These organizations are part of the critical infrastructure of places – bringing people together to build a shared sense of community and creating joy, improving community health, and expanding economic opportunity. In times of crisis, it is these deeply rooted organizations that residents turn to for assistance.
The Coalition supports local organizations by providing peer engagement opportunities, technical assistance and practical resources. Together we make this field more visible, drive resources to local organizations, and discover shared research, advocacy and policy change opportunities.
There are many ways to be involved – visit the Community Page for more info.
Launched in the fall of 2023, the Creative Change Coalition is ever-evolving and shaped by the people and organizations that engage with it. The Coalition is led by Laura Zabel, Jun-Li Wang, and Sara Sawicki. Learn more about the leadership team.
The Creative Change Coalition began as an initiative of Springboard for the Arts as a response to the need for organizing, advocacy and field-building for local cultural organizations during the pandemic. From 2023-2025 the Coalition hosted virtual field conversations and technical assistance for over 900 participants, supported 48 organizations through Connection Sparks mini-grants, and convened over 100 member organizations at our first in-person Coalition Gathering in the fall of 2025. The Coalition also piloted other types of member support through initiatives focused on Rural-Urban Solidarity and Organizational Resilience.
In July 2026, the Coalition became an independent entity, with Springboard continuing to provide administrative support and resources. This new structure allows for greater focus and possibilities for the Coalition including new investments in research, field-building and narrative change.
We seek to create more just and equitable communities in the face of dominant systems that marginalize and extract from people on the basis of race, gender, disability, location, class, sexual orientation, religion and other identities.
Member Organizations have a deep impact in their place AND are a critical piece of the local ecosystem that supports thriving communities.
We work with artists (broadly defined), creative workers, and culture bearers in and of communities because they make meaning, weave people together, and envision new paths.
We center the strength of practitioners and the wisdom of community members who shape the circumstances for community resilience and health.
Individually, Coalition organizations are instrumental to the health of specific communities – and collectively, we can work together to navigate and to recast the systems we need.
Our definition of artist, creative workers, and culture bearers is broad: from people who weave stories and craft meaning, to those who perform and create art in public places, local artists represent different cultures, experiences, and demographics. They can engage residents, organizations, and businesses in joyful, inclusive, and strategic solutions to local issues and opportunities.
With this broad definition, this means that artists exist in every place and community, and are a powerful resource.
Local context and ecosystems are best positioned to know what their communities need and to be able to deliver it in a relevant and accessible way. We value and prioritize locally grown systems and solutions.
Many communities do not currently have robust or sustainable ecosystems of support for artists, creative workers, and culture bearers. We have a responsibility to share the resources we have and support the growth of these local ecosystems.
Joseph Allen, Gizhiigin Arts Incubator
Mary Bordeaux, Racing Magpie
Sage Crump, National Performance Network
Deborah Cullinan, Stanford University
Jack Forinash, Blue Sky Center
Alexis Frasz, Helicon
Aviva Kapust, The Culture & Community Power Fund
Jeremy Liu, Creative Development Partners
Esther Robinson, ArtBuilt
Michael Rohd, Co-Lab for Civic Imagination / Center for Performance and Civic Practice
Omari Rush, CultureSource
Jamie (Schumacher) Kalakaru-Mava, Local Initiatives Support Corporation- Twin Cities
Jason Schupbach, Drexel U.– Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
Erik Takeshita, The Culture & Community Power Fund
Margy Waller, Art on the Streets
Arts for LA– Los Angeles County, California
Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology– Bellaire, MI
Fresh Arts– Houston, TX
Harvester Arts– Wichita, KS
Office for Public Art– Pittsburgh, PA
Pike School of Art– McComb, MS
Racing Magpie– Rapid City, SD
Sidewalk Detroit– Detroit, MI