Apply to the National Leaders of Color Fellowship by October 13, 2024

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Senior Program Director, Creative Economy

For the third year, NEFA is excited to partner with the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) and the other U.S. regional arts organizations on the National Leaders of Color Fellowship program, which invests in diverse leadership in our respective regions and across the nation. The National Leaders of Color Fellowship program (LoCF) is a leadership development experience curated by WESTAF in order to establish multicultural leadership in the creative and cultural sector.

During this no cost eight-month fellowship, fellows receive access to specialists in the field, strategic learning objectives determined to deepen thought on anti-racist and culturally-oriented leadership practices, and national-level network and cohort building. The program sessions are held online from December 2024 through June 2025.

Upon completion of this program, participants are granted alumni status and have opportunities to collaborate with the USRAO in their region as advisors, funding Application Reviewers, and/or other professional capacities. NEFA has established a one-time award of $1000 to LoCF Alumni for further support of their professional development.

This opportunity is open to those working in any type of arts and culture organization. Candidates should meet the following criteria:

Self-identify as Black, Indigenous and/or a person of color;
Self-identify as an early, emerging or mid-career leader in the field of arts and culture;
Is an arts administrator or a significantly arts-interested member such as a volunteer or a public official;
Current resident of the United States, including U.S. Jurisdictions (American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands); and
Have not participated in or have participated in limited amounts of high-quality professional leadership development opportunities.
LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, disabled people, low-income and individuals residing in rural, remote, or frontier areas are encouraged to apply.

Application Information

The application Deadline is Sunday, October 13, 2024, at 11:59 PM Mountain Time.

Learn More & Apply

Information Session

Join WESTAF for an information session on September 26 at 5 PM MDT/ 7 PM EDT to discuss details of the program and logistics of completing an application. This will also include a walkthrough of the LoCF grant management platform, GO Smart™.