HueArts Leadership Cohort

HueArts Leadership Cohort

HueArts Leadership Cohort

The HueArts Leadership Cohort (HALC) is a six month fellowship that will provide leadership training and networking opportunities for 10-15 arts leaders across New York State, including the five boroughs of New York City, from April to September 2026.

HALC Fellows will explore organizational leadership methodology and best practices in cultural leadership. Through the program, they will become part of a network of like-minded colleagues facing similar challenges as leaders of color within cultural organizations.

Topics that will be covered during the Fellowship program will include:

  • Community and Collaboration
  • Resources Development and Fundraising
  • Policy and Advocacy Communications
  • Competitive Marketing
  • Strategic Planning

Upon successful completion of the program, each participant will receive a certificate of completion and a stipend of $2,000 to support their work as arts and culture leaders. Additional travel stipends will also be offered for in-person sessions based on need, in addition to paid travel for the June session.

 

HALC stems from our HueArts NYC and HueArts NYS research, findings, and recommendations, which highlights the need for greater funding and professional development opportunities for arts organizations founded and led by Black, Indigenous, Latino/e/x, Asian, Middle Eastern, and all People of Color. Our research of the NYC/NYS arts ecosystems established that these arts organizations receive less funding and technical support for their work. Although widely known anecdotally, we have compiled data to highlight this reality. Our goal is to combat racial and funding inequality that permeates throughout the arts landscape.

The monthly program sessions will be hybrid; three of the sessions will be conducted in-person and the other three will be conducted remotely on Zoom (see schedule below). Note that the June session will include a special trip that could fall on a date other than the second Thursday of the month like other sessions (to be confirmed). Participants are expected to attend every session of the program.

The HueArts NYC Fellowship will:

  • Address issues specific to arts and cultural leadership and organizations;
  • Provide resources to support the sustainability and “thrivability” of each fellows’ organization, staff, and communities;
  • Develop a network of arts leaders and organizations to encourage collaboration;
  • Strengthen fellows’ arts administration skill sets in organizational development, fundraising, community engagement, collaboration, advocacy, and more;
  • Produce a written analysis related to substantiating the value of orgs of color beyond diversity, equity, and inclusion placements, to be published in partnership with Museum Hue and made available to the greater cultural sector.

Mandatory Program Dates:

Please note that attendance is mandatory for all sessions, so please check your calendar before applying. Applicants should have a hold on their calendars for the following dates from 10 am – 4 pm ET and note that travel to New York City will be required for the first session (again, travel stipends will be available based on need):

Orientation: Thursday, April 9 (in-person, New York City)*
Thursday, May 14 (virtual)
Special Trip: Thursday, June TBD (in-person, destination TBD)*
Thursday, July 9 (virtual)
Thursday, August 13 (virtual)
Closing Session: Thursday, September 10 (in-person, location TBD)*

*Timing for the program on the in-person dates will be reflective of a full day of programming, although additional travel time may be required depending on participants’ locations.

Application Deadline: Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET

Applications due March 1, 2026

VIEW 2026 HALC APPLICATION

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligible participants should meet the following criteria:

  • Your organization has been vetted and listed on the HueArts NYC or HueArts NYS maps (check applicable links). If your organization is not included on the map, please review the criteria under the next FAQ, “What are the criteria for qualified HueArts organizations?”
  • You are in leadership at an arts nonprofit organization founded and led by Black, Indigenous, Latino/e/x, Asian, Middle Eastern, or all other People of Color, operating within New York State, including the five boroughs of New York City.
  • You have been within the leadership of the organization for 0 – 10 years (ex. Director level, Executive Director, President, CEO, Board President)*
  • You are committed to attend all six mandatory program sessions
  • You are a current resident of New York City and/or New York State.
  • The organization you are representing is located in New York City and/or New York State.

In order to be considered a HueArts NYC or HueArts NYS organization, an organization must meet the following:

  • Operating within New York City and/or New York State
  • A public-serving arts, outdoor arts education, or cultural organization centered around Black, Indigenous, Latino/e/x, Asian, Middle Eastern, or other communities of color
  • Founded and currently led by someone identifying as Black, Indigenous, Latino/e/x, Asian, Middle Eastern, or other communities color (this includes being co-founded by a person of color)

If you have a question if your organization is qualified, please email huearts@museumhue.org.

We are pleased to be able to provide a $2,000 stipend and participants may use the stipend for themselves or designate it to their organization.

Yes! All applicants will hear from us regardless of status for the program throughout the review process.

This may not be the time for you to apply. We require all program participants to be available and in attendance for the aforementioned dates.

Your host organization must meet all of the HueArts NYC/NYS criteria noted above. We strongly encourage applications from members of any underrepresented group, including but limited to those identifying as Black, Indigenous, Latino/e/x, Asian, Middle Eastern, or other communities of color, and we also acknowledge intersectional identities and inequities.

Applicants must reside within New York State and/or one of the five boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island) of New York City, and the organization’s headquarters must also be based in New York State. While prior cohorts of this program have been limited to either New York State (excluding New York City) or New York City (exclusively), the 2026 HALC program is underwritten by multiple funders focused on both New York City and New York State; hence, the current requirements related to fellows’ place of residency as well as their institutions’ locations within these boundaries.

We recognize the many ways nonprofit organizations are currently sustained through volunteer leadership. Thus, we do not require applicants or participants to be paid staff to participate in this program.

Notification

Applicants will be notified on or before Monday, March 9, 2026. Please do not call or email for your application status. We will be providing applicants with timely updates on their status.

Accessibility

Computer-generated captions are available for all Zoom programming. ASL Interpretation and/or Live Captioning is also available if requested during the application process. For all other accommodations or support, please let us know at the time of application so that we can work with you on planning and logistics as early as possible.

 

Museum Hue’s 2026 HueArts Leadership Cohort (HALC) is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This program is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Furthermore, the Ford Foundation contributed additional program grant funding for HALC.