New Bedford Creative is housed at the New Bedford Economic Development Council, and tasked with implementing the city’s first-ever strategic arts and culture plan, published in December 2018. The vision of the plan is that “In New Bedford, the creative community is an engaged and powerful partner, inspiring social, economic, and cultural growth. In this authentic seaport city, each and every person enjoys an opportunity to experience a diversity of cultures. Art is everywhere, encouraging fun, provoking thought, and nurturing the soul.”

Funding is provided by the New Bedford Arts, Culture and Tourism Fund. The New Bedford Economic Development Council has a three-year agreement to manage the fund for the City. This work is led by the Director of Creative Strategies, a 28-member volunteer Creative Consortium, with staff support from the NBEDC and Departments of City Planning, Tourism & Marketing, Parks, Recreation & Beaches, and the Mayor’s Office. Additional funding is provided by the Barr Foundation, Bristol County Savings Bank, MASSCreative, Mass Cultural Council, New Bedford Cultural Council, Schrafft Charitable Trust, SouthCoast Community Foundation, and Southeastern Massachusetts Visitors Bureau.

New Bedford Arts, Culture and Tourism Fund was proposed by Mayor Jon Mitchell in the spring of 2016 and approved by the City Council in June 2016, and consists of revenue generated from the city’s lodging tax, capped at a total of $100,000. Creation of the fund also required the passage of a home rule petition by the state legislature and the petition’s passage, led by state Senator Mark Montigny and signed into law by Governor Baker in January 2017. The purpose of the fund is to create a dedicated revenue stream to provide for additional planning, programmatic, and administrative capacity to allow the City of New Bedford to take full advantage of its cultural and tourism assets, and to catalyze and manage the growth of the cultural and tourism sectors in the years ahead.