Walking Together

Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color

Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color supports folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities by investing in artists/practitioners and the community organizations that care for them. It is a national funding program managed by the six US regional arts organizations (RAOs).

Often called the “art of everyday life,” folklife includes traditional art forms and other creative expressions that reflect the aesthetics, practices, values, and beliefs of community groups. All traditions are connected to the history of the communities that practice them, but they are not just art forms of the past.

Instead, they are “living traditions” that adapt to remain relevant in a changing world, including new and emerging traditions. Individuals and communities use traditional arts to build collective power, engage in healing, and strengthen their identity. Walking Together serves traditional artists/practitioners and organizations that show a deep commitment to sustaining folklife rooted in communities of color.

Initial Self-Nomination Deadline: Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET (10:59 Central)

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Who Walking Together is for

Traditional artists, practitioners, and keepers of traditional knowledge rooted in communities of color
Community organizations and collectives that support folklife in communities of color, including nonprofits, local and tribal governments, businesses, and more
Must reside in one of the 56 states and jurisdictions served by the US RAOs

What Walking Together provides

The program will award significant, nonmatching grants to traditional artists, practitioners, and keepers of traditional knowledge that show a deep commitment to sustaining folklife rooted in communities of color,

$15,000 grants for traditional artists/practitioners
$50,000 grants for community organizations
Grant funds have limited restrictions and do not have to be used for a specific project. They may be used to grow your work and help you support your community’s traditions into the future.

How to Apply

We invite you to explore the Walking Together full program web page at usregionalarts.org/WalkingTogether/ for more information including:

Program guidelines
Application link
Sign up for January 30 and February 4 webinars
Program advising and office hours
Spanish language resources

Initial Self-Nomination Deadline: Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET (10:59 Central)

Information Sessions

Walking Together Webinars

Interested in the new Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color grants? Tune in to an upcoming webinar to learn more and ask questions.

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

Office Hours

You may get help with your application by attending Mid-America Arts Alliance’s 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.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions about the Walking Together program, please visit usregionalarts.org/walkingtogether to see if your questions are addressed. Applicants should read through all questions and answers before emailing any inquiries to M-AAA. If you did not see your question addressed in the FAQs, please email us at grants@maaa.org.

M-AAA staff will not review or provide comments on draft materials.

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About Walking Together

Walking Together is guided by Working Circles of traditional arts leaders of color representing each state and jurisdiction of the US 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.

To learn more about the program and the application process, visit the Walking Together program page.

About the US Regional Arts Organizations

The United States Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) are a collective of six nonprofit arts service organizations committed to strengthening America’s infrastructure by increasing access to creativity for all Americans. We serve the nation’s artists, arts and culture organizations, and creative communities with programs that reflect and celebrate the diversity of the field in which we work. We partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts agencies, individuals, and other public and private funders to develop and deliver programs, services, and products that advance arts and creativity. Together, the USRAOs work to activate and operate national arts initiatives, encourage, and support collaboration across regions, states, and communities, and maximize the coordination of public and private resources invested in arts programs. In Fiscal Year 2023, they invested over $18.4 million across the United States and Jurisdictions, through nearly 2,400 grants that reached more than 1,000 communities. Learn more at usregionalarts.org.