Tribeworks is a cooperative, worker-owned payments and employment platform built to support creatives so they can focus on what they do best–creating. Tribeworks provided employment and benefits to artists in CRNY's Artist Employment Program who collaborated with small organizations that were unable to provide these services.
Collaboration and partnership were at the core of Creatives Rebuild New York’s work, shaping every aspect of our initiatives. The breadth and depth of our partner network were instrumental in driving our mission forward, allowing us to co-design and co-lead artist-centric programs that prioritized sustainability and impact. From the outset, artists served as critical thought partners in the conceptualization and implementation of the Guaranteed Income for Artists and Artist Employment programs. As key members of CRNY’s Leadership Council and Think Tank, they played a vital role in shaping both programs to address the specific employment needs and unique challenges artists face in building long-term, sustainable livelihoods.
CRNY relied on several major partners to support our programs. Each partner brought extensive experience and deep commitment to the field. As a three-year initiative, we had to move quickly and strategically. Collaboration was essential to embed this work effectively and to ensure its long-term impact. We were grateful to work alongside and learn from partners with long and storied histories in the field, whose expertise and dedication helped us accomplish our goals within a short timeline. Learn more about each of these partners below.
Artist Employment Program Partners
Untangled Resolutions is led Bathabile Mthombeni and (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Coaching, Mediation, and Reconciliation Process Design. For CRNY, they provided assistance in the design of our conflict mediation process, provided mediation between collaborations, and facilitated the Artist and Cultural Workers Bill of Rights.
Linguistic Justice is led by Irene Gotera and works to create equitable spaces for all by implementing language justice strategies. For CRNY, they provided strategic design of our multilingual applications, consultation with overall language justice strategies, document translation, and Video Remote Interpretation for all of our online engagements.
David Dean
David Dean was Executive Director of Printed Matter and has worked with organizations in the UK and US, including the Queens Museum of Art and the English National Opera. For CRNY, he assisted with workshops about applying the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and provided 1:1 support to collaborations on navigating those online systems.
Ari Sahagún
Ari Sahagún is a photographer, writer, co-designer working toward a world without capitalism, one that is supported by movement networks, new forms of governance, decentralization of power, and resource distribution. For CRNY, Ari helped us build a peer support network between AEP artists and organizations as well as supported our work with Tribeworks’ “The Space”.
Jason Issacs
Jason Isaacs provided strategy and facilitation for Artist Employment Program Regional Gatherings.
Veasna Has was a writer and consultant for the Artist Employment Program digital yearbook.
Guaranteed Income Program Partners
SteadyApp’s partnership with CRNY supported the Guaranteed Income for Artists program in two ways: verifying participants’ income to better understand their financial story, and, as one of CRNY's distribution partners, depositing the funds directly into artists’ bank accounts.
A leader in the guaranteed income and economic equality space, Community Financial Resources (CFR) was one of the payment distribution partners for CRNY’s Guaranteed Income for Artists program.
Since 1893, Henry Street Settlement (HSS) has delivered effective, compassionate and comprehensive services to residents of the Lower East Side and NYC. Through CRNY's partnerships with HSS and WWL, participating artists in the Guaranteed Income for Artists program had access to benefits counselors to help understand the impact of the additional funds on existing benefits.
Work Without Limits specializes in assisting individuals to understand how earned and unearned income may affect eligibility for public benefits with special focus on disabled people. Through CRNY's partnerships with WWL and HSS, participating artists in the Guaranteed Income for Artists program had access to benefits counselors to help understand the impact of the additional funds on existing benefits.
Probity New York LLC is a professional services firm that provided verification services for our Guaranteed Income for Artist program.
The Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank is one of the 12 regional banks of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, responsible for monetary policy implementation, financial regulation, and economic research in the Southeast. They provided Benefits Protections support.
Jain Family Institute (JFI) provided expertise in the field of implementing and researching guaranteed income demonstrations to fortify CRNY’s Guaranteed Income for Artists program. Our partnership included the secure data storage of applicant materials.
Benefits Kitchen is a digital platform that helps individuals and families access public benefits by providing quick, accurate screenings for programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and housing assistance. Designed to simplify the complex benefits system, Benefits Kitchen empowers users with clear, actionable information to maximize their support and improve financial stability.
The Leap Fund is an initiative that provides financial support and resources to low-income women of color entrepreneurs, helping them grow and sustain their businesses.
Founded by Leila Tamari, This Place Works provided strategy and facilitation for The Guaranteed Income for Artists regional gatherings.
