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Immigrant Artist Resource Center

Immigrant Artist Resource Center
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Immigrant Artist Program (IAP)
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Founded to serve as a hub where immigrant artists can access resources, exchange ideas, collaborate, and amplify their voices in the American cultural landscape.

We help immigrant artists develop and present their works, foster community, and build a sense of belonging through career development programming and resources that support their overall wellbeing.

Examples include workshops on healthcare options, visa applications, creating and locating opportunities, and networking events.

1-ON-1 CONSULTATIONS FOR IMMIGRANT ARTISTS

For a limited time, book a FREE 1-on-1 consultation session with an arts career consultant. The 1-on-1 Career Support for Immigrant Artists program is presented by the Immigrant Artist Resource Center, with generous support from the Tremaine Foundation. Learn more about the consultants and book a session here.

Our consultants are at capacity with appointments, and we are not currently booking new sessions. Please subscribe to the Immigrant Artist Newsletter to access other programs and resources.

1-on-1 Consultas para Artistas Inmigrantes

¿Busca consejos o comentarios sobre cómo comenzar su carrera en los EE. UU.?

Por tiempo limitado, reserve una sesión de consulta gratuita 1 a 1 con un asesor de carreras artísticas. El programa de Apoyo Profesional 1 a 1 para Artistas Inmigrantes es presentado por el Centro de Recursos para Artistas Inmigrantes, con el generoso apoyo de la Fundación Tremaine. Obtenga más información sobre los consultores y reserve una sesión aquí.

Nuestros consultores ya no tienen citas disponibles, actualmente no estamos aceptando reservas para nuevas sesiones. Suscríbase al boletín informativo The Immigrant Artist Newsletter para acceder a otros programas y recursos.

一對一移民藝術家職涯諮詢

想聆聽專業領域建議或想了解如何在美國開啟您的藝術職涯？  

移民藝術家資源中心（Immigrant Artist Resource Center）推出免費線上移民藝術家一對一諮詢服務，此項服務將持續到經費用罄為止，有興趣的朋友請趕快預約報名。我們感謝翠冕基金會（Tremaine Foundation) 的慷慨支持。

與我們顧問的諮詢服務目前已經額滿，我們目前暫無新的的諮詢服務。請訂閱移民藝術家電子報（Immigrant Artist Newsletter）以獲得本服務或其他資源的最新動態。

ONE-OFF EVENTS

In-person or virtual events supporting immigrant artists’ arts careers and overall well-being. Click below for information:

Upcoming at NYFA

Past programs presented by the Immigrant Artist Resource Center include “Every Artist Insured: Understanding Healthcare Options” and “The Art of Managing Money: Building Financial Stability and Credit.” To stay updated on the latest news and events, visit our news page and sign up for the Immigrant Artist Program newsletter.

IAP RESOURCE DIRECTORY

This directory provides the immigrant community a list of organizations to seek support in the arts and well-being New York City wide and nationally.

How to use the directory:

RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR ARTS CAREER

ARTS COUNCILS AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES

NEW YORK CITY

If you live somewhere in the five boroughs of New York City, one of these local arts councils or alliances should be your first point of contact in your search for support and resources. Many of these organizations offer workshops and grants, present exhibits and performances, and offer web-based services such as free artist registries and location-specific resource listings.

Live outside of the City? Here is a list of Arts Councils and Centers in New York State.

OTHER RESOURCES

Both of these agencies offer support mainly to arts organizations and serve individual artists through resource listings, workshops and events calendars.

ALLIANCES AND ART SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS       
GENERAL ARTS RESOURCES      
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND AWARDS       

