Building Stronger Organizations by Investing in the Artist Workforce

SPACE FOR CHANGE PROGRAM

ArtHome’s mission is to help artists build assets and equity through financial literacy, home ownership, self-sufficiency, and the responsible use of credit. After identifying existing asset-building programs with good data, scalable practices, and successful track records that are not currently serving artists, ArtHome works with leaders in these systems to expand their reach to artist populations. Areas of focus include homebuyer training programs, matching grant savings programs, and peer lending systems. For example, in order to educate New York Mortgage Coalition (NYMC) about the artist community, and to help artists understand the services offered by NYMC and related agencies, ArtHome produced a series of publications, including the Homebuyer Handbook, the Foreclosure Prevention Handbook, and Mortgage Qualification Strategies for Artists and Independent Workers in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

The success of ArtHome’s programs has triggered replication efforts in two LINC communities: ArtHome is now partnering with Springboard for the Arts in Minnesota and Community Partners for Arts and Culture in Cleveland to educate these sites regarding its approach. The Homebuyer Handbook is now available for artists in Minnesota.

“As our process and programs evolved, so did LINC’s support,” said ArtHome founder and Executive Director Esther Robinson. “The initial planning grant let us test our theories. The implementation grant allowed us to solidify our New York pilot. The expansion grant helped us build a network to replicate successes in other communities. The adaptable, responsive program design that LINC encouraged has become an integral part of our process.”