Now Open: New Grant Invests in Folklife in Communities of Color
By Elizabeth Snell
Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color supports folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities of color by investing in artists/practitioners and the grassroots organizations that care for them. It is a national funding program managed by the six US Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs).
Self-Nomination Form Opens: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Self-Nomination Form Closes: Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET
Learn more at maaa.org/WalkingTogether
The program provides funding of $15,000 each to traditional artists, practitioners, and keepers of traditional knowledge, as well as $50,000 each to community organizations and collectives that support folklife in communities of color. Organizations may include nonprofits, local and tribal governments, businesses, and more—nonprofit status or fiscal sponsorship is welcome, but not required. The RAOs will select 36 artists/practitioners and 56 organization grantees from the 56 states and jurisdictions that we serve.
Folk and traditional arts encompass aesthetics of everyday life. They include forms of expression and knowledge deeply rooted in local histories that are often undervalued or ignored by larger institutions. These art forms and modes of knowledge are directly connected to bolstering the overall health and wellness of communities. For marginalized communities of color in particular, folk and traditional arts can be an essential source of community, expression, and joy.
Walking Together has a two-step application process.
- Traditional artists/practitioners and organizations are now invited to complete a brief round one self-nomination form, due March 19, 2025.
- The RAOs will invite select finalists to complete the round two applications between June 5 and July 21, 2025.
Visit the US RAO website to read the full guidelines and submit the nomination. Learn more at maaa.org/WalkingTogether
Walking Together Webinars
Interested applicants may tune in to an upcoming webinar to learn more about the program and ask questions.
- For Organizations (English): Thursday, January 30, 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT
- For Artists/Practitioners (English): Tuesday, February 4, 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT
- For Organizations and Artists (Spanish): Tuesday, February 11, 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT
There will be live captioning in English for the January 30 and February 4 webinars, and live captioning in Spanish for the February 11 webinar.
Sign language interpretation is available upon request. Requests should be made at least 5 days before the relevant webinar. Other access requests/questions can go to walkingtogether@midatlanticarts.org.
M-AAA Drop-in Office Hours
Mid-America Arts Alliance’s regional Walking Together advisor is available to discuss your work and help you complete your self-nomination.
Interested applicants may get help by attending online drop-in office hours on Mondays from 3:30–5:30 p.m. Central Time starting February 10 through March 10, 2025, with the exception of February 17 which is a federal holiday.
Register now for the Zoom link to the online office hours. For questions, visit maaa.org/WalkingTogether.
About Walking Together
Walking Together is guided by Working Circles of traditional arts leaders of color representing each state and jurisdiction of the Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs). RAO staff work closely with the Working Circles to inform grant guidelines, outreach, and nomination processes. Grants include $50,000 organizational awards and $15,000 individual artist awards to bolster new generations of folk artists, support existing grassroots arts and cultural organizations accountable to communities of color, and facilitate networking between traditional culture bearers and RAOs to work toward systemic change in the arts funding landscape.