We invest in El Paso's
cultural landscape.
Contemporary Arts Foundation of Texas — Est. 2026
About
CAFT.
El Paso, TX — Est. 2026 01 / 03
Eight programs.
One mission.
Grants · Education · Archive · Community
Our
Programs.
2026 — El Paso, TX 02 / 03
Be part of
something
that lasts.
Founding sponsorships now open
Sponsor
CAFT.
Founding sponsors — 2026 03 / 03
· Spring 2027 Grant Cycle — Opening Soon · Monthly Events — Launching 2027 · Professional Development — Cohort 01 Coming 2027 · Children's Workshops — Launching 2027 · Artists in Practice — Coming 2027 · Spring 2027 Grant Cycle — Opening Soon · Monthly Events — Launching 2027 · Professional Development — Cohort 01 Coming 2027 · Children's Workshops — Launching 2027 · Artists in Practice — Coming 2027
Est. 2013 — El Paso, Texas
Sustaining
artistic practice
in El Paso.
Non-profit arts foundation
Grants / Education / Events / Children's Workshops
El Paso, TX — serving border and migrant communities
Coming Soon ↗
Spring 2027
Grant Cycle
4 grants per season — applications open early 2027
March 2027 ↗
Monthly Events
March 2027
El Paso, TX — conference + community gathering
What
we
do.
Four core programs supporting artists at every stage of practice, in El Paso and the border region.
01
Artist Grants
4 grants awarded per season, 8 per year. Production grants for El Paso-based artists at any career stage, across all disciplines and media.
Apply →
El Paso
2× per year
Open call
02
Professional Development
A paid program designed to professionalize working artists: business of art, grant writing, studio practice, and career strategy. Sliding scale tuition with need-based access.
Enroll →
El Paso, TX
Paid + free
Sliding scale
03
Monthly Events
One gathering per month — part conference, part social. Guest speakers, open conversation, and community building for artists and arts professionals in Texas.
RSVP →
El Paso, TX
Monthly
Free
04
Children's Workshops
Free art workshops for children in migration and mobility — serving migrant families, shelters, and mobile communities across El Paso and the border region. No registration required.
Learn more →
El Paso
Free
No registration
Contemporary Arts Foundation of Texas Artist Grants — 8 per year Professional Development Monthly Events — Free Contemporary Arts Foundation of Texas Artist Grants — 8 per year Professional Development Monthly Events — Free
01Artist Grant — Spring 2026
01Artist Grant — Spring 2025
02Professional Development
02Professional Development
03Monthly Event, El Paso
03Monthly Event, El Paso
04Children's Workshop
04Children's Workshop
Preserving
the
record.
Four programs dedicated to history, research, and representation across the border's cultural archive.
05
Artists in Practice
A program supporting active artists on the El Paso–Juárez border through documentation, commissioning, and exhibition. We work directly with artists practicing today — recording their process, funding new work, and bringing it to public audiences.
Learn more →
El Paso–Juárez
Ongoing
Open call
06
Women in Contemporary Arts
A dedicated grant and mentorship track for women artists working in El Paso and the border region — funding, peer community, and visibility in a field that still underrepresents them.
Apply →
El Paso
Annual
Open call
07
Research Grant & Border Artists Anthology
A scholarly research grant supporting the writing and publication of a definitive history of twentieth-century border artists. The resulting volume will serve as a primary reference for scholars, curators, and institutions working on the region's cultural record.
Learn more →
El Paso–Juárez
Single cycle
By nomination
08
Digital Archive Initiative
An in-house program to digitize and catalog the surviving work of twentieth-century border artists, building a permanent, publicly accessible digital archive in partnership with regional collections and estates.
Learn more →
El Paso–Juárez
Ongoing
In-house
— 2027 Programming
Monthly
Events.
