What does it take to create a residency program where artists and staff not only have access—but truly belong? At Artist Communities Alliance (ACA), we believe it requires more than new programs. It requires new capacities.
Coined by ACA President & CEO Lisa Funderburke in 2020, equitable capacity is the muscle an organization builds to embed equity across all policies, practices, and processes. It’s not a checklist or a single initiative. It’s a sustained, reflective commitment to transforming culture, from the inside out.
Through our 2021–2023 strategic plan, ACA placed equitable capacity at the heart of our work. In doing so, we invited our network into a shared project: to build a residency field that is inclusive, just, joyful, and accessible.
We operationalized this vision through the Five Pillars of a Healthy Residency—a field-tested, adaptable framework that helps organizations assess and grow their equity practice across five core areas: Identity, Program Design, Operations, Resource Development, and Stewardship. This tool is already reshaping how residencies think about climate, culture, and change—and it’s helping them make that change sustainable.
As part of this initiative, ACA has held Equitable Capacity Workshops over the last five years to provide a learning space designed specifically for residency staff, board members, and stakeholders eager to deepen their equity practice. Grounded in the Five Pillars framework, these workshops have supported organizations in developing shared language, building trust across teams, and applying equity principles to real-world scenarios. Participants leave with practical tools, peer support, and a renewed sense of accountability. The impact is tangible: many organizations report shifts in how they lead, listen, design programs, and how they show up for artists.
Thanks to your support, ACA has provided in-depth training, tools, and funding to help residencies develop equitable capacity, from shifting governance models to strengthening access for BIPOC, Deaf, and disabled artists.
But the work isn’t done.
If you believe in a residency field where artists of all backgrounds can thrive, we invite you to be part of this movement. Your donation helps ACA continue to offer vital support, develop new tools, and grow a field-wide culture of equity and care. Make a gift today to sustain this field-changing work.
Together, we’re not just responding to the moment. We’re building the future.