About - National Folklife Network

Launched in 2021, the National Folklife Network is a strategic initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts to advance cultural equity by strengthening the folklife infrastructure in both rural and urban communities across the United States.

In 2019, the National Endowment for the Arts conducted the first-ever analysis of its Folk & Traditional Arts awards portfolio. The effort explored the program’s geographic reach, its capacity to address historically underserved populations, and the activities and achievements of its grantees and partners. The resulting report, Living Traditions: A Portfolio Analysis of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk & Traditional Arts Program, identified significant gaps in the map of national arts funding for the folk and traditional arts and highlighted the need to connect related organizations and individuals to promote and strengthen the folk and traditional arts field.

NFN Consortium Members

National Folklife Network Staff

Dr. Maribel Alvarez, Director, National Folklife Network; Jim Griffith Chair in Public Folklore at the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona’s Southwest Center
Emmy Her Many Horses, Project Coordinator, National Folklife Network; Program Manager of Special Initiatives, First Peoples Fund
Alisha Vasquez, Communications Manager, National Folklife Network; Communications & Accessibility Manager, Southwest Folklife Alliance

Consortium Collaborators

Amy Kitchener, Executive Director, Alliance for California Traditional Arts
Leia Maahs, Executive Director, Southwest Folklife Alliance
Selina Morales, Folklorist
Lori Pourier, President/CEO, First Peoples Fund
Cheryl Schiele, Folk & Traditional Arts Specialist, National Endowment for the Arts
Dr. Anh Thang Dao-Shah, NFN Evaluator