One event per month — free, El Paso, TX
Lectures · Forums · Book Clubs · Sessions · Conferences · Gatherings
Jan 2027
Lecture
Curating the border: building a regional contemporary art narrative
Feb 2027
Book Club
Lecturas sobre arte fronterizo y representación
Mar 2027
Forum
Grant writing: cómo conseguir fondos para tu práctica
Apr 2027
Session
Pricing your work: el valor del arte contemporáneo
May 2027
Conference
Women in the arts: representación e instituciones
Jun 2027
Gathering
Open studio + comunidad — primer encuentro del año
Jul 2027
Lecture
The exhibition as argument: how curators frame meaning
Aug 2027
Book Club
Lecturas sobre economía cultural
Sep 2027
Session
Documentation: cómo archivar y presentar tu obra
Oct 2027
Forum
Art and migration: identidad y práctica artística
Nov 2027
Conference
El Paso–Juárez: el ecosistema cultural de la frontera
Dec 2027
Gathering
Cierre de año — celebración y anuncios
— 2026 Targets
Where
we're going.
Grants Target
Artists
funded
8 grants per year — 4 per season, spring + fall
Grants Target
Total funds
to distribute
$64K minimum — up to $8,000 per grant, 100% to artists
Education Target
Pro dev
cohort target
20 artists per year — 70% on free or subsidized access
Education Target
Children
to reach
120 children — free workshops, no registration, we go to them
Community Target
Monthly
events
12 gatherings per year — free, open to all, El Paso
Community Target
Event attendees
target
600+ people reached through monthly events in year one
Stay in
the loop.

Programming announcements, open calls, and field dispatches. Bi-weekly during the season. No spam.

8Grants per year
MonthlyCommunity events
Join the list
About
CAFT.
Contemporary Arts
Foundation of Texas
Est. 2026 — El Paso, TX
— Our mission
Culture is a gear that moves the economy. We invest in El Paso's cultural landscape — funding new work, training artists to build real careers, preserving the border's history and archive, and expanding the role of women across the arts.
— Who we are
CAFT is a non-profit arts foundation based in El Paso, Texas. Culture is a gear that moves the economy — it draws people, capital, and attention to a city the same way any other industry does. We exist to strengthen that cultural landscape so the ecosystem it creates produces sustainability for everyone in it.

We work at the intersection of grants, education, and community: funding new work, training artists to sustain a real career, and bringing people together around contemporary practice. We also invest in preserving the border's cultural history and archive, and in expanding the role of women across the arts.
— Our values
01
Direct support
Production grants go directly to artists, funding the work itself.
02
Archive and preservation
Protecting the border's cultural history before it's lost.
03
Community first
Monthly gatherings that build real relationships, not just networks.
04
Women and children
Expanding access and visibility for those underrepresented in the arts.
Our
Programs.
Eight programs.
One mission.
Artist Grants
01
Artist Grants
4 grants per season, 8 per year. Open to all El Paso-based artists.
Explore →
Professional Development
02
Professional Development
Professionalize your practice. Sliding scale, always accessible.
Explore →
Monthly Events
03
Monthly Events
One gathering a month. Conference + community. Always free.
Explore →
Children's Workshops
04
Children's Workshops
Free workshops for kids in mobility and migration. We go to them.
Explore →
Border Artists Legacy Project
05
Artists in Practice
Archiving and commissioning work from established border artists.
Explore →
Women in Contemporary Arts
06
Women in Contemporary Arts
Grants and mentorship for women artists on the border.
Explore →
Research Grant & Anthology
07
Research Grant & Border Artists Anthology
Funding scholarship and a definitive history of border artists.
Explore →
Digital Archive Initiative
08
Digital Archive Initiative
Digitizing and cataloging the work of twentieth-century border artists.
Explore →
← Programs
Program 01
Artist
Grants.
4 per season · 8 per year · Open call
Artist Grants
— About this program
CAFT's Artist Grants are production grants awarded directly to El Paso-based artists — no institutional affiliation required, no overhead deducted. We fund the work, not the resume. Two cycles per year, 4 grants each cycle. All disciplines, all career stages.
