Presidential Authority Grant To support the American Festival Project, (AFP) an initiative that supports, challenges and advocates for the further development of community-centered arts practice. Appalshop is a multidisciplinary arts and education center producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken word recordings, radio, photography and books. American Festival Project began as an organization that presented and traveled community-based theater. AFP has reconfigured itself as an arts service organization that provides resources to the field, builds alliances and networks and convenes practitioners to share knowledge. AFP works collaboratively to examine quality in community arts projects, while evaluating methodology and making sure that the goals and the stated purpose of each project have been met. During 2002-2003, AFP committed most of its energies towards restructuring and identifying a community project that could serve as a model for future work. In 2003 and 2004 AFP will use the Kennedy Performance Project as a focus for its curriculum, performance, exhibition and community-building activities; produce content from its Annual Gathering; develop evaluation methodologies and disseminate lessons learned to the field.