Apply Now: We Are Family Foundation ‘The Creatives’ Frontliners 2026 Fund

Applications are now open for the We Are Family Foundation Youth to the Front Fund: “The Creatives” Frontliners 2026. The deadline is April 13, 2026. This fund supports young creative leaders under 30 who work with BIPOC communities to fight injustice through arts and culture. In tough times of uncertainty and harm, these creatives step up as caretakers. They use imagination and storytelling to build better futures. This article covers the fund’s purpose, who can apply, the creative fields involved, and how to submit an application.

Creative leaders serve as caretakers and sparks for change. They ground their work in community through imagination, storytelling, and group efforts. This helps challenge injustice and create paths to dignity, healing, and fair futures.

In places hit by loss and damage, they focus on restoration. They replant trees, rebuild spaces, and reimagine what was broken. Recovery happens together, step by step.

They also bring in joy on purpose. Through gatherings, performances, and shared culture, they build connections and care for each other. Cultural heritage stays alive as useful knowledge. It keeps languages, crafts, music, and wisdom passing down while adapting to new times.

For 2026, the fund backs young leaders making real, clear impacts right now. They shape culture, change stories, bring communities together through art, and strengthen human and natural systems that keep us going.

You qualify if you meet these key points:

• You are a founding leader under 30 years old.
• Your work focuses on BIPOC communities.
• You actively fight systemic racism, inequality, inequity, and injustice.

Creative leaders work in many fields. Here are the main areas with examples:

• Visual & Material Arts: Painting, sculpture, photography, film, installation, design, fashion, craft, and material practices in physical or digital forms.
• Performance & Embodied Practice: Dance, theatre, live and interdisciplinary shows, movement work, and embodied expression from contemporary or ritual sources.
• Music & Sound: Composition, production, DJing, sound art, and community audio stories in live or recorded ways.
• Writing & Literary Arts: Poetry, prose, spoken word, journalism, publishing, archival work, and stories across platforms.
• Film, Media & Cultural Documentation: Documentary films, short films, community journalism, archives, and media that save and share cultural stories.
• Design, Architecture & Spatial Practice: Architecture, urban and landscape design, public art, installations, product and social design, and community placemaking.
• Digital & Creative Technology: Creative coding, immersive media, gaming, XR/AR/VR, web art, and tech experiments in culture.
• Creative Changemaking & Cultural Strategy: Curation, creative organizing, cultural stories, culinary and folk arts, and mixes of art and community action.
• Holistic Healing, Community Spaces & Sport: Wellness practices, healing methods, youth and community sports, shared spaces, and movement as culture.

To apply, head to the online application portal. For full details, check the official page on “The Creatives” Frontliners.

Deadline: April 13, 2026
Apply now

Submit your application soon to join these impactful leaders.

Jude Ogar wrote this post. He is an educator and youth development expert with years in education and youth work. He cares deeply about youth growth in Africa. Related chances include the Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize and MIT Solve Global Challenge.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for the ‘The Creatives’ Frontliners 2026 fund?

You can apply if you are a founding leader under 30 whose work focuses on BIPOC communities and fights systemic racism, inequality, and injustice.

What creative fields does the fund support?

It covers visual and material arts, performance, music, writing, film, design, digital tech, creative changemaking, and holistic healing practices.

When is the application deadline?

The deadline is April 13, 2026.

How do I submit my application?

Go to the online application portal at apply.wearefamilyfoundation.org/submit and follow the instructions there.