$2,500Minimum grant
$8,000Maximum grant
8Grants per year
100%Goes to the artist
"Making work is an act of resistance."
— How it works
01
Apply online
Submit your project description, artist statement, and portfolio link. No formal application fee.
02
Panel review
A rotating panel of working artists and arts professionals reviews all applications anonymously.
03
Grant awarded
4 recipients selected. Funds transferred directly within 30 days of announcement.
04
Final report
A brief report on how the grant was used, shared with our community as documentation.
Spring 2026 cycle is open.
Apply now →
← Programs
Program 02
Professional
Development.
Cohort model · Sliding scale · El Paso, TX
Professional Development
— About this program
A structured cohort program to professionalize working artists. We cover grant writing, pricing your work, building a sustainable studio practice, documentation, artist statements, and career strategy — the things art school doesn't teach. 10 spots per cohort. 7 reserved for need-based free access. 3 at sliding scale tuition.
10Spots per cohort
7Free access spots
8 wksProgram duration
0–$Sliding scale cost
"The professional artist is one who never stops learning."
— Curriculum
01
Grant writing
How to identify, write for, and win grants. Real applications reviewed together.
02
Pricing + sales
How to price your work, approach collectors, and sustain an income from your practice.
03
Documentation
Photography, artist statements, CVs, and the professional archive.
04
Studio practice
Time management, studio systems, and building a sustainable creative life.
Cohort 01 enrolling now.
Enroll →
← Programs
Program 03
Monthly
Events.
Every month · El Paso, TX · Free
Monthly Events
— About this program
One gathering per month, every month of the year. Part conference, part social — a space where artists, curators, collectors, and arts professionals in Texas can think together, share work, and build real community. Always free. Always open. No registration required.
12Events per year
FreeAlways
7 PMStart time
EPTEl Paso, TX
"Community is the studio."
— 2026 Schedule
Jun 12
Grant writing
Funding your practice
Jul 10
Artist-run spaces
Building community infrastructure
Aug 14
Documentation
Portfolio and the artist archive
Sep 11
Pricing your work
Navigating the market
Next event: June 12.
RSVP →
← Programs
Program 04
Children's
Workshops.
Free · Mobile · Ages 4–16
Children's Workshops
— About this program
Free art workshops for children in migration and mobility — designed for kids whose families are navigating movement, displacement, or instability. We go to them: shelters, community centers, mobile sites, and transitional housing across El Paso and the border region. No registration. No forms. Just art. We bring all materials.
FreeAlways, no exceptions
4–16Age range
MobileWe go to children
TXEl Paso
"Every child is an artist."
— What we do
01
We arrive
Artists and facilitators travel to the location with all materials included.
02
We make
2-hour sessions exploring drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media.
03
We share
Each child takes their work home. We document for the CAFT archive.
04
We return
We build ongoing relationships with sites, returning monthly when possible.
Host a workshop at your site.
Get in touch →
← Programs
Program 05
Border Artists
Legacy Project.
El Paso–Juárez · Ongoing · By invitation
Border Artists
Legacy Project
— About this program
A long-term archive and commissioning initiative dedicated to documenting and preserving the work of established artists along the El Paso–Juárez border. As the generation that built the region's contemporary art scene ages, their archives, oral histories, and bodies of work are at risk of being lost. This program funds the recording of that history before it disappears.
OngoingNo fixed cycle
InviteCurator-nominated
2Cities — El Paso · Juárez
ArchivePermanent record
"What the border
remembers, it
must record."
— How it works
01
Nomination
Curators and peer artists nominate established border artists whose archives merit preservation.
02
Oral history
Recorded interviews documenting practice, history, and the artist's own account of the border's art scene.
03
Archival grant
Funding to digitize, catalog, and conserve physical work, papers, and materials.
04
Exhibition
Public presentation of the artist's legacy, in partnership with regional institutions.
Know an artist whose legacy should be preserved?
