New England Artists & Organizations Selected for Walking Together Grants

(Boston, MA) – The New England Foundation for the Arts joins the US Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) to announce the 96 grant recipients - 12 in New England -  of Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color. The Walking Together program is administered by Mid Atlantic Arts on behalf of the USRAOs.

This one-time pilot program awards significant non-matching grants to traditional artists, practitioners, nonprofits, local and Tribal governments, and community organizations and knowledge keepers that demonstrate a deep commitment to sustaining folklife rooted in communities of color. 

Nationally, a total of $3.34 million has been awarded to 96 grantees. Fifty-six organizations will each receive a $50,000 grant and 40 individuals will each receive $15,000. 

Walking Together aims to facilitate a robust regional and national support network for traditional arts, support collaborative documentation and marketing services, and address historic precarity and disinvestment in folk arts and culture that communities of color face. Organizations and individuals deeply engaged in sustaining their community’s traditions receive unrestricted grants through Walking Together, with the aim of supporting their existing work and bolstering community traditions and knowledge into the future.

“These artists and organizations show a deep commitment to sustaining folklife rooted in communities of color,” said Adrienne Petrillo, NEFA’s interim director of program strategy. “These unrestricted grants are an investment in a wide range of communities, cultures, and art forms across the region, and we look forward to seeing them continue thriving.” 

Grant recipients represent all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. All states and jurisdictions have at least one grantee. 

The New England recipients include:

• Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven (Organization) of New Haven, CT, is dedicated to the athletic, artistic, educational, social, cultural, leadership and health development of children and families. The Walking Together grant will increase the consistency, frequency and depth of their traditional music programming to the profound benefit of the community.
• Rachna Agrawal (Individual) of Weatogue, CT, is a performer, choreographer, educator, and author of Indian Kathak dance. The Walking Together funding will help her develop not just performers, but informed artists and future teachers who will carry the tradition of classical Indian dance forward with a deep sense of purpose, cultural fluency, and pride in their shared heritage.
• Angkor Dance Troupe, Inc. (Organization) of Lowell, MA, connects communities through the preservation, education, and innovation of Cambodian performing arts, while fostering youth development and empowerment. Walking Together funding will support teaching hours for a master artist, expanding youth access to Khmer performing arts and strengthening the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge.
• Veronica Robles (Individual) of Saugus, MA, is a Mariachi singer and musician and a Latin American folkloric dancer and choreographer. The Walking Together grant will enable her to recharge, reflect, and restore her artistic well-being, connect with female mariachis nationwide for collaboration, and explore new performance opportunities beyond New England.
• Ikirezi Multicultural Institute (Organization) of Auburn, ME, is committed to promoting holistic youth integration through creative programming in Burundian Dance, craft, and Kirundi language, targeting multicultural youth, especially immigrants and new Mainers. Walking Together funds will expand access to cultural dance education for children by removing financial barriers.
• Theresa Secord (Individual) of Farmington, ME, is an award-winning traditional Penobscot basket maker and the founding director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA), which has revitalized this endangered art. Walking Together will support her teaching the ancient art of Wabanaki ash and sweet grass basketry to her apprentice, who in turn will pass on the art to her granddaughter. The grant will support the purchase of ash wood, the primary weaving material from tribal wood harvesters in advance of the emerald ash borer beetle, which is killing all of the ash trees in Maine.
• Positive Street Art (Organization) of Nashua, NH, aims to inspire a passion for the urban arts in a productive way and to build strong communities through educational workshops, community events, and artistic services. Walking Together support will foster preservation for culturally representative dancing workshops and spoken word programs inclusive to youth and young adults. In addition, the funds will support lead curators and visiting artists for gallery exhibitions which center and amplify traditional and folk-art practices in Black and Brown Communities.
• Theophilus Martey (Individual) of Manchester, NH, is a Ghanaian/West African drummer, dancer, songwriter, recording artist, producer, performer, and teaching artist. Walking Together funding will expand his capacity for documenting, teaching, and sharing traditional knowledge across generations, including documenting rituals, songs, and oral histories in formats that resonate with younger generations, while safeguarding the authenticity of our practices.
• The Rhode Island Kung Fu and Lion Dance Club in Providence, RI, has served their local Chinese American community for 20 years with lion dance, drumming, and martial arts classes. Walking Together funds will help them secure a larger studio space, maintain their delicate lion costumes, and build organizational capacity.
• Sidy Maiga (Individual) of Providence, RI, is a renowned djembefola in traditional Malian and West African music. Walking Together funding will strengthen his role as a tradition bearer by expanding his West African youth program and securing the resources necessary to produce his next traditional album.        
• Madison Murphy Barney (Individual) of Middlesex, VT, is a Two Spirit author, speaker, public health storytelling expert, and doula. Walking Together funding will support Madison to model sustainable Indigenous cultural work while strengthening partnerships that integrate traditional ways of knowing into contemporary systems.
• Shidaa Projects, Inc. (Organization) of Montpelier, VT, is focused on cultural education and diversity through sharing West African dances, drumming and other activities. Walking Together will help expand their educational offerings including a summer camp. It will allow Shidaa the freedom to recruit new players with experience in West African rhythms and increase the reach of their performances.           

“We are excited and honored to support organizations and individuals sustaining folklife in their communities,” said Juan Souki, Executive Director of Mid Atlantic Arts. “Supporting folklife means directly supporting the intrinsic role art plays in everyday life. Sustaining cultural modes of knowledge is crucial to bolstering the vitality of underserved communities across every state and jurisdiction.”

More than 2,000 organizations and artists applied for Walking Together funding in 2025. Eligible applicants were reviewed by six review panels—one per region—and selected applicants were invited to a second round of review. Each region also assembled committees of consultants composed of traditional artists, folklorists, scholars, arts professionals, and advocates as “Working Circles.” These Working Circle members were involved in every stage of the program, including the development of grant guidelines, outreach to potential applicants, and application review and feedback processes as part of a participatory grantmaking model.

To view all grantees, visit the Walking Together program page.

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities, fostering equitable access to the arts and enriching the cultural landscape in New England and across the United States. Founded in 1976, NEFA has grown into a vital national and international leader, advancing opportunities for artists and strengthening the arts infrastructure through grantmaking, partnerships, convenings, and knowledge sharing.  

NEFA’s work is made possible through generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the six New England state arts agencies, private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. As NEFA approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, it continues to lead with creativity, resilience, and vision, affirming the vital role of the arts in civic life and advancing a cultural landscape where all people have equitable access to artistic expression. www.nefa.org.  

About the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations

The United States Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs)—Arts Midwest, Creative West (formerly WESTAF), Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, and South Arts—are a collective of six nonprofit arts service organizations committed to strengthening America’s infrastructure by increasing access to creativity for all Americans. The USRAOs partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts agencies, individuals, and other public and private funders to develop and deliver programs, services, and products that advance arts and creativity. Together, the USRAOs work to activate and operate national arts initiatives, encourage, and support collaboration across regions, states, and communities, and maximize the coordination of public and private resources invested in arts programs. In 2024, they invested over $33.6 million across the United States and Jurisdictions, through nearly 3,000 grants that reached more than 1,300 communities. Learn more at usregionalarts.org.

Contact: Ann Wicks  | 617-423-1390