Looking Glass Creative provided convening support for Guaranteed Income for Artists and Artist Employment regional gatherings.
Artist Support Partners
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is a nonprofit organization that supports artists and arts organizations through funding, resources, and professional development programs.
The Entertainment Community Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance, career resources, and social services to creative professionals.
ArtistsU is a grassroots, artist-run organization that provides free professional development, strategic planning, and community support to help artists build sustainable careers.
GoodCall designed and operated the CRNY Help Desk from February 14, 2022 through March 25, 2022. Their work to create systemic change through technology and community organizing opened access to CRNY’s program applications to thousands of New Yorkers.
Artist Outreach Corps
It was important for CRNY to reach artists, organizations, and communities who do not typically receive arts funding. In order to broaden our pool of applicants, CRNY implemented two dedicated strategies: an Outreach Corps and Information Sessions.
CRNY hired ten artist organizers from around New York State to recruit artists and organizations to apply to CRNY’s programs. This group was equipped to answer questions and support the overall application process.These artists were deeply embedded in the communities and regions where they worked, giving them insight into those artists who may be best suited to CRNY’s opportunities while demonstrating credibility and trust with local artists. (See, for example, the work of artist-organizer Myraan Mays.) The Outreach Corps held events and used their networks and social media to encourage artists to apply, and they made themselves available to answer programmatic questions and support artists in applying. The Outreach Corps consisted of:
Marissa Hernandez
North Country and Capital Region
Hayden Haynes
Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley
Cjala Surratt
Central New York and Finger Lakes
Alexa and Edreys Wajed
Buffalo and Western New York
Myraan Mays
Mid-Hudson
Herbert Norat
New York City and Spanish Speakers
Jeremy Dennis
Long Island and Indigenous Communities Downstate
Jeanette Jemison
Indigenous Communities Upstate
Kevin Gotkin
Deaf and Disabled Communities Statewide
Information Session Partners
CRNY partnered with the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and several regional organizations across the state to co-host online information sessions for potential applicants to learn more about our programs. Visit CRNY’s Vimeo page to view archived Information Sessions in English, Spanish, or Chinese.
Research Partners
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that provides data-driven insights and evidence-based solutions to address pressing social and economic challenges, with a focus on advancing equity and improving the well-being of communities across the United States.
The SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government is a public policy think tank that conducts research and analysis on governance, fiscal policy, and social programs to inform decision-making and improve public policy.
Hester Street was a nonprofit organization that worked to advance racial and social equity by providing planning, design, and community development support to historically disinvested communities, ensuring meaningful participation in shaping their neighborhoods.
Museum Hue is a national organization dedicated to advancing Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color in the cultural field by providing resources, advocacy, and opportunities that promote equity and inclusion in museums and cultural institutions.
The Center for Cultural Affairs at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs advances the understanding of arts and culture in public life through research, educational opportunities, and community outreach.
The Family Economic Policy Lab at Appalachian State University specializes in mixed-methods program and policy evaluation, blending rigorous quantitative analysis with innovative qualitative methodologies to deliver comprehensive insights into current economic issues.
The Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis is a university-wide initiative dedicated to addressing pressing social issues through transdisciplinary empirical research, dissemination of evidence-informed policy, and training.
The Cash Transfer Lab at New York University is an interdisciplinary research center founded in 2021 by social demographer Dr. Sarah K. Cowan, focusing on building an evidence base regarding cash transfer policies.
I/O Research Inc. provides independent and original research and analysis in cultural policy, offering objective and unbiased analyses of broad-level issues in arts and culture to inform decision-makers in organizations and government.
The Jain Family Institute (JFI) is a nonpartisan applied research organization that addresses pressing social problems by identifying and building high-impact interventions that translate to real-world progress.
Congruence Cultural Strategies (Congruence for short) is a cooperatively owned and operated consulting practice with values-driven partners in the philanthropic, nonprofit, and government sectors on strategy, research, and facilitation. They are motivated by fundamental investment in artistic and cultural contributions to civic life, building and maintenance of relationships based on trust and mutual respect, and promotion of spatial and cultural justice.
Helicon Collaborative is a research and strategy consultancy dedicated to leveraging culture to create a just, creative, and sustainable future for all.
The National Archive of Data on Arts and Culture (NADAC) is a repository that facilitates research on arts and culture by acquiring data, particularly those funded by federal agencies and other organizations, and sharing those data with researchers, policymakers, people in the arts and culture field, and the general public.