Nominate →
← Programs
Program 06
Women in
Contemporary Arts.
El Paso · Annual · Open call
Women in
Contemporary Arts
— About this program
A dedicated grant and mentorship track for women artists working in El Paso and the border region. Women remain underrepresented in gallery representation, museum collections, and grant funding nationally — this program exists to correct that imbalance locally, with direct funding, a peer cohort, and real visibility, not just a panel discussion.
AnnualOne cycle per year
CohortPeer mentorship included
El PasoOpen to all disciplines
PublicGroup exhibition
"Representation
is not a favor.
It is overdue."
— What's included
01
Direct funding
Production grant awarded to each cohort member, no strings attached.
02
Peer cohort
Monthly meetings with the full cohort — critique, support, and shared resources.
03
Mentorship
Paired with an established woman artist or curator for one-on-one guidance.
04
Group exhibition
Cohort work shown publicly at the close of the program year.
2026 cohort applications open soon.
Get notified →
← Programs
Program 07
Research Grant
& Anthology.
El Paso–Juárez · Single cycle · By nomination
Research Grant
& Anthology
— About this program
CAFT's Research Grant supports sustained scholarly inquiry into the visual culture of the El Paso–Juárez border across the twentieth century. The grant funds a multi-year research and writing process culminating in a single, definitive publication: an anthology documenting the artists, movements, and institutions that shaped the region's contemporary art history. The volume is conceived as a lasting reference work for scholars, curators, and cultural institutions, ensuring this history is rigorously researched, properly contextualized, and made permanently available to the field.
1Lead researcher per cycle
Multi-yearResearch and writing period
1Published anthology
PublicDistributed to institutions
"A history
recorded is a
history that endures."
— How it works
01
Nomination
A scholar or researcher with demonstrated expertise in border art history is nominated by CAFT's programs committee.
02
Research grant
Multi-year funding to conduct archival research, interviews, and fieldwork across the region.
03
Writing and review
Manuscript development with peer review from curators and historians in the field.
04
Publication
The anthology is published and distributed to libraries, universities, and cultural institutions.
Inaugural research cycle opens 2027.
Get in touch →
← Programs
Program 08
Digital Archive
Initiative.
El Paso–Juárez · Ongoing · In-house
Digital Archive
Initiative
— About this program
An in-house initiative carried out directly by CAFT to digitize, catalog, and conserve the surviving body of work produced by twentieth-century border artists. Working in partnership with regional collections, estates, and family archives, CAFT photographs, scans, and records detailed metadata for each piece, building a permanent and publicly accessible digital archive. This work runs in parallel with the Research Grant & Anthology and the Artists in Practice, forming the technical backbone of CAFT's broader preservation effort.
In-houseCarried out by CAFT staff
OngoingNo fixed cycle
PublicFreely accessible online
2Cities — El Paso · Juárez
"What is not
catalogued
is not preserved."
— How it works
01
Survey
CAFT identifies collections, estates, and family archives holding work by twentieth-century border artists.
02
Digitization
High-resolution photography and scanning of each work, conducted on-site by CAFT staff.
03
Cataloging
Detailed metadata — provenance, medium, date, condition — recorded for every piece.
04
Public archive
Cataloged work is published to a permanent, freely accessible digital archive.
Hold a collection that should be archived?
Get in touch →
Board of
Directors.
Governing body
of CAFT — 2026
—
Board Chair
Position open
We are actively seeking our founding Board Chair. If you are passionate about the arts, equity, and community in Texas, we want to hear from you.
—
Secretary
Position open
Seeking a detail-oriented board member with experience in non-profit governance, legal, or arts administration.
—
Treasurer
Position open
Seeking a board member with financial expertise and a commitment to transparent, mission-aligned resource management.
—
Community Liaison
Position open
Seeking someone deeply embedded in El Paso arts communities, with strong ties to migrant and mobile populations.
—
Programs Advisor
Position open
Seeking a working artist or arts educator with deep knowledge of professional development and grant ecosystems.
