Resources You Can Use
Arts Midwest fuels creativity with curated articles, podcasts, and accessibility resources. Explore fresh ideas, discover inclusive practices, and find inspiration to support your creative journey.
Fresh, New Ideas
-
DIY Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is critical to helping an organization focus its work and make choices that deliver on its mission. Strategic planning is often the realm of consultants, but this article looks at the process and offers tips on how you can take it on yourself.
-
7 Tips to Level Up Your Grant Writing Game
Easy ways to improve your skills at grant writing–and increase the likelihood that your proposal will be accepted!
-
5 Tips for Combining Nature and Your NEA Big Read Programming
The NEA Big Read program in 2025-2026 invites you to explore the theme of Our Nature. These suggestions for expanding programming to include nature will inspire you to craft a captivating project.
Filling the Well
A podcast created to nourish, provoke, and inspire artists and arts leaders. Hear from creative changemakers as they share their takes on how to shift power dynamics, avoid burn-out, build authentic community, share resources, and advocate for support.
-
Bringing Self-Care into Organizational Culture
In this companion article to Filling the Well podcast episode “Resiliency, Self-Care, and Joy,” learn about several practices that you can integrate into your organizational culture to help you get grounded, get connected, and get creative.
-
Building Belonging in Your Organization and Community
In this companion article to Filling the Well podcast episode “Building Belonging & Creating Welcoming Organizations,” deepen your understanding of belonging and discover how to make your space more welcoming.
-
Shifting Power in Your Organization and Community
In this companion article to Filling the Well podcast episode “Shifting Power Dynamics in Philanthropy,” deepen your understanding of power and learn about power-shifting practices that you can integrate into your organizational culture or community.
Accessibility Center
Resources designed to help arts and cultural organizations in making programming, services, and communications more accessible.
-
Unlocking Accessibility On Social Media: Inclusive Concepts and Tools
Accessibility matters, and for organizations that deliver programs and services to the public, it’s the law of the land, even in communications. This resource offers specific guidelines for embracing accessibility in your social media and online content.
-
How To Complete a Section 504 Self-Evaluation for Accessibility
Need to complete a 504 self-evaluation for your organization? Unsure where to start? This resource intends to help break down the process. We’ll share how we approached our most recent 504 self-evaluation at Arts Midwest and what we learned.
-
Creating an Accessibility Plan for Your Arts Organization
Making programs and services accessible is an important goal. This article outlines a do-it-yourself approach for arts and cultural organizations to plan for disability access that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).