Create Change Fellowship

The Create Change Fellowship is a six-month incubator for multiracial artists and cultural producers committed to art for social transformation. The program is grounded in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, though Fellows are not required to live there. Fellows receive training on working in community as a practice, cultural organizing, policy advocacy, and project planning. They work in small interdisciplinary groups, each paired with a community partner aligned with priority neighborhood concerns.

Throughout the program, Fellows will:

● Engage in hands-on workshops;
● Co-develop responsive and reciprocal creative projects alongside community partners;
● Participate in public sharing moments, including Field Day 2026, where prototypes, activations, and research-in-progress will be shared with neighbors and broader publics.

This is a process-forward program focused on providing transformative and supportive
experiences, workshops, and mentorships that foster intentional community creation. Fellows are supported with a stipend of $1,500, production budget, and access to The Laundromat Project’s intergenerational alumni network of artists, organizers, and cultural workers. Fellows commit an average of 6–8 hours per month (approx. 50 hours total).

Up to 12 Fellows will be selected to participate in the 2026 program.

The Create Change Fellowship prioritizes New York City-based artists, ranging from early to established, who are interested in strengthening their practice and skills around community engagement and social impact. Diverse perspectives and backgrounds are encouraged, with a focus on projects that drive significant social change. They should also be at least 21 years old, and not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program. Candidates must be committed to working collaboratively with their cohort members, have familiarity with the cultural history and local issues impacting communities of color, and be available to commit 50 hours to the Fellowship.

Fellows and Artists-in-residence will spend roughly 50 hours participating in workshop sessions and related programming, and should plan to spend additional hours attending professional development offerings, work sessions with their cohort, coaching sessions, and open studios. Artists-in-Residence will also spend a substantial amount of time developing their independent projects.

Create Change is not a typical series of professional development workshops. Some of the topics and themes covered every year include: cultural arts organizing, building community partnerships, deep listening practices and storytelling, understanding public policy, decolonizing thought, and more. We believe in the tenets of popular education and draw from the immense and diverse knowledge of the cohort participants throughout the program.

This experiential form of learning is central to The LP’s mission and core values, which we imbue in all of our programs. Besides concrete skills and experiential learning opportunities, one of the greatest benefits we offer our artists is a network of like-minded practitioners and supporters.

Artists working in any art form are eligible to apply as long as they are interested in community-based art making. For The LP, art includes visual, media, literary, and performing arts (dance, music, acting, comedy, singing, etc.) as well as curation, scholarship, education, healing, community organizing, and other cultural traditions, productions, technology, design, and other creative practices. You do not have to consider yourself an artist to apply.

We recognize that there are many creative practitioners who do not identify themselves as “professional artists” and/or do not earn their living solely from art-making. Successful applicants are able to demonstrate a record of artistic experience and analytical thinking skills to contribute to the collaborative learning environment.

All workshops will take place in person over a 3-day period, and public programs are in-person. The fellow planning sessions with community partners and professional development offerings, such as office hours and working sessions, will sometimes be facilitated by way of Zoom or Google Meet.

For virtual/hybrid participation in workshops/sessions, you will need the following:

● Access to reliable and consistent internet connection
● Access to a computer or tablet with camera and a microphone (not a phone if possible)
● A Zoom account set up and familiarity with the features (you can open an account for
free here)
● A Google Meet account (you may access it via a gmail account, open a free account
here)

Yes, only artists that are currently based in NYC are eligible to apply for the Fellowship and Residency programs. 

Due to the high volume of applicants, we only share feedback with candidates who advance to the interview stage of the application process. We will also offer info sessions in each borough of New York City which will be an opportunity to connect with our staff and ask specific questions regarding the application and process.

Solo production of art works made for personal practice. Proposals with no involvement, impact, or engagement with additional stakeholders or a broader community.

All application materials and eligibility details are available through a single Submittable link. Within the form, applicants may select their track—Fellow, AiR, or Bed-Stuy AiR—and indicate interest in additional programs.