—
Development Advisor
Position open
Seeking a fundraiser or philanthropist with experience in individual giving, institutional grants, and donor cultivation.
A board built
for culture.
CAFT's board is intentionally composed of women, social and cultural actors, working artists, journalists and press, and leaders from institutions such as museums and cultural organizations. Every seat is chosen with the same question in mind: does this voice strengthen culture as a force for the city. That composition is not incidental — it is the governance structure itself, designed so that every major decision is made in service of the cultural landscape.
— Who sits on the board
01
Women in leadership
Equity built into the governance structure itself
02
Artists and cultural actors
Practitioners who understand the work from inside it
03
Press and media
Voices that carry culture into public conversation
04
Institutional leaders
Museum directors and heads of cultural organizations
Sponsors
& Partners.
Institutional and
corporate support
for CAFT 2026
Your support
funds artists
directly.
CAFT is built on the belief that art thrives when artists have resources. Corporate and institutional sponsors make our grant program, professional development, and children's workshops possible. Every dollar goes to program delivery — we keep overhead minimal by design.

We offer meaningful recognition, genuine partnership, and a direct line to one of the most dynamic arts communities on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Founding
Named in all CAFT communications and events · Logo on website · 2 reserved seats at all events · Co-presentation credit on one grant cycle · Annual impact report
$10K+
Sustaining
Logo on website and event materials · 1 reserved seat per event · Mention in grant cycle communications · Annual impact report
$5K+
Community
Logo on website · Recognition at monthly events · Annual impact report
$1K+
In-kind
Venue, materials, printing, food, or services. Full recognition equivalent to cash value. We welcome all forms of support.
Any
Earned media,
built in.
Media presence scales with sponsorship level. Sustaining sponsors ($5K+) receive guaranteed placement across signage, social, newsletter, and press release co-mentions. Founding sponsors ($10K+) add broadcast reach — paid minutes on local TV and radio, secured for the full year.
Channel
Founding
$10K+
Sustaining
$5K+
Local TV segment
6 min / year
Founding only
Radio mentions
12 spots / year
Founding only
Press release co-mention
Every release
Quarterly
Newsletter placement
Every issue
Bi-monthly
Social media features
Monthly
Quarterly
On-site signage at events
All 12 events
6 events
Community-level sponsorship ($1K+) and in-kind support receive standard recognition — see tiers above — but are not part of the guaranteed media package.
— Current sponsors
Founding Sponsor
Founding Sponsor
Community Sponsor
Community Sponsor
Support
CAFT.
Help us build
something lasting
for Texas artists
Every contribution
funds an artist.
CAFT is a lean, mission-driven organization. We keep overhead minimal so that your support goes directly to grants, workshops, and programming. Whether you give $25 or $25,000, you are sustaining artistic practice in El Paso.
Make a donation
One-time or recurring gifts directly fund our artist grant pool and free programming. All contributions are tax-deductible.
Donate now →
Become a sponsor
Corporate and institutional sponsorships fund entire program cycles. Meaningful recognition, real community connection.
See sponsorship tiers →
Volunteer or partner
Offer your skills, venue, network, or time. We welcome pro-bono support from legal, design, finance, and communications professionals.
Get in touch →
Get in
touch.
Whether you want to donate, volunteer, partner, or just learn more about how to support CAFT — we want to hear from you. We respond within 48 hours.
Apply.
Artist Grants
Spring 2026 cycle
Open now
— Artist Grants: Spring 2026
4 grants available.
Apply by August 1.
Production grants for El Paso-based artists at any career stage. We fund the work, not the resume. Applications are reviewed by a rotating panel of artists and arts professionals.
— Requirements
Based in El Paso, TX at time of application
Working artist in any discipline or medium
Specific production project or body of work in development
No prior CAFT grant in the same calendar year
No MFA or institutional affiliation required
Migrant and mobile artists strongly encouraged to apply