About Us

Creative Cities Fund

The mission of the Creative Cities Fund is to create a culture of innovation in economic development and public education.

Recent Grants

Funding is Provided to 501(C)3 Non-Profits or Government Entities for:

Long-term regional visioning, economic vitality initiatives, education engagement/citizen visioning efforts for local school systems, and career/workforce education.

National Board Certified Teachers – 2019

Funded 100 new National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in the public school systems. NBCTs are proven to increase student achievement and improve classroom management in schools nationwide. Administered in partnership with The Schools Foundation.

Summer Adventures in Learning – 2018-2020

Funded summer programs to address summer learning loss among disadvantaged youth in Greater Huntsville. SAIL is a program of The Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville.

Poverty Simulations – 2018

Funded an interactive poverty simulation as a professional development experience for 600+ Huntsville City School teachers and for community & business leaders across North Alabama. The simulation was designed to foster understanding of diverse backgrounds and disadvantaged students attending our local schools.

Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Programs – 2018

Funded peer-to-peer mentoring programs facilitated by Life that Counts, a non-profit agency delivering services in local high schools.

Launch 2035 – 2017

Funded an economic development study designed to map the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including regional strengths, synergies and opportunities for improvement.

Downtown Huntsville Inc. – 2017

Funded one of eight bicycle stands of the Downtown Blue Bikes bike share program established by Downtown Huntsville Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama.

Launch 2035 – 2016

Second year grant for regional planning for entrepreneurship, land use, and workforce development initiatives.

Launch 2035 – 2015

First year grant for regional planning for entrepreneurship, land use, and workforce development initiatives.

Committee Chair

Creative Cities Members

Leah Gradl

Chair

Linda Akenhead

Civic Volunteer

Susan Anderson

Civic Volunteer

Lynne Berry

Huntsville Hospital Foundation

Greg Brown

Brown Precision Inc.

Candy Burnett

Civic Volunteer

Shari Burnum

Investor’s Resource Group

Cindi Branham

Net Focus Marketing

Melanie Brooks

Coldwell Banker First

Jerry Cargile

Schoel Engineering

Elizabeth Fleming

Huntsville City Schools

Kyle Findlay

Keel Point

Drew Hart

UAH

Lee Hoekenschnieder

Progress Bank

Andrew Jennings

Transcend

Scott McLain

Coldwell Banker Commercial

Janice Migliore

PALCO

Caroline Myers

FLS Translation

Susan Ozment

Keller Williams Realty

Al Patterson

Navigator, Inc.

Lauren Pelto

TVA

Ryan Renaud

Trustmark

Jonathan Rosswog

DATAKATA

Judy Ryals

HMCCVB

Felica Sparks

Ad4! Group

Kelly Suber

Civic Volunteer

Melissa Thompson

Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville

Rick Tucker

Huntsville Airport Authority

Willie Williams

LtG(Ret)