National Endowment for the Arts
Ben Stone has accumulated a diverse range of work experiences over the years. Starting in 2023, they served as the Director of Design and Creative Placemaking at the National Endowment for the Arts. Prior to that, from 2022 to 2023, they were the Senior Advisor for Civic Engagement at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at The Johns Hopkins University. From 2016 to 2022, Stone held the position of Director of Arts & Culture at both Smart Growth America and Transportation for America, where they led efforts to integrate arts, culture, and creative placemaking into community revitalization and transportation planning. Ben also served as the Executive Director for Station North Arts & Entertainment, Inc. between 2011 and 2016, focusing on arts-based revitalization projects. Additionally, from 2008 to 2011, Stone worked as an Architectural Designer/Planner at Baltimore Development Corporation, where they developed urban design guidelines and founded committees for implementing the Middle Branch Master Plan. Lastly, in 2007, they started their career as a Design Intern at Goody Clancy & Associates, contributing to urban design and planning projects.
Ben Stone received a Bachelor's degree in American Studies from Tufts University, where they studied from 2000 to 2004. In the same period, they also attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Studio Art. Afterward, they pursued a Master's degree in City Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2006 to 2008, focusing on the field of City Design and Development.
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National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), established in Congress in 1965, is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. The NEA’s primary activities include grantmaking to nonprofit arts organizations, public arts agencies and organizations, colleges and universities, federally recognized tribal communities or tribes, and individual writers and translators. Grant applications are reviewed by panels of arts experts and individuals from across the country. All grants must be matched one-to-one by nonfederal sources, except for individual grants to writers and translators. NEA funding is appropriated by Congress annually. While the NEA’s primary activity includes grantmaking, it also is a national leader in the field and a convener on issues important to the arts community and people working at the intersections of arts and other fields such as health, community development, and education, among others. The NEA is an important resource for research on the value and the importance of the arts, and shares that information with stakeholders and the public.