ARt Connect (Northwest Arkansas) is Mid-America Alliance’s first professional development program for small to midsize organizations throughout the Northwest Arkansas region, spanning Fayetteville, Bentonville and Rogers.
This two-year program is designed to deepen the impact of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that are wedded to mission-driven community engagement, inspire participants to become active learners, and invigorate a renewed creative community that is instinctively connected. Modeled after M-AAA’s successful Engage program in Houston, ARt Connect orgs receive peer-to-peer learning opportunities, coach consultations, financial coaching and workshops (public and private).
Current Participating Organizations
Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese, Arkansas Public Theatre, Art Ventures, Latin Art Organization of Arkansas, Mount Sequoyah Center Inc., Music Moves LTD, NWA Ballet Theatre, The Open Mouth Reading Series,Ra-Ve Cultural Foundation, Teen Action & Support Center. This phase of ARt Connect will conclude in 2022.
Thanks to the support of The WalMart Foundation, grants of $7,000 will be provided to each participating organization to apply knowledge gained in ARt Connect. The first $3,000 will be offered in year 1 to support the front-end work required as the program launches, and the remaining $4,000 will be offered in year two. The larger community engagement grant will be used in the application of skills and knowledge covered in ARt Connect.
