In FY2022, the Arts Commission formally established its foundational Tribal Consultation Policy, a first-of-its-kind policy among the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies, and, in FY2023,created a new Tribal Relations Manager position to create and develop stronger relationships in service of the 22 Tribal Nations within the boundaries of Arizona.
Through Tribal Consultations and other outreach done by the department, the agency calls for input from Tribal Nations and Native communities into how they are being affected by the work of the Arts Commission, what arts and culture is and envisioned to be in their communities, and what we as an agency can improve on in service of their needs.
Tribal Consultation Policy
Description: In A.R.S §41-2051, Subsection (C), the statute outlines what each agency of the State of Arizona is mandated to do, which includes the creation and updating of a Tribal Consultation Policy. The Tribal Consultation Policy is kept up-to-date and is also available on the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations’ website.
Annual Tribal Consultation Reports
Description: Each year, the agency is required to submit to the Governor’s Office on Tribal Relations a report of the engagements we have had with Tribal Nations and Native American communities. These reports are compiled and shared with legislators and Tribal leaders at the start of each legislative session.
Resources & Opportunities for Tribal Nations, Native organizations, and Native individuals
General Operational Funding for Organizations & Cultural Departments
Funding for Festivals/Arts & Cultural Events
Youth Programming & Opportunities
Elder Programming & Opportunities
Lifelong Arts Engagement Grant
Individual Artists & Cultural Practitioners
Folk and Traditional Arts
Through the State Partnership Grant, the National Endowment for the Arts provides state arts agencies with support for stable, professionally-directed programs that are responsive to a state’s diverse folk and traditional arts heritage. Since 2014, the Arizona Commission on the Arts has partnered with the Southwest Folklife Alliance (SFA) to serve as the state’s official folk arts partner.
Other Resources
Federal Resources for Native Arts & Cultural Activities
This resource guide from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a consolidation of opportunities offered by federal agencies for organizations and Tribal government departments looking for funding and other resources to support Native arts and culture activities. Updated every two years.
National Heritage Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA National Heritage Fellowships is the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Each year since 1982, the program recognizes recipients’ artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation’s traditional arts heritage. Nominations can be submitted through this form.
Resources for Developing a Native Arts & Cultural Council
This website features resources and tools to help Native communities develop Arts & Culture Councils. It is funded by the Ford Foundation and administered by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM). New resources are added frequently.
