McMillen Artist Community
Fellowship Program

Returning to our roots!

2025 will see the conclusion of the MAC Fellowship program.  After five years, awarding a quarter of a million dollars, and impacting the lives of 33 individual artists, we have decided to return to making grants to small, local, non-profit organizations.

Reflecting on the 5-year history of the MAC Fellowship program, we were able to help artists achieve their dreams by supporting their career and life goals. Through this program, the Foundation was able to meet its Mission and Vision to provide critical financial support to artists, strengthen arts education, build community in and through the arts, and tackle more meaty issues of social justice like equity, access, and gentrification. Stories of artists like Audineh Asaf who established an Iranian American Artist Alliance and used her art to give visibility to the Iranian people risking their lives for change, Sarah Kavage who creates public projects that call attention to land, ecology, and place, Holly Ballard Martz whose artwork addresses social, political, and cultural issues, and the 30 other artists who all did amazing things, highlight the real difference the MAC Fellowship program made in the lives of artists, in the arts community, and in the world at large. The ripple effects will be felt for years to come!

While this specific program is coming to a close, our commitment to the arts and artists remains strong. We are excited about our new initiatives which will continue to address issues of social justice and to provide tools and resources to help ensure artists not only survive but thrive!

The MAC

Connecting dots. We understand that the arts world is small; that we are all interconnected and share similar passions to advance the field together. We realize that convening, networking, and learning together create opportunities to brainstorm and spark ideas and create artistic fire! This is the purpose behind the McMillen Artist Community (MAC). The MAC is a cohort of artists that the Foundation has supported through its scholarship and fellowship programs. To date, we’ve invested over $2.3 Million dollars and have helped 74 artists directly.