.

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce the newly elected leadership of its four National Network Advisory Councils.

The Innovation Collaborative and its national partners have joined together to create the Innovation Collaborative (IC), a new, national organization networking the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities in education to promote innovation thinking for students of all ages. IC focuses on the dissemination of research and effective practices in the intersections of art and design, science, humanities, and engineering, use of technology, and creativity, cognition, and learning in both Pre-K-12 and informal learning settings.

American icon, political activist, comedy genius, national medal of arts honoree (Clinton Admin), and Emmy winner (All in the Family) Norman Lear will deliver the 28th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on March 23, 2015.

This fall, the National Endowment for the Arts is giving a total of $950,000 to Washington DC based organizations, one of them being Americans for the Arts to support our Community Visions initiative, a publication that will serve as a policy guide for local arts agencies. This forward-looking blueprint for local arts development in the 21st century will acknowledge the full spectrum of the current community cultural ecosystem, bring leading-edge practice to the fore, and highlight values that underpin effective local arts leadership. 

Throughout the course of each year, Americans for the Arts honors nearly 40 individuals and organizations who support the arts. These leaders and change-makers come from all sectors - business, philanthropy, the arts, and government. This year, we placed an ad in the inside front cover  of the November 20 issue of Chronicle of Philanthropy to highlight these amazing leaders, who we are truly thankful to work alongside.

NJTV News produced a video and article highlighting Americans for the Arts’ efforts to fight for the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

In October, Americans for the Arts and The Conference Board collaborated on two events focused on how the arts can advance business and community goals. On October 6, Bob Lynch hosted forty corporate leaders from the Corporate Contributions Council I at his home in Washington, D.C. for a dinner and discussion on arts education policy. We shared with them recent work in arts education including the new National Core Arts Standards.

On Tuesday, December 2^nd, Americans for the Arts is participating in #GivingTuesday, when charities, families, businesses, community leaders, and students around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and to give.

At the Council on Foundations 2014 Fall Conference for Community Foundations in Cleveland this October, Robert Lynch was joined by Edgar Smith, a BCA Executive Board member and CEO of World Pac Paper; Jennifer Dowley, President of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation; and Carla Dirlikov, an opera singer and a member of the Americans for the Art