Catalyze
Catalyze supports individual artists in central and eastern Arkansas and the Arkansas Delta with flexible creative-practice funding, mentoring, and professional development to advance their careers.
Funder: Mid-America Arts Alliance
Due Dates: December 1, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CT (Application) | November 13, 2026 (Verbal application support requests)
Funding Amounts: $10,000 per artist for a year-long fellowship; 25 fellowships awarded annually
Summary: Catalyze supports individual artists in 52 Arkansas counties with flexible practice-based funding, mentoring, and professional development.
Key Information: Fellows must maintain residency in the eligible region and participate in the Little Rock retreat and peer-learning activities.
Description
Catalyze is a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, supported by the Windgate Foundation, that helps individual artists advance their careers through money, mentoring, and strategic planning. It serves artists of all disciplines in central, eastern Arkansas and the Arkansas Delta. Funding supports an artist’s overall creative practice rather than requiring a specific project, allowing fellows to define their own goals and measures of success.
Alongside funding, fellows receive coaching from experienced Artist Peer Facilitators and professional development through a retreat and ongoing small-group sessions. These experiences help artists develop, refine, and implement plans while sharing work, ideas, and feedback with peers. M-AAA encourages applications from artists who have historically lacked access to traditional institutional support and resources.
