Assets for Artists Announces 2026 Capacity-Building Program + Project Grant Artists
Ten Greater Hartford artists will receive professional development and financial support thanks to grant from Greater Hartford Gives Foundation
Assets for Artists (A4A) has announced the first of two cohorts of Greater Hartford artists selected for a new pilot Capacity-Building Program + Project Grant initiative, supported by a grant from the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation. The cohort, which was selected by a panel of local artists who are themselves alumni of A4A programs, includes ten artists working across film, music, ceramics, painting, photography, performance, interdisciplinary art, and traditional craft. Over ten months, these artists will receive individualized support and project resources designed to strengthen their creative practices and advance new work.
Initially announced in September 2025 as a part of Greater Hartford Gives’ $6 million investment in the region’s arts and culture sector, this program is a comprehensive professional development and grant program that empowers artists with financial literacy, business development, coaching, peer networking, and project funding to promote long-term career sustainability. A4A works regularly with community foundations and other funders to support artists from across New England through its Capacity-Building Program.
Direct financial support is a key component of the program, including a $5,000 project grant and an unrestricted grant of $10,000 for each artist. Participants will also receive a combination of self-directed and group professional development as well as priority access to A4A’s professional development workshops. A4A staff and artist partners will provide individualized support in service of each artist's creative professional goals. Each member of the cohort will engage in peer learning opportunities through working groups, peer-led skillshares, and opportunities for sharing their creative work with each other.
The selected artists represent communities across Greater Hartford and bring a wide range of lived experiences, cultural traditions and artistic disciplines to the cohort. Their projects explore themes including identity, memory, belonging, grief, learning, community, resistance, heritage and public engagement.
"We're thrilled to be partnering with the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation to continue deepening our work in Connecticut,” said Elizabeth Moy, A4A’s Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives. “Informed by community partners across the region, we've designed this two-year initiative as a space anchored in shared knowledge, reciprocity and abundance. Spanning multiple disciplines, lived experiences and perspectives, this inaugural cohort represents a beautiful cross section of Hartford's diverse and robust creative landscape. It is an absolute honor to support these artists at this stage in their journey as they explore new ideas, expand their creative community and discover what a long term, sustainable artistic practice can look like."
The 2026 Greater Hartford cohort includes:
Alam marquez / sopa (Manchester), cinematographer and filmmaker
Aleichia Celestina Williams (Hartford), writer, director, and historian
Cuee (Hartford), recording artist, advocate, and influencer
Gleidymar Rivera (Wethersfield), ceramics artist
Jasleni Brito (Ellington), painter
Joseph Abad (West Hartford), documentary photographer
Laugh (Hartford), creative writer and performance artist
Mahsa Attaran (Windsor), visual artist, photographer, and educator
Peter Albano / Paco Winebox (West Hartford), artist, curator, and educator
Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey (Granby), Lithuanian folk artist
For more information and photos of the artists, please visit Assets 4 Artists’ blog post.
Along with the A4A program, two other initiatives that were part of last year’s Centennial arts and culture investment announcement focus on advancing a more inclusive and resilient arts and culture ecosystem in Greater Hartford. The Artists of Color Accelerate program supports a dual-benefit residency model to create and expand opportunities for local creatives by connecting them as fellows with host arts organizations. The CT Culture Lab, a partnership with CT Humanities, offers a grant and capacity building program for arts, humanities, and cultural nonprofits throughout Greater Hartford as they sustain existing efforts and take new steps toward having their leadership, programming, and audiences reflect the communities around them.
“Greater Hartford Gives is grateful to partner with Assets for Artists, whose proven model helps artists strengthen their creative practices and build more sustainable careers,” said Elysa Gordon, Vice President, Community Impact, at Greater Hartford Gives. “Artists are central to the vitality of our region, and investing in them, particularly artists of color and others who have faced barriers to opportunity, reflects our commitment to expanding access to the resources, relationships, and networks they need to thrive and continue shaping Greater Hartford’s cultural life.”
Greater Hartford Gives Foundation is a community foundation, a hub for community-driven change. We fuel impact throughout Greater Hartford and beyond by making connections, providing funding, and sharing knowledge. Our goal is to create an inclusive region where everyone prospers. Together, with a powerful network of changemakers, we identify our neighbors’ most pressing needs and invest resources in initiatives that dismantle racial and economic barriers and improve quality of life. In our 100-year history, we have invested more than $1 billion throughout the region. Join us in building a Greater Hartford full of opportunity. Learn more at greaterhartfordgives.org.