SOZO Fellowship (Due Apr. 12)
SOZO Fellowship
Deadline: April 12th, 2026
SOZO Fellowship is a groundbreaking coaching program designed to equip full-time working, mid-career independent artists with sustainability and entrepreneurship training to reach new heights in their livelihood and creative endeavors.
Using a holistic framework, Artists and Producers as Entrepreneurs and Changemakers (APEC), the program is facilitated in collaboration with a group of experts from the Wellness, Finance, and Startup business world.
By addressing systemic gaps in support for creative practitioners, we aim to unleash their fullest potential, enabling them to lead with their expansive vision.
Higlights:
Expert guided learning, synthesis and reflection through a unique holistic framework that includes:
• Vision & Artist Identity:
Clarifying purpose, values, and artistic horizon.
• Sustainability & Wellbeing:
Cultivating energy & vibrancy, abundance mindset, time management skills and personal financial literacy.
• Entrepreneurial Strategies:
Leadership development, communication, conviction, business acumen and revenue models.
• Fundraising:
Understanding grants & funder landscape, cultivating donors, and relationship building strategies.
• Community Support:
Accessing peer mentorship and expanding your network.
• Future Opportunity:
Pitch to a panel of leading arts professionals. Access to tools, resources, and an alumni network.
Structure:
SOZO Fellowship is designed to be cumulative where each session builds upon the knowledge gained in previous sessions, making attendance critical. It will run virtually for six months from June to Dec 2026 and includes:
• Up to 2 required group sessions (4 hours total) per month via Zoom led by SOZO and experts in wellness, finance and startups.
• Tentative dates include: 6/9 (Orientation), 6/23, 7/7, 7/21, 8/4, 8/18, 10/6, 10/20, 11/10, 11/24, and 12/8.
• Approximately 2 hours of additional required individual learning per month.
• One-on-One Sessions: Personalized guidance and support.
• Asynchronous Learning: Online materials and resources; Access to recordings to revisit discussions.
• An intimate cohort of fellows that grow together throughout the fellowship.
• A $1,500 honorarium paid to each Fellow for full participation and completion of the program.
Eligibility
US-based independent artists who are…
• Creating original work, with preferences given to contemporary, multi-disciplinary performing arts, new media and technology. We are unable to accept applications from strictly visual artists.
• Mid-career, defined as having a minimum of 10 years of professional, paid work experiences in the business of arts, such as touring and developing commissioned works.
• Able to commit focused and consistent time for learning and synthesis.
• US citizens, green card and work visa holders.
• Artists from diverse backgrounds, communities and regions are encouraged to apply.
• Artists whose primary income is from outside the arts and culture sector are not eligible.
• Artists whose primary income is from full time teaching positions related to your artistic/cultural practice are eligible.