The United States Regional Arts Organizations (US RAOs) are a national collective of six place-based nonprofit arts service organizations

The US RAOs invite applications for the national funding program Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color, which aims to support folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities of color by investing in artists/practitioners and the community organizations that care for them. The program aims to support traditional artists, practitioners, and keepers of traditional knowledge that show a deep commitment to sustaining folklife rooted in communities of color and community organizations and collectives that support folklife in communities of color, including nonprofits, local and Tribal governments, businesses, and more. 

Through the program, grants of $15,000 will be awarded to support traditional artists/practitioners and grants of $50,000 will be awarded to community organizations. 

Often called the “art of everyday life,” folklife includes art forms and other creative expressions that reflect the aesthetics, practices, values, and beliefs of community groups, such as families, geographic communities, heritage groups, and more. These are also called “traditional arts.”

To be eligible, applicants must reside in one of the 56 states and jurisdictions served by the U.S. RAOs. Applicant organizations must be a 501(c)(3) organization, a unit of state or local government; a state- or federally recognized Tribal government; an educational institution such as a university department; or a business such as a limited liability corporation (LLC), S-corporation, etc.

Individuals must be a traditional artist, folklife practitioner, keeper, archiver, or documenter of traditional knowledge rooted in communities of color, create work that fits the definition of “traditional art” in your process and/or finished products; be active in sustaining your community’s traditions as a connector, mentor, learner, advocate, and/or leader; demonstrate a history of actively practicing your traditional art form(s) and engaging with your community for at least three years; and be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident.

Round one is due March 19, 2025. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit to round two, due July 21, 2025.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the United States Regional Arts Organizations website.