Artist Fund: Board Leadership Training

Board Leadership Training, one of the longest-running programs at ArtsFund, focuses on equipping leaders with essential skills for supporting arts and cultural organizations through board leadership. Through six sessions taught by a faculty of trusted industry experts, participants receive 12 hours of instruction covering fiscal and legal responsibilities, fundraising, strategic planning, racial equity, and governance. The sessions are designed to provide a theoretical framework in concert with a real-life example and a chance to engage with peers in content-focused discussions. Participants are also invited to attend in-person networking events to build community within each year’s cohort.

ArtsFund offers Board Leadership Training once a year, typically in the spring, with registration opening early in the new calendar year.

2026 BLT Course Overview

Registration for 2026 Board Leadership Training is now open.

The 2026 Board Leadership Training will encompass six online sessions, as well as an optional in-person celebration event and an optional in-person board matching event. Sessions will start the week of March 16, 2026 and run through the week of April 27, 2026, with a break in sessions occurring the week of April 13, 2026. There are two cohorts – one on Monday nights and one on Wednesday nights (with one exception in week 3, shifting Wednesday session to Tuesday, March 31). When you register, you will select which cohort is best for your schedule, or indicate that either cohort works for you. Flexibility for either of the cohorts will make it easier for us to place you.

Following the program, ArtsFund will host an optional in-person networking event in early May 2026 for cohort members to gather and meet each other as well as make connections across cohorts. Additionally, ArtsFund will host an optional in-person board matching event in early June 2026. This event aims to help recent Board Leadership Training graduates connect with local arts nonprofits from our Cultural Partners Network that are seeking new board members.

Sessions: The online sessions will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m. (with one exception in week 3, with the Wednesday session occurring instead on Tuesday, March 31, 2026). The first session will begin 30 minutes early. ArtsFund will share remarks on the history of the program, along with additional information about coursework and participant expectations. All sessions will take place on Zoom.

Please contact BLT@artsfund.org with any questions.