Celebrate 35 years of Artist Communities Alliance supporting the artist residency field.
This year marks a remarkable milestone: Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) is celebrating 35 years of championing artist residencies and working artists. Since 1990, ACA has been a convener, advocate, educator, and grantmaker supporting the residency field worldwide. Thanks to the commitment of our network, we’ve built a stronger, more inclusive residency field. With your support, we can expand our reach and deepen our impact. Contributing to ACA allows us to provide vital funding, training, and community-building to artists and administrators field-wide.
Over the years, we’ve grown far beyond our early days as a small MacArthur‑backed consortium. Now, with a membership spanning 300+ organizations across the globe, ACA leads with equity and innovation through programming, networking opportunities, and research-driven advocacy. Since 2004, we have made more than $4 million in direct grants to the field. Our work uplifts artists of all backgrounds and amplifies the creative potential of every community.
As we look to the future, we know there’s more work to be done, and we need your support more than ever. Strengthening the artist residency field and centering equity takes sustained effort—and we can’t do it alone. Will you help us reach our annual goal to sustain and grow this momentum? Your gift — of any size — makes a direct impact.
From our first conferences to today’s virtual programming, we’ve created spaces where the artist residency field can connect, share, and grow. Together, we've convened conferences, developed equity-focused programming, and built a vibrant online Residency Directory.
Your past generosity has enabled our bold progress.
At our core, ACA is driven by our mission question: How can we unite the people who power residencies and inspire the field? Over the past 35 years, we’ve discovered that prioritizing artists, equitable systems, and advocacy for cultural justice is the best way to unite the field. Our evolution from a consortium of 18 organizations to a global nonprofit reflects our unwavering commitment to artist residencies and artists.
ACA’s work is vibrant and ongoing. We collaborate with thousands of residency professionals through virtual and in-person convenings, develop research and programming focused on equitable practice, and work with funders to support residency programs and resident artists across disciplines. These initiatives strengthen the system from within and help residencies offer safe, accessible, and transformative environments for artists everywhere.
In this landmark year, your donation isn’t just financial – it shows you value the arts and creative expression. With your gift, we can continue to provide the field programming, explore collaborative opportunities with artists and funders, and provide deeper support to understaffed and historically excluded spaces.
As we honor 35 years of supporting the artist residency ecosystem, ACA is turning our gaze ahead. At our 2025 conference in Santa Fe, Building Our Future Together, we’ll convene artists, residency leaders, and community members to define our next chapter and the chapters of the field at-large. We believe in collective wisdom; there are goals we can accomplish together that no single residency program can do on its own – your support today means more voices at the table tomorrow.
Since our founding in 1991 with MacArthur and NEA backing, ACA has grown into a global authority in learning, advocacy, and equity. We continue to connect 300+ member programs, host workshops rooted in equitable practice, and build tools that help residencies thrive.
Will you invest in the next 35 years? With your support, we can deepen field-wide engagement, launch innovative programs, and ensure that our community remains equity-focused and artist-centered.
Join the celebration! Every donation helps us continue providing vital training and community‑building to the artist residency field. Share in our birthday joy and ensure that for many years to come, artists everywhere can access equitable, joyful and transformative residencies.