Social Responsibility & Inclusion Archives

Nov 15

Announcing ArtsHERE: New Initiative Supports Increased Opportunity for Arts Participation

By Natalie Scherlong News, Programs, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

For immediate release: Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 10:00 a.m. ET Contacts: Liz Auclair (NEA), auclaire@arts.gov, 202-682-5744 Ivan Schustak (South Arts), ischustak@southarts.org, 404-874-7244 x829 Rachel Roberts (Cultural Counsel), rachel@culturalcounsel.com, 501-400-4090 New Initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts Supports Increased Opportunities for Arts Participation ArtsHERE Statement of Interest Deadline: Friday, January 19, 2024 Washington, DC—A new initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today aims to expand access to arts participation in our country. A partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, ArtsHERE will provide non-matching grant support…

Sep 11

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2023-24 National Leaders of Color Fellowship Application Launching Soon

By Natalie Scherlong Articles, News, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leah Horn 720.664.2239 leah.horn@westaf.org Second Round of National Leaders of Color Fellowship to Launch with Support from United States Regional Arts Organizations Application Opens September 18 for Unique Eight-Month Leadership Development Experience Denver, CO, September 11, 2023—Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) has partnered with its five United States Regional Arts Organization (USRAO) counterparts in continued support for the National Leaders of Color Fellowship, a transformative leadership development experience curated by WESTAF in order to establish multicultural leadership in the creative and cultural sector. By partnering with the other RAOs (Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid...

Jun 20

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Exciting News: WESTAF Welcomes Expanded Social Responsibility and Inclusion Team

By Natalie Scherlong Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Staff, WESTAF News

WESTAF’s Social Responsibility and Inclusion (SRI) team is growing! Led by Director of Social Responsibility Anika Tené, the expanded team will support existing equity work in the region as well as new initiatives, including new technical assistance grant programs, deeper investment in the Leaders of Color Network, and the development of equity-centered tools and resources to further the work of WESTAF-region states and jurisdictions. In the coming months, the expanded team will unveil new approaches and philosophies around their work and share the different ways for the region to engage with them. Josh Ellis, Grants and Inclusion Manager With a...

Apr 24

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WESTAF Announces BIPOC Artist Fund Awardees

By Natalie Scherlong Grants, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Special Projects, WESTAF News

WESTAF is delighted to share the awardees of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Artist Fund! These artists represent a range of disciplines, from visual to performing arts, and we are thrilled to support their creativity and contributions to the cultural landscape of the Western region. Our team of reviewers identified 18 awardees (from a pool of more than 450 applications!), with one awardee per state and jurisdiction receiving an average of $10,000 per artist. Made possible through WESTAF's MacKenzie Scott gift, the fund will include four virtual group coaching sessions to build on the plans awardees shared...

Jan 25

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WESTAF Announces the BIPOC Artist Fund

By Natalie Scherlong GO, Grants, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

WESTAF is thrilled to share the upcoming launch of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Artist Fund, a new fund designed in partnership with WESTAF’s Leaders of Color Network that provides resources to and for BIPOC artists living and working in the 16 states and jurisdictions in the WESTAF region to advance their own artistic practice and goals. WESTAF is investing in the wellbeing and safety of BIPOC artists, cultural practitioners, and collaboratives by providing no-strings-attached funding and support. Thank you to the design team, which spans across eight different Emerging Leaders of Color cohort years, for their...

Dec 13

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WESTAF Announces 2022 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) American Rescue Plan Grant Recipients

By Natalie Scherlong Grants, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands American Rescue Plan Fund for Organizations (CNMI ARP) is a relief grant program, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, that provides general operating support to eligible arts and culture organizations and individual artists impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Mariana Islands. The program is delivered in partnership with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Arts Council. We are delighted to announce that WESTAF will be awarding grant funding to 32 individual artists and culture organizations across the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Each of the 28...

Aug 22

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National Leaders of Color Fellowship Launches with Support from United States Regional Arts Organizations

By Natalie Scherlong Programs, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leah Horn 720.664.2239 leah.horn@westaf.org National Leaders of Color Fellowship Launches with Support from United States Regional Arts Organizations August 31 Application Deadline for the Program Dedicated to the Advancement of BIPOC Leaders in the Arts Denver, CO, August 22, 2022—Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) has partnered with its five United States Regional Arts Organization (USRAO) counterparts to support the National Leaders of Color Fellowship, a leadership development program for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders committed to the advancement of cultural equity in the arts. An expansion of WESTAF’s Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC)…

Aug 01

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Multiple shapes of orange, pink and green float in front of a beige background. Text reads that the six United States Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs) are currently seeking fellows

Leaders of Color Fellowship Application Now Open

By Natalie Scherlong News, Programs, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

We are thrilled to announce the National Leaders of Color Fellowship (LoCF) application is now accepting applications. The LoCF is a strategic leadership development program for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders throughout the western region who are committed to the advancement of cultural equity in the arts. Using a cohort structure, the program emphasizes experiential learning, community building, and service to the field. Since 2010, and in partnership with South Arts for the past two years, the Western States Arts Federation’s (WESTAF) Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) program has promoted diverse, representative leadership and equity in the...

Jun 14

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TourWest Impact Survey image of a person playing the saxophone

WESTAF Announces Plans for a More Accessible TourWest Program

By Ben Casalino News, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

TourWest is WESTAF’s competitive grant program that has historically provided subsidies to arts and community organizations for the presentation of touring performers and literary artists within the 13-state WESTAF region. Since its inaugural year, TourWest has allocated approximately $500,000 a year in small amounts throughout the region. Through its longstanding efforts, TourWest has brought touring to a region covering nearly a quarter of the continent but holding only about 3% of the population in the 1960s. Cultural leaders in the Western states pursued a way of making tours more affordable for rural communities in addition to making them more attractive…

Nov 04

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WESTAF Announces American Rescue Plan Awardees

By Natalie Scherlong Grants, Social Responsibility & Inclusion, WESTAF News

We are thrilled to announce that WESTAF will be awarding grant funding to 44 arts and culture organizations across the West, with at least two grants awarded per state at an average level of $35,000 each, as part of the American Rescue Plan Fund for Organizations (ARP). Aligning with the priorities of the National Endowment for the Arts (Arts Endowment), the WESTAF ARP program focused on applications that indicated a deep commitment to cultural equity, social justice and disrupting systemic racism through service to a host of constituencies, including rural and remote communities, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)...