🚀
Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator
Business Skills for Artists
A 12-week intensive program equipping artists and makers with the business skills to turn their creative practice into a sustainable livelihood.
Learn more Making an Impact Since 2010
Fueling Creative Economies Across America
NACED brings together artists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and community leaders to build thriving local economies powered by creativity and culture.
48
Communities Served
1,200+
Creative Entrepreneurs Supported
$4.2M
Grants Awarded
15 yrs
Advancing Creative Economies
Our Mission
We believe creativity is an economic engine, not just an amenity.
For fifteen years, NACED has been at the intersection of arts and economics — helping communities recognize, develop, and sustain the creative assets that make them unique and economically resilient.
From small-town cultural districts to urban maker hubs, we provide the research, training, and funding that turns creative potential into lasting prosperity.
Learn about our story"NACED's accelerator gave me the language and tools to talk to investors and city officials about what I was already doing intuitively. It changed everything."
What We Do
Our Programs
🏘️
Community Cultural Planning
Policy Meets Place
We partner with cities and towns to develop cultural master plans that recognize and amplify local creative assets.
Learn more 🎭
Creative Placemaking Grants
Art That Transforms Space
Seed funding for public art, cultural districts, and creative reuse projects that transform underutilized spaces into community anchors.
Learn more Upcoming
Events
APR 8
APR 22
MAY 14
From the Field
News & Stories
Report Featured
How Creative Districts Are Revitalizing Rust Belt Cities
Five years into our partnership with three Midwestern cities, the data is clear: investing in arts infrastructure pays dividends far beyond the cultural sector.
By Maria Chen
Read more →
Story
Meet Jamal: From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar
Through NACED's Accelerator program, chef and entrepreneur Jamal Washington built the business acumen to open his first restaurant — and he's not stopping there.
By Lisa Park
Read more →
Announcement
NACED Releases 2025 State of Creative Economies Report
Our flagship annual report documents the health of creative economies across 48 communities, revealing both encouraging trends and persistent challenges.
By NACED Staff
Read more →
Your Gift Transforms Communities
Every dollar you give goes directly to programs that empower creative entrepreneurs, fund public art, and help cities build economies where creativity thrives.