About & Application

The 13th Annual Creative Give Back

The Creative Give Back is an award of consulting services valued up to $25,000.  Awards are selected through a competitive application process.

The Creative Give Back is Creative EDC’s way to give back to the field of economic development. Our team has enjoyed long careers as practicing economic developers and consultants. This profession has given us meaningful work and lifelong friends. We have enjoyed playing even the smallest part in improving thousands of lives through economic development. It is important for us to give back to the profession that has given us so much. Starting in 2014, we committed to giving away one consulting project a year through a competitive application process.

Previous winners of the annual Creative Give Back have included the Mitchell County Chamber, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Employee Ownership Center, the Nikwasi Initiative, City of Lancaster, SC, Waynesboro Office of Economic Development, VA, and several others. The results of past Give Back projects can be found on our website in the free resource library. 

All applications must be completed online.

Click here for a printable application instructions.

Creative Give Back Application

To be considered for The Creative Give Back, the project must:

  • BE CREATIVE
  • Challenge us to think outside-the-box
  • Have the ability to significantly impact the local economy
  • Ability to be replicated
  • Have a true, demonstrated consulting need
  • Be consistent with sustainable economic development practices
  • Give us the opportunity to work with a great community and great people

Scope of Project:

The types of projects we will consider are as wide-ranging as the creativity of the applicant pool. Creative EDC has expertise in strategic planning, product development, organizational development, downtown and small business development, entrepreneurship, and many other areas of economic development. Our website has recent project examples, but don’t limit project ideas to our list. Just make sure the scope is in our wheelhouse.

Selection Process:

Creative EDC staff narrows the submissions to three. The staff-selected finalist projects are reviewed and evaluated by an independent Review Panel of strategic partners who determines the award. The Review Panel members will not be made public until the 2026 Give Back Award is announced.

Projects are evaluated on:

  • Creativity
  • Innovation
  • Ability to be replicated
  • Strength of applicant organization
  • Capability for economic transformation
  • Demonstrated consulting need
  • And just a few points for how much fun the project will be – If we’re not getting paid at least we should have fun!

Influencing :

Absolutely no influencing is allowed. Keep the expensive dinners, sports event tickets, and bottles of wine. If you can afford all of that, then you could hire us instead of applying.

Eligible Applicants :

Local governments and nonprofit economic development organizations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia are eligible applicants. We reserve the right to consider applications from other types of organizations for extraordinary projects. Communities do not have to be economically distressed. There could be many reasons the consulting project has remained unfunded.

Creative Give Back Application

Deadlines :

We mean it. No late proposals. No extensions. Remember, like any good site selector, we’re looking for reasons to eliminate.  Applications are due February 20, 2026 by 5:00PM

Creative Economic Development Consulting