VARIED DISCIPLINES

LITERARY ARTS

MEDIA AND FILM

PERFORMING ARTS

VISUAL ARTS

CROWDSOURCED FUNDRAISING

FUNDRAISING ARTICLES AND TOOLS

JOB LISTINGS      
LEGAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE    
  • Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts – Pro-bono legal services to low-income artists and arts organizations, offers workshops on legal issues confronting artists, and advocates for the arts community through legal action. You can call the VLA Art Law Line with all your legal questions: (212) 319-2787, Ext. 1, Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
  • The Legal Aid Society – Offers a number of specialized direct support programs and an online Self-Help Guide of legal resources
  • Artists From Abroad – A complete online guide to immigration and tax requirements for foreign guest artists in the US.
  • Business of Art: Legal – These articles cover all manner of legal and financial issues that artists confront, from marketing to housing,  from website development to budgeting and tax preparation.
  • Arts and Business Council – Joins the resources of the arts and business communities of New York, offering discounts, professional development services, and more to member organization and individuals
  • The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center – The Actor’s Fund provides this online directory and resource center for all artists, including self-employed and freelancers, seeking affordable health insurance in the US. They also offer local seminars and opportunities to advocate for health care reform.
  • Catholic Charities – Provides essential services to immigrants and newcomers to the U.S. Many Catholic Charities locations provide legal assistance. Find a location near you here.
  • Fractured Atlas – Provides multiple programs and services that help artists and arts organizations be more effective as businesses, from health and liability insurance to advocacy and professional development.
  • Freelancer’s Union – Free national membership organization that offer benefits like insurance and retirement to members and provides political advocacy for all independent workers.
  • National Immigration Project – A national non-profit that provides assistance and technical support to immigrant communities, legal practitioners, and advocates in the areas of criminal & deportation defense to noncitizens Living with HIV/AIDS.
  • New York City Housing Authority – Provides information on affordable housing.
  • The New York City Human Resources Administration/ Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) – Provides temporary help to individuals and families with social service and economic needs to assist them in reaching self-sufficiency – including Temporary Assistance, Medical Assistance, and Food Stamp (SNAP) Benefits. 

IMMIGRANT LEGAL SUPPORT

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS      

An introductory listing of recurring and ongoing opportunities for funding, space, and creative and professional development that are open and amenable to immigrant artists.

ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCES

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN NEW YORK

ONLINE COURSES

  • Dance Umbrella of Ontario: a free online workbook with basics in topics such as funding, planning, touring, and promotion (incorporation practices are different in Canada so this section is not relevant to U.S. artists). 
  • Fractured U: Fractured Atlas offers a series of online courses on topics from fundraising to financial management, from understanding presenting venues to working with agents.

MENTORSHIP AND ADVISORY PROGRAMS

NOTE: Also check the local arts councils listed above; most offer grants to local artists working or residing within their neighborhood/borough.

TOURING

RESIDENCY AWARDS

ARTIST REGISTRIES ONLINE

To stay informed of the latest upcoming opportunities, sign up for the Immigrant Artist Program Newsletter – a free online publication with deadlines, tips, features, and more. For a complete listing of opportunities for artists, you can search NYFA Source, the nation’s most extensive directory of awards, services, and publications for artists.

WORKSPACE FOR ARTISTS  

From short-term residencies and rehearsal spaces to long-term studio rentals, many artists require physical space to build their practice. Beyond the residency awards listed above, there are lots of ways to search for affordable workspaces. Here are some resources:

GALLERIES, ARTS SPACES, AND PRESENTERS

RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING

Through efforts in outreach and research, this directory is curated with priority to accessibility and relevance.

Helpful Notes Before You Read On:

• We provide the organization with their website, preferred contact information, core services, and languages that they specifically offer.

• Many of the organizations provide translation services therefore please reach out if the language you are looking for is not specified. 

NATIONAL
  • FWD.us is an advocacy organization created to help organize the broader tech community to promote a bipartisan policy agenda–including comprehensive immigration reform, education reform, and support for scientific research–that will boost the knowledge economy to ensure more jobs, innovation, and investment, now and in the future.
  • Immigration Equality is focused on providing free legal services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive immigrants, including: asylum seekers forced to flee to the U.S. to find safety; binational couples and families separated by oceans; detainees trapped in immigration jail facilities, undocumented LGBT immigrants living in the shadows inside the U.S.
  • NYFA Emergency Resources Page
  • Tamizdat is a sympathetic and affordable artist-oriented Visa Service designed to help performing artists to navigate the US visa system.
  • Upwardly Global provides resources for immigrant professionals and employers who are looking to find jobs back in their field in the United States.
NYC WIDE

African Communities Together
Phone: (347) 746-2281
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status

Languages: French, Arabic

CUNY Citizenship and Immigration Project
Phone: (646) 344-7245
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Youth and Education

Immigrant Justice Corps
Phone: (212) 407-3417
Email: https://justicecorps.org/contact/

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Legal Services and lawful status

Immigrant Financial Justice Project
Phone: (212) 680-5100
Email: https://www.neweconomynyc.org/about-us/contact/ 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Youth and Education

International Center
Phone: (929)504-2596
Email: https://www.newintlcenter.org/contact-us.html 

Core Services:

  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Youth and Education

Legal Service NYC
Phone: (917) 661-4500

Core Services

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Public Assistance
  • Safety

Languages: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese

Make the Road NY
Phone: (718) 418-7690
Email: https://maketheroadny.org/contact/

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Spanish

Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
Hotline: 212-788-7654
Legal Help: 800-354-0365
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance

New Immigrant Community Empowerment
Phone: (718) 205-1687

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

New Women New Yorkers
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Labor and Employment

New York Immigrant Coalition
Phone: 212-627-2227
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Office for New Americans (New York State)
Hotline: 1-800-566-7636 (support 200+ languages)

Core Services:

  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Sakhi for South Asian Women
Phone: (212) 714.9153
Help Line: (212) 868.6741
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Urdu, Panjabi, Napal

The New York Historical Society Citizenship Project
The New York Historical Society offers free civics and American history classes, among other educational and digital learning tools to help immigrants in the naturalization process.
Phone: (212) 873-3400
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Youth and Education

UnLocal, Inc.
Phone: (646) 216-8210
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Spanish

NYC: BRONX

Organizations listed below are categorized based on their office locations. Most of the organizations serve people from all backgrounds and across all boroughs. 

Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education
Phone: (718) 589-2230
Email: [email protected]  

Core Services:

  • Youth and Education

Languages: Spanish

Mekong NYC
Phone: (347) 918-9220
Email: https://mekongnyc.org/contact-us 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Public Assistance
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Vietnamese, Khmer

Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Families
Phone: 718-665-2486
Email: http://www.sautiyetu.us/contact

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education
NYC: BROOKLYN

Organizations listed below are categorized based on their office locations. Most of the organizations serve people from all backgrounds and across all boroughs.  

Arab American Association of New York
Phone: (718) 745-3523
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Arabic, Spanish

Brooklyn Defender Services
Phone: (718) 254-0700
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance

CAMBA
Phone: 718-287-2600
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Safety

Chinese American Planning Council – Brooklyn Community Center
Phone: (718) 492-0409
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese

Mixteca
Phone: (718) 965-4795
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Spanish

Fifth Avenue Committee
Phone: (718) 237-2017
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Spanish


NYC: MANHATTAN

Organizations listed below are categorized based on their office locations. Most of the organizations serve people from all backgrounds and across all boroughs.  

Alianza (Dominican Cultural Center)
Phone: (917) 242-0811
Email: https://cccsny.org/contact-us

Core Services:

  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Spanish

Asian Americans for Equality – Manhattan Office 
Phone: (212) 979-8381
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish

Chinese American Planning Council – Manhattan Community Center
Phone: (212) 941-0030
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese

Hudson Guild
Phone: (212) 760-9800
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish

People’s Theatre Project
Phone: (646) 398-9062
Email: https://peoplestheatreproject.org/contact-2/

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Spanish

NYC: QUEENS

Organizations listed below are categorized based on their office locations. Most of the organizations serve people from all backgrounds and across all boroughs. 

Adhikaar
Phone: (718) 937-1117
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance

Languages: Nepali, Hindi, Tibetan

Center for the Integration and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA)
Phone: (718) 545-4040
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Spanish, Bangla, Arabic, Greek

Asian Americans for Equality – Queens Offices
Flushing Office Phone: 718-961-0888
Jackson Heights Office Phone: 718-316-9993
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish

Chinese American Planning Council – Queens Community Center
Phone:  (718) 358-8899
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese

Desis Rising Up & Moving
Phone: (718) 205-3036
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Youth and Education

Languages: South Asian Languages

Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee (HANAC)
Phone: (212) 840-8005
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

MinKwon Center for Community Action, Inc.
Phone: (718) 460-5600
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Housing
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

Languages: Korean, Mandarin

Sunnyside Community Services
Phone:(718) 784-6173
Email: [email protected]

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Labor and Employment
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Public Assistance
  • Youth and Education

New New Yorkers Program at Queens Museum of Art and Queens Library
In partnership with the Queens Library, the Queens Museum’s New New Yorkers program offers free multilingual classes to meet the needs of adult immigrant communities in Queens.
Phone: 718.592.9700 x135 
Email: [email protected] 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Youth and Education
NYC: STATEN ISLAND

Organizations listed below are categorized based on their office locations. Most of the organizations serve people from all backgrounds and across all boroughs. 

El Centre del Inmigrante
Phone: (347) 825-2086

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Health Care and Insurance
  • Labor and Employment

Languages: Spanish

Sauti Yetu Center for African Women and Families
Phone: 718-665-2486
Email: http://www.sautiyetu.us/contact 

Core Services:

  • Advocacy and Community engagement
  • Legal Services and lawful status
  • Safety
  • Youth and Education

CONTACT IAP

In addition to exploring all the resources listed above, you can always contact the Immigrant Artist Program directly. Our program staff do not always have time to meet in person, but are happy to answer specific questions via phone or email.

Phone: (212) 366-6900 Ext. 224
Email: [email protected]

Image Detail: Lily & Honglei, whose “The Stereotype” project is Fiscally Sponsored by NYFA, presenting a socially-engaged art project in Flushing Chinatown, NY, 2022, Photo Credit: Korea Art Forum

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