2027 Creative Catalyst Fellowship Open Call

The Creative Catalyst Fellowship supports individual artists whose work engages the public on critical issues facing Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and can serve as a catalyst for civic participation. Selected artists join a cohort convened for peer sharing and learning, with access to communications consultation and promotion of their final work.

Up to eight artists will each receive $30,000 to produce work with the potential to break through to broader audiences and spark conversation around this year’s theme: Belonging.
Belonging is a sense of community, home, agency, and the essential right for our communities to flourish. It is a counterweight to racism and violence, and it advances a vision of inclusion that recognizes the ways AAPI communities have shaped and contributed to this country.

Art speaks to us, feels our pain, paints our dreams, and opens our minds in profound new ways. Our goal is to give independent artists the resources and freedom to do their art, in a way that also lets us put that art to work in the world.

The Creative Catalyst Fellowship is a yearlong program, and Fellows are required to:

• Attend a virtual orientation at the start of the program
• Attend a two-day, in-person Creative Catalyst Fellows retreat on February 16 – 18, 2027 (location to be finalized; the AAPI Fund covers travel and accommodations)
• Participate in virtual check-ins throughout the Fellowship
• Submit a Narrative Report

Fellows may also be invited to AAPI Fund events and asked to showcase their art, though attendance at these is optional.

Application Instructions

• Submit your application by filling out this form, or click the button below. The deadline to apply is Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT. For a sample of the application, click here.
• All interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend this optional information session introducing the program and the application process. The same program will be offered twice on the following dates: Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm PT and Friday, September 4, 2026 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm PT. Register for the webinar here.
• For eligibility, please review the Frequently Asked Questions before submitting your application. Previously awarded Creative Catalyst Fellows can reapply three (3) years after completing their previous Fellowship.