Apply now to be part of our 2026 Organizational Liberation Cohort!
Learn more about the cohort: https://nationalguild.org/programs/caelii/organizational-liberation-cohort
Field-wide nonprofit HR data shows 80% of all nonprofits have zero employees and almost 40% who do have paid employees, employ less than 10 people. Data from the Guild’s benchmarking reports have consistently shown less than 10% of community arts education organizations have dedicated Human Resource staff, and those organizations that do, have HR combined with Finance or Operations. While the dedication to an HR position may be a necessary budgetary sacrifice, the majority agree that inequities that heightened systemic exclusion, and increased burn out are due to unexamined work culture practices and policies. With a desire to rebuild healthy and equitable work cultures, the Organizational Liberation Cohort is a collective peer-learning experience that will examine one’s organization, and develop human-centered HR policies and practices with the support of national renowned facilitators. To ensure meaningful implementation, this cohort requires participation from two staff members per organization. Alternative engagement opportunities may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
To learn more about our cohort, join us for an informational session on Wednesday, September 3, at 3:00 PM ET!
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August - October 2025: Applications open August 19 and close on October 22.
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Mid November: Applicants informed of acceptance, waitlist, or decline
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December 2025: Prep work and pre-sessions to ground the cohort before the in-person retreat
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January 27 - 30, 2026: Four-day in-person cohort retreat in New Orleans. Lodging at Homewood Suites New Orleans French Quarter and workshops will be at the André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice (ACC).
- February - March, 2026: Two 1:1 coaching sessions and 1 group session to support your leadership development plan. These sessions are scheduled flexibly between February and March to complete your development plan.
Facilitated and led by: Calida Jones, Co-Founder and Managing Collaborator, Creative Evolutions; Founder and Principal CNJ Associates
OBJECTIVES/INTENDED OUTCOME
The CAELII Organizational Liberation Cohort will increase your leadership effectiveness by:
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HISTORY AND COMPLIANCE: Deepening your understanding of the historic and current complexities of Human Resources and organizational management, and the tension between legal compliance and liberatory practices
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WORKPLACE IDEOLOGIES AND VALUES: Uncover harmful workplace ideologies and examine visible and invisible organizational core values, and learn how these show up in organizational policies and documentation
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POLICIES AND PRACTICE REBUILD: Examine one’s organization handbook and policies, and build new drafted