Creative Catalyst Fellowship

Creative Catalyst Fellowship is sponsored by AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. The Creative Catalyst Fellowship supports individual artists whose work engages the public on critical issues facing AAPIs and can serve as a catalyst for civic participation. Selected artists join a cohort for peer sharing and learning, with access to communications consultation and promotion of their final work.

The 2027 fellowship is currently accepting applications.

Creative Catalyst Fellowship - AAPI Civic Engagement Fund Creative Catalyst is an annual fellowship program hosted by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund (AAPI Fund) that supports individual artist proposals that engage the public in critical issues impacting Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) across the country, that can serve as a catalyst for civic participation. Applications for the 2026-2027 fellowship have not been announced.

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2025 – 2026 Creative Catalyst Fellows The 2025 Creative Catalyst Fellowship awarded $30,000 to eight artists to produce interdisciplinary art projects that will focus on the theme of “Belonging” in mediums both eclectic and traditional, which include a museum book, nonfiction comic, animated oral history, zine-like video game, and portrait series; as well as poetry, hip hop, and documentary.

This past July, the Creative Catalyst Retreat was held in Philadelphia, PA, where the fellows gathered with the local Chinatown community to learn about the power of narrative in change-making with local grassroot organizations, Asian American United, and the Asian American Community Fund of PA . Learn about the 2025-2026 fellows here .

2025 – 2026 Additional Offerings Included in the program is the Creative Catalyst retreat, which is an opportunity for the fellows to convene in a different city each year to deepen their understanding of critical issues impacting AAPIs across the country and connect with community work in place via an on-the-ground community visit.

This offering provides a unique experience to connect their creative practices within the larger social justice movement.

An accomplished communications consultant to place local and national news media stories about the work in connection with the work of the AAPI Fund Digital advertising to help promote the final products and the AAPI Fund Introductions to AAPI organizations that may want to use the work for charitable purposes Support with placement in galleries, shows, or other venues, with a priority on venues with experience in presenting art with a social justice theme to promote the work of the AAPI Fund Development and distribution of replicas of the final products (e.g. posters, calendars, stickers, etc.) to promote the work of the AAPI Fund Individuals exhibit a high level of skill and produce art that resonates Has the potential to reach an audience measured in the thousands Has the potential to reach beyond the choir of both traditional activists and art enthusiasts Clearly fits one of the three themes of In It Together, Belonging, or Voting Together Can be accomplished within the proposed budget and timeline “Belonging Together: Celebrating Our Wins” Poster by Lehuauakea , 2024-2025 Fellow “Anxieties of an Immigrant Father” Drawing series by Safwat Saleem , 2024-2025 Fellow Click here to view past projects