2026 Placemaking Grant Awards
Explore Gwinnett is thrilled to announce it has awarded $99,400 in grants through the Gwinnett Creativity Fund’s (GCF) inaugural Placemaking Grant.
By providing financial support for projects that enhance public spaces, the Placemaking Grant encourages vibrancy and activity while serving the community’s functional, aesthetic and social needs.
Funding was awarded to eight placemaking projects, with the majority of grants supporting initiatives in unincorporated Gwinnett—expanding access to the arts in historically underserved areas.
For Award Recipients: Grant Timeline and Reporting Instructions
“It’s incredibly rewarding to support projects that use creativity to uplift and transform shared spaces,” said Lisa Anders, Explore Gwinnett’s chief operating officer, who leads the Gwinnett Creativity Fund. “Inspired by the words of poet John Dryden, ‘mighty things from small beginnings grow,’ this grant cycle prioritized small to midsize projects, with a focus on areas with limited access to the arts. From murals to decorative crosswalks, these projects help strengthen a sense of place while sparking pride connection and momentum.”
Placemaking is the art of revitalizing public spaces in creative, engaging and accessible ways, often integrating art, culture and design to celebrate local history and tradition, foster community connections and transform everyday areas into vibrant, inviting spaces.
$12,000 to the City of Suwanee Performing Arts Center for its Better Buford Highway Project Murals.
$9,600 to the City of Norcross Performing Arts Center for its White Squirrels sculpture project.
$18,500 to Art in Motion for its Discovery Park Mural project.
$19,000 to the Southeastern Railway Museum for its Baggage Car Restoration project.
$13,000 to Gateway 85 for its ONE mural project.
$12,000 to Gwinnett Place CID for its "Gwinnett Place Placemaking Pilot"- public art plan.
$8,000 to the Hudgens Center for its Black Box Theatre Restoration.
$7,300 to Lawrenceville Arts Commission for its Traffic Signal Box Wraps project.
