Leadership Initiatives

Since 2013, NYFA Learning has offered free leadership development programs for over 150 arts administrators from arts and cultural New York City-area organizations representing all creative disciplines, within commuting distance to New York City.

Past participants represented organizations including Asian American Arts Alliance, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, Downtown Community Television Center, Dance for PD® Mark Morris Dance Group, Gibney, Flux Factory, Jack, Museum of Chinese in America, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, MoMA PS1, Roulette, Roxbury Arts Group, Staten Island Museum, The Juilliard School, The Public Theater, and Urban Glass, among many others.

In 2020, we launched the Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color, an outgrowth of the Emerging Leaders program. The incubator provides free leadership training and community support to selected participants for six months.

NYFA fosters the professional development of leaders of color and aims to encourage both the sustainability and success of their organizations and the equitability and diversity of the arts industry through programs like the Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color. NYFA believes that investments in cultural infrastructure build stronger links and shared knowledge between artists and arts administrators, which benefits the entire field.

NYSCA STABILIZATION PROGRAM FOR SMALL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS

Applications are now open for a new statewide program to strengthen small arts organizations from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), and the New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON) with funding support from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). Small arts nonprofits provide key resources in their communities, yet often struggle to survive and grow. The NYSCA Stabilization Program for Small Arts Organizations will serve eligible nonprofits through a combination of tailored advisory services and financial support.

Applicants for the new NYSCA program must be based outside of New York City and may have an annual operating budget of up to $1 million. Rural and BIPOC-led community-based organizations are strongly encouraged to apply. The first round of applications must be received by Thursday, November 16, and a second-round application deadline will be Februrary 1, 2024. Click here for more information.

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EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM 2024

Through the support of The Willem de Kooning Foundation, NYFA is pleased to announce the seventh session of the “NYFA’s Emerging Leaders Program,” a free year-long program that provides leadership training for manager-level arts administrators. The goal of the program is to provide manager-level cultural workers with the skills and networks necessary to develop in their current positions, and to empower them to pursue future leadership roles in the non-profit arts sector. NYFA believes an investment in cultural infrastructure benefits the entire field by building stronger links and shared knowledge between artists and arts administrators.

This opportunity is open to manager-level arts administrators located in the five boroughs of New York City and Tri-State area within commuting distance of New York City, employed full-time by 501(c)3 arts and cultural organizations, managing at least one person at their organization. Participants working in all disciplines are invited to apply. Visual arts-based administrators, and administrators of Color are strongly encouraged to apply.

We are accepting applications through Tuesday, January 16, 11:59 PM ET. Click here for more details or follow the link below to apply.

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THE INCUBATOR FOR EXECUTIVE LEADERS OF COLOR 2023

Through the generous support of the Altman Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is pleased to announce the third edition of The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color, a free program that will provide leadership training and community support for up to 16-18 arts administrators from April to September 2023. By fostering the professional development of leaders of Color, we aim to encourage the sustainability and success of their organizations, and the equitability and diversity of the arts industry. Please click here for full details.

The next Incubator application will open in early 2024. To learn more about upcoming calls for applications, and related workshops for arts administrators, please sign up to receive our bi-weekly NYFA News email.

TESTIMONIAL

“The NYFA Executive Leaders of Color program is transformative. The sessions are tailored to meet our needs as working professionals in the arts. The program provides practical tools to navigate culture as we navigate the impact of COVID-19 to better support our teams. Our mentors go above and beyond by providing counsel and the instructors are full of warmth and smarts. I will be collaborating with my cohort for years to come. This program truly made a positive difference in my life. Doors are now open so we can be the changemakers we are called to be.”

Christiamilda Correa, Development Director, Reel Works

Gabe Brown (Fellow in Painting ’18); Diamond Marsh; 2017; oil and acrylic on linen over wood panel