Case Study: City of Freeman secures $150,000 NEA OurTown grant for the Freeman Arts/Earth Center with PlaceSpeak

City of Freeman - Customer Case Study

The City of Freeman sought to revitalize its rural community through a proposed Freeman Arts/Earth Center focused on heritage, the arts and sustainability, but needed broad community input to shape the project. PlaceSpeak provided a web-based platform (online discussion forum, resource centre and events page) to collect location-linked feedback and engage residents during the April–August 2014 engagement period.

Using PlaceSpeak’s platform, organizers ran discussion forums, polls, a resource center and event listings that generated 556 unique page views and produced location-differentiated, evidence-based input for decision-makers. The work supported the City of Freeman and the Freeman Arts/Earth Center being awarded a $150,000 OurTown grant by the National Endowment for the Arts, and PlaceSpeak’s analytics helped demonstrate community needs to funders and planners.

City of Freeman

Joshua Hofer

Senior Project Coordinator, Freeman Education and Research