September 2017 saw Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) launched the Diversity + Leadership Fellowship, a groundbreaking initiative to support emerging arts administrators of color and administrators with disabilities. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the fellowship aimed to address persistent inequities in the residency field by building a more inclusive leadership pipeline.

Six fellows—Nora Alami, Arielle Julia Brown, Nicole J. Caruth, Amanda Flores, Mayumi Hamanaka, and Teresa Silva—were selected from across the U.S. for their demonstrated leadership and commitment to arts equity. These fellows received comprehensive support, including funding to attend ACA’s annual conference, a site visit to a leading residency, peer learning exchanges, and participation in the 2018 Emerging Program Institute.

Beyond professional development, the fellowship emphasized reciprocity and visibility. Fellows contributed to ACA’s blog, led sessions at the 2018 conference in Philadelphia, and were paired with mentors—continuing a cycle of intergenerational learning by supporting the incoming cohort.

ACA Executive Director Lisa Hoffman highlighted the importance of this initiative, stating that the fellowship “creates a platform to amplify the voices of administrators early in their career and contributes to a pipeline for diverse leadership.”

The fellowship underscored ACA’s dual priorities: advancing equity in the arts and cultivating sustainable leadership across the residency field. By centering historically marginalized voices, the Diversity + Leadership Fellowship marked an important shift toward a more inclusive, representative, and resilient future for artist residencies.

Applications will be accepted from June 23 through August 14, 2025.

The Rhode Island Foundation is pleased to announce that The Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowships application process is now open. The 2025 fellowships will be awarded to visual artists. The Rhode Island Foundation is once again employing Artist Communities Alliance (ACA),the international service organization for artist residency programs and artist-centered organizations, to manage applications and the jury process for The Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowships.

In an effort to reach Rhode Island writers across the entire state, we are asking that you please share this information with your networks.

The Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowship Fund, established by the Rhode Island Foundation in 2003, provides up to three $30,000 artist fellowships each year, rotating among composers, writers, and visual artists on a three-year cycle. In all three disciplines, the Fellowships will be awarded to emerging and mid-career Rhode Island artists whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity, rigorous dedication and consistent artistic practice, and significant artistic merit.

For the complete guidelines, eligibility requirements and answers to frequently asked questions, visit the application page.

MacColl Johnson Fellowship Information Session

Thursday, June 26, 2025 | 1p.m. EDT

If you’d like to learn more about the Fellowship or have questions that are not answered in the guidelines and FAQs, please attend ACA’s upcoming MacColl Johnson Fellowship Information Session. During this session, ACA staff will provide information about the scope of the fellowship and application process and answer any questions. A recording of the session will be made available.

Register for the information session.

We appreciate your assistance in reaching Rhode Island’s writers and look forward to announcing the 2025 MacColl Johnson Fellows!
 

In 2015 ACA celebrated 25 years of supporting residencies, growing from 18 to 300+ members worldwide.

Founded in 1991 with support from The MacArthur Foundation, ACA launched with 18 pioneering residency programs, including MacDowell, Yaddo, and Headlands Center for the Arts. By 2015, we had grown to over 300 members across 50 U.S. states and 20 countries, supporting 1,500+ residency programs worldwide.
 

In our first 25 years, ACA has made significant contributions to the field. Since 2004, it has awarded over $1.7 million in grant funding, including $595,000 directly to artists and $1.1 million to organizations. It has also played a key role in advocacy, professional development, research, and international exchange, ensuring that residencies remain vital spaces for artistic creation.
 

Milestones in ACA’s first 25 years include the Emerging Program Institute (2007), the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Artist Communities category (2008), and groundbreaking reports like “Surviving to Thriving: Sustaining Artist Residencies” (2012). By 2015, ACA had also hosted 25 conferences, bringing together over 3,000 attendees to share knowledge, resources, and best practices.

As part of its 25th-anniversary celebration, ACA honored its founding members, recognizing their vision, leadership, and commitment to artist residencies. Reflecting on its growth, the organization reaffirmed its dedication to expanding opportunities for artists, supporting residency leaders, and fostering a more inclusive, sustainable arts ecosystem for the next 25 years and beyond.