DEEPENING OUR ROOTS
Investing in Artists. Building Equity.
2025 Annual Impact Report • Crafting the Future
2025 was a year of deepening our roots. We spent the year refining our focus, expanding our professional team, redoubling our efforts on proven strategies, and building astable foundation for the next generation of artists.
2025 IN REVIEW
Scrappy to Sustainable: A Commitment to Institutional Strength
by Corey Pemberton
Executive Director
The Long Game: Anchoring Our Identity for the Future
by Ché Rhodes
Board Chair
OUR REFINED MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES
Our Mission: Crafting the Future provides artists of color access to transformative opportunities in order to build a future free from systemic barriers to success.
Why the Change? We wanted to shift to language that better centers the artists we serve, the ways our work impacts those artists, and why we are committed to this work. We are focused on potency and responsiveness, moving with urgency because our community has waited long enough.
VISION
At Crafting the Future, we’re broadening the perspectives of the fields of visual art, craft, and design to build a creative landscape where artists of color have full access to education, networks, and opportunities—not as an exception, but as the norm. We envision a world where:
Representation is the standard.
The artistic landscape reflects the rich diversity of our communities.
Access is universal.
Systemic barriers have been dismantled; generational wealth doesn’t determine who gets to pursue their artistic dreams; and every artist has the support they need to thrive.
Support is ongoing.
Artists receive the resources they need not just to enter the field, but to build sustainable, thriving careers.
Networks are open.
Artists of color are connected to mentors, peers, and opportunities from day one and are intentional about serving as role models for other artists of color.
Community is strength.
Artists lift each other up through collaboration, not competition.
CORE VALUES
Our core values are the active principles guiding every decision we make at Crafting the Future. They keep us anchored in our commitment to the artists we serve and ensure our internal practices reflect the equitable, accessible creative landscape we are working to build.
Belonging
By intentionally amplifying the voices of artists of color and celebrating their brilliance, we show the next generation that this is a world where they belong and can explore their own potential. When young artists see people who look like them thriving and finding joy in their craft, they understand what is possible. Representation isn’t just important – it’s revolutionary.
Community
The myth of the isolated artist doesn’t serve anyone, especially those without inherited networks. We build community first because we know that collective action creates lasting change. When artists connect, collaborate, and support each other, we all rise. We model this by sharing our blueprint, inviting the wider art world to share in this work.
Holistic Support
Scholarships alone aren’t enough. Residencies without mentorship fall short. We provide support that addresses the full reality of what artists need: financial resources, studio space, professional connections, emotional support, and celebration.
Equity
We acknowledge that equal opportunity means nothing without equal access. Our programs are intentionally designed for communities that have been denied access to creative fields. We center these voices in our work and are proud to fill gaps that have existed for too long.
Action
Good intentions don’t change systems. We prioritize tangible, direct impact. We mobilize our network to clear the path, empowering artists to define their own futures. We are doing the work to make this happen now, moving with urgency because our community has waited long enough. We challenge our colleagues and partners to act alongside us.
Impact By the Numbers: Transparency and the Opportunity Gap
National Reach
Overall Locations Served
Scholarship Program Partners
Scholarship Program Recipients
Grants Awarded
Networking Events
The Opportunity Gap
Volume of High-Scoring Applications vs Funding Capacity
Scholarships
Macro Grants
Micro Grants
Residencies
2025 Totals Across Programs
Total Applicants
Total Awarded
%
Overall Award Rate
%
Residency Top-Pool to Award Rate
Budget Breakdown
Portraits of Impact: The Artist Experience
The Ripple Effect
artworxLA
LA Partner
The Breakthrough
Shannon Scates
Visual Artist
Ecosystem Change: Improving the Industry Standard
In 2025, we continued our intensive collaborative work with core institutional partners to improve accommodations and ensure cultural safety for our artists. This work is essential because equal opportunity is meaningless without equal access and an environment where artists can truly belong. We are moving beyond the goal of mere entry to ensure that artists of color are supported by networks that are open, mentors who are present, and communities that foster strength rather than competition.
The 50% Partner Match: A Catalyst for Systemic Change
A cornerstone of our strategy to dismantle systemic barriers is our requirement that partner organizations provide a 50% match for the scholarships we facilitate. While this is not a new policy, it remains one of the most vital ways we challenge our partners to move beyond good intentions and into tangible action.
This match requirement serves several critical functions:
Shared Investment
It ensures that the responsibility for equity is not held by CTF alone, but is shared by the institutions that host our artists.
Operational Alignment
It encourages our partners to evaluate their own internal daily operations and budgets to prioritize access for communities that have been historically denied it.
Sustainability
By requiring partners to put “skin in the game,” we are helping to shift the industry norm so that representation and support become the standard, not the exception.
We continue to challenge our colleagues and partners across the fields of visual art, craft, and design to act alongside us. Together, we are building a creative landscape where generational wealth does not determine who gets to pursue their artistic dreams.
Looking Ahead: 2026 Activation
We are poised for a strategic activation year. Having spent the previous twelve months deepening our roots and refining our focus, we are ready to mobilize our new systems to scale our impact. With our updated Mission, Vision, and Values serving as our roadmap, we are moving with urgency to ensure Crafting the Future remains a permanent resource for artists of color.
Programmatic Alignment
In 2026, we will see the full implementation of policies designed to align every program and partnership with our refined mission. We are continuing the work of:
Scaling High-Impact Offerings
We are prioritizing the programs that have demonstrated the most mission alignment and efficacy in building a future free from systemic barriers.
Expanding Access
We are moving to bridge the "Opportunity Gap" by increasing our capacity to fund the high volume of exceptional artists who apply for our grants and scholarships.
Challenging the Industry
We remain committed to shaping industry standards through our 50% partner match and collaborative efforts to ensure cultural safety and universal access.
Join Us
This isn’t just rhetoric—it’s our roadmap. Every dollar we invest moves us closer to a creative landscape where representation is the standard and support is ongoing. We invite you to be part of this evolution.
Gratitude: Thanking Our Donors
List of all donors alphabetical - SHOULD THIS BE ORG/FOUNDATIONS OR INDIVIDUALS (IF INDIVIDUALS, DO WE HAVE CONSENT?)