Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) includes more than 300 members — a diverse field of artist communities, residency programs, individuals and institutions that support living artists in the creation of new work — in more than 20 countries worldwide and in all 50 U.S. states, with budgets ranging from $8,000 to $4 million.
Joining the ACA Member Network:
For Residencies + Other Organizations
- Complete this membership inquiry form. Please allow 10 business days for processing.
- ACA staff will determine your eligibility. You may be asked to submit additional information.
- Once ACA has processed your inquiry, you will receive instructions to pay your member dues.
- Once dues have been paid, you will be sent instructions on how to establish a presence in the ACA Directory.
We encourage all new member organizations to complete a member orientation.
Orientation + Networking sessions are hosted quarterly. All members who have joined in that quarter will receive an invitation.
For Individuals
- Complete this membership inquiry form. Please allow 10 business days for processing.
- ACA staff will determine your eligibility. You may be asked to submit additional information
- Once ACA has received your inquiry, you will receive instructions in order to pay your member dues.
Renewing your Membership:
ACA sends an automated message 30 days, the day-of and 45 days after your organization's membership expiration date with a payment instructions.
You can pay your renewal via the My Account section on the ACA website.
Member Benefits and Levels
For a detailed list and description of our member levels and their corresponding benefits please visit the link above.
Membership Agreements + ACA's Rights
By joining ACA, the member is agreeing to stay current with their membership dues, be forthcoming about their annual budget, and abide by ACA's rules of engagement. Failure to do so can warrant a revoking of membership and/or use of ACA's website. ACA reserves the right to downgrade a member's profile with or without prior notice to that member.
ACA allows a 45-day grace period after your membership expires to accommodate extenuating circumstances and allow programs sufficient time to complete their renewal. If your program has not paid the renewal fee following this 45-day period, you will lose access to your membership benefits and your organization's profile will be removed from the ACA Directory.
For payment discrepancies, and when current membership status is in question, ACA will provide the best possible documentation for proof of funds received. However, members should also be able to provide proof of past payments. If an organization cannot show that a payment has been made, ACA retains sole discretion over the status of one's membership.
If an organization should decide that they'd like a refund, they are to notify ACA within 3 months of joining (or within 3 months of most recent renewal). ACA will review these requests on a case-by-case basis and come to a determination within approximately three weeks time as to whether a refund is in order. If a refund is approved, the organization can decide the manner in which they'd like to receive their refund - check or PayPal is preferred.
Current Fee Structure:
For Organizational Members
Dues = $500 to 5,000/year (based on your residency budget*)
- Budget < $350,000 = $500/year
- Budget $350,000+ = budget x 0.00175 (not to exceed $5,000)
- *If your residency program is part of a larger institution, you may calculate dues based on your residency program budget only.
Other Membership Levels
- Individuals = $100/year
- Emerging Programs = $300/year - Emerging Program Members will be asked to renew at the Organizational level when program has been established for more than five years, has been accepting artists for more than three years, or has been an EP member for more than three years — whichever occurs first.
- Affiliates = $350/year
How to Pay:
Member dues are billed once a year and last one calendar year (i.e July 22, 2022 - July 22, 2023). You can see your membership dates in the My Account section of the ACA website.
Online
- Dues are paid online via our website using a credit or debit card, or requesting an invoice to pay via check
- The name attached to this credit/debit card will automatically be used as the "billing contact" unless otherwise instructed.
By Check
- Paying dues via check can be requested online, through your My Account section of the ACA website
- Dues can be paid via check with an attached invoice, and sent to ACA's P.O. Box
- Receipts and invoices are always available by request (to info [at] artistcommunities.org), or available for download through the member account.