Noticias

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: NALAC Announces $300,000 in Grant Awards for Latinx/é Artists

Communications | 09/15/2026

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we at the Asociación Nacional de Artes y Culturas Latinas (NALAC) are excited to celebrate the creative spirit and resilience of our comunidad as we announce the recipients of the 2026 Fondo NALAC para las Artes (NFA) grants.

With $300,000 in awards, we proudly honor the powerful, innovative work of Latinx/é artists and ensembles across the United States, including Puerto Rico, who enrich the arts and culture landscape and champion social justice through their creative work.

This year, we are awarding 20 grants totaling $100,000 through the 2026 NFA: Individuals and Ensembles Meet the Moment grant. These $5,000 grants support artistic and cultural projects that empower Latinx/é artists and ensembles to advance social justice in addressing public concerns and/or influencing social change in their communities through the arts.

Additionally, we are awarding five $40,000 grants, totaling $200,000, as Catalyst for Change Fellowships. These fellowships strengthen community-informed projects that harness the power of art for social change, fueled by radical imagination in the pursuit of racial justice. The fellowships aim to uplift Latinx/é culture workers who engage their communities through art, fostering civic participation and activism to create profound systemic change.

For over 20 years, the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) has stood as the premier national grant program dedicated exclusively to supporting Latinx/é artists and arts organizations. Since its inception, NALAC has distributed over 1,300 grants to Latinx/é artists, cultural workers and arts organizations, reflecting an investment of more than $8 million in the Latinx/é arts and culture field across the United States, including Puerto Rico.

This year’s NFA application response reflects the incredible breadth of creativity and cultural work within our communities. The 2026 NFA received over 500 applicants across programs, emphasizing the necessity for increased funding and support in the arts sector. That response also strengthens NALAC’s resolve to advocate for greater investment and expanded resources for Latinx/é artists and cultural organizations nationwide.

As we celebrate this year’s grantees and Hispanic Heritage Month, we are reminded that NALAC’s commitment to honoring Latinx/é artists, arts administrators, and culture bearers is a daily practice. Our mission is deeply personal and rooted in supporting and preserving our Latinx/é stories, histories, culture, and communities.

We observe Hispanic heritage every day through our work and partnerships, and together, we uplift one another to honor and celebrate Latinx/é artistic and cultural expressions and practices all year long.

Celebrating the 2026 NFA: Individuals and Ensembles Meet the Moment Grantees

Alejandra Sanchez | Mondovi, WI

Alejandra Vasquez | Los Angeles, CA

Alicia Rojas | Santa Ana, CA

Alma Guzman | Huntington Park, CA

Amanda Hernández | Isabela, PR

Antonio Serna | San Antonio, TX

Clau Rocha | Chicago, IL

Freddy Castiblanco | Flushing, NY

Genevieve C Ramos | Chicago, IL

Jaer Medina | Holland, MI

James Christenson | Minneapolis, MN