The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color
- Executive Leaders of Color
- Arts Administrators
Image Credit: Richard Barnes
This program provides six months of free leadership development and community support to 18 executive-level arts administrators in NYC. The program supports leaders who are uniquely positioned to influence the culture and operations of their organization.
By fostering the professional development of leaders of Color, we aim to encourage the equitability and diversity of the arts industry.
- Self-identify as a leader of Color.
- Executive Leaders from non-profit arts and cultural organizations with all size budgets.** (i.e. Executive Director, Artistic Director, Deputy Director, Program Director)
- Commitment to mandatory attendance at all sessions.
- Open to participants from the five boroughs of New York City.
We acknowledge there are different organizational models in New York City, so if you have any questions about eligibility, please contact us at [email protected].
For the application, we ask you to provide:
- Organization information (i.e. organization mission, focus, website, and operational budget).
- Why you are interested in applying to this program and a list of goals relative to your leadership career path within the next 5+ years.
- Your current role and responsibilities.
- A particular challenge in your current organization that participating in this program could help you address.
- A narrative bio of your professional career.
- Contact details of a Board member or an Advisory committee member of your organization.
Application will open January 14, 2025.
You can fill out the form below to be notified when the application goes live.
Questions? Contact NYFA at [email protected] and include “The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color” in the subject line.
Applications will be reviewed by alumni of NYFA’s Emerging Leaders program, outside executive professionals and local arts leaders of color.
For the previous cycle, applications opened in mid-January 2024, and closed mid-March 2024. Notifications were sent in the beginning of April 2024.
The program is designed to be hybrid and attendance to all meetings is mandatory. Two one-day intensives are planned to be held in-person, and check-in meetings and technical assistance workshops will take place online on Zoom. We continue to monitor Covid-19 and in-person meetings will be moved online if necessary.
Schedule will be updated once applications for 2025 are open.
Since 2013, NYFA Learning has supported the careers of arts administrators from over 300 arts and culture organizations in the New York City area and around the state by providing professional development that is tailored to the challenges of this vital profession.
NYFA believes that investing in cultural infrastructure improves the sustainability and success of arts organizations, and ultimately builds stronger connections between artists and administrators, which benefits the entire field. The programs particularly support administrators of color, and organizations which are BIPOC-led, community-based, or rural. Programs are application-based and offered free to participants who are selected by panels of expert colleagues in the field.
