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2010 Professional Development Fund
for Emerging Leaders of Color in the Great Lakes Region
Funding for this program has been generously provided by The Joyce Foundation

Application Form

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce applications for Americans for the Arts' Professional Development Fund for Emerging Arts Leaders of Color. A total of five Joyce Fellows from the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) will be selected to participate in this program in 2010.  Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000 to support their attendance at the 2010 Americans for the Arts 50th Anniversary Summit/Annual Convention, 2010 National Arts Marketing Project Conference, and 2011 Arts Advocacy Day. In addition, fellows will have special opportunities to meet field leaders, connect with mentors, and receive individualized career coaching.  Support for this program is provided by the Chicago-based Joyce Foundation.

In order for our sector to remain healthy and vibrant, we need to ensure that we are identifying and retaining young professionals within our workforce.  Further, we need to actively cultivate, expand and support talented, culturally diverse, emerging leaders. Based upon recommendations from the Emerging Leaders Council, Americans for the Arts has been working to enable more emerging leaders to fully participate in national meetings and events for their own development and so they can connect with the broader community of arts professionals from across the country. Therefore, this Professional Development Fund has been designed to target an important segment of our workforce: emerging arts leaders of color.

• About the Professional Development Fund program
• Eligibility Requirements
• Selection Criteria
• Program Timeline and Important Dates
• Application Materials
• Additional Resources and Information

About the Professional Development Fund

Americans for the Arts will provide $3,000 in support to five (5) young professionals of color to help offset expenses associated with registering and traveling to three national convenings (Annual Convention, the NAMP Conference, and Arts Advocacy Day,). Opportunities to connect with mentors and to receive individualized career coaching are also available to recipients. Throughout the program, participants will reflect and document their professional growth through post-conference reports, internal cohort discussions, and end of year program evaluations.   

Financial support will be issued in partial installments to participants after each national convening. Recipients are required to attend all three events, conference calls, and to complete evaluations and conference reports. The funds will not cover all expenses associated with these meetings but they will significantly decrease expenses of participants. Costs to attend each national event (not including travel and food) are estimated as follows:

Estimated Costs

Eligibility Requirements

Application must be received by Monday, March 1, 2010 at 6pm EST.

All Applicants’ must be:

• An emerging leader (Americans for the Arts defines an emerging leader as someone who is under 35 years of age).
• Person of color*
• Working in the Great Lakes region
• Able to attend all three national convenings

* Biracial, multiracial, and people of African, Asian, Latin American, Native American, and Middle Eastern backgrounds. 

Selection Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by a group of ethnically diverse professionals from across the country. The recipients will be selected based on the following core criteria.

1. Evidence of leadership
2. Clarity of career goals
3. Potential for leadership growth
4. Use of professional development opportunities

Note: Americans for the Arts seeks to compose a cohort of fellows that is reflective of our field and communities in terms of organization size, types of positions, art forms and service, race, and gender.

Program Timeline and Important Dates

Applications (including completed forms, personal statement, a resume, and letters of recommendation) are due, via e-mail, to Americans for the Arts by 6pm EST on Monday, March 1, 2010.

Application Materials

Application Form

Complete and save the application form under your name before e-mailing with other required files. [ex: Jane_Smith_Joyce_app.pdf]

Additional Resources and Information

Joyce Foundation

Emerging Leaders Network

Become a Professional Member of Americans for the Arts

Events

Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit/Annual Convention

Please contact Stephanie Evans at sevans@artsusa.org or 202.371.2830 for more information about the Emerging Leaders Network of Americans for the Arts or about this unique Professional Development Fund for Emerging Leaders of Color.

Americans for the Arts is deeply grateful to the Joyce Foundation for their generous support of this program.