Rila Group is a consultancy that specializes in transforming enterprise data into actionable insights through data analytics, business intelligence, and AI solutions, helping organizations make informed decisions and drive growth across various industries.
Policy & Advocacy Partners
HR&A Advisors is an employee-owned consulting firm specializing in real estate development, economic development, and public policy, dedicated to creating equitable, resilient, and dynamic communities through rigorous analysis, strategy development, and implementation planning.
The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) is a nonpartisan public policy think tank based in New York City, dedicated to reducing inequality, increasing economic mobility, and fostering economic growth through research and policy advocacy.
The National Arts Policy Roundtable is an annual gathering that brings together artists, philanthropists, policymakers, and thought leaders from both nonprofit and for-profit sectors to collaboratively strategize ways to integrate the arts into addressing societal challenges.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the twelve regional banks in the Federal Reserve System, serving the Second District, which includes New York, parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It plays a pivotal role in implementing U.S. monetary policy, providing financial services, supervising and regulating financial institutions, and conducting research on economic and financial issues.
Emma Guttman-Slater is a financial justice advocate who has worked across the U.S. for nonprofits advancing economic and racial equity.
Art.coop is a collective dedicated to fostering an arts and culture movement rooted in solidarity, centering artists and cultural workers who are driving systems change.
Creative Study offers a subscription-based platform providing an expanding library of online, video-based courses and inclusive events designed to empower individuals and organizations in the arts and culture sector.
The Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing economic mobility and financial security through innovative programs and policies in Georgia.
The Bridge Project is a large-scale, unconditional cash program aimed at eradicating childhood poverty in the U.S. by providing low-income mothers with up to $1,000 a month during pregnancy and their babies’ first 1,000 days, with no strings attached, to promote healthy child development and break the cycle of poverty.
Income Movement is an advocacy organization dedicated to promoting universal basic income (UBI) as a solution to economic inequality and financial insecurity.
The Economic Security Project is a nonprofit organization that advocates for economic policies like guaranteed income and tax credits to build financial stability and reduce poverty.
The Laundromat Project is an arts organization that advances social change by supporting and empowering artists and communities of color through creative projects in everyday spaces like laundromats.
The Center for Economic Democracy is an organization that supports community-led efforts to build a more just and democratic economy through policy advocacy, cooperative development, and movement building
New Yorkers for Childcare is an advocacy coalition dedicated to expanding access to affordable, high-quality childcare for families across New York City.
Storytelling Partners
Fenton Communications is a full-service agency specializing in social change communications, offering a range of strategic, creative, digital, and advertising services to foundations, brands, and government agencies
Neglakay Productions is a grassroots video production house curated by the visual philosopher Herman Jean-Noel. Neglakay’s remarkably organic and honest style mixed with fine attention to detail and the ability to capture the mood & emotion in the simplest of things contribute to the unique works and visions of Neglakay Productions.
Blowback Productions was created by Marc Levin in 1988. He and his producing partner, Daphne Pinkerson, have made over 30 films which have won Emmys, duPonts, Cable Aces, and numerous other awards and accolades. They have told powerful real stories in a unique authentic style.
LevLane is a full-service advertising agency based in Center City, Philadelphia.
Creative and strategic ad professionals who have partnered to solve branding and communications cases. They offer a seamless blend of best-in-class strategic and creative thinking to discover smart, inventive, and insightful solutions to branding and marketing mysteries.
The Comms Shop is the solution for projects and campaigns that build out your org's current capacity without requiring the commitment and scale of a large firm.
Joelle Riffle is a freelance graphic designer based in Boston, working with nonprofits, small businesses and artists to amplify their missions.
James Thacher is an illustrator, filmmaker and GIF animator living in Brooklyn, NY.
Flannel & Blade is a creative collective of artists, writers, designers, and strategists that provides intentional and equity-driven communications services to help organizations effectively engage their audiences while amplifying the voices of the communities they serve.
Louis is an independent creative technologist from New York City and serves as Technology Director at For Office Use Only. His extensive experience planning, building, and managing digital platforms guides and strengthens the creation of tailored solutions for design-minded clients.
Related Content
Related Pages
Overview
Artist Employment Program
An overview of CRNY's Artist Employment Program including the program timeline, guidelines, and key resources.
Overview
Guaranteed Income for Artists
An overview of CRNY's Guaranteed Income Program including the program timeline, guidelines, and key resources.
Campaigns
Storytelling
A collection of our video, multimedia, and social media campaigns, launched between 2022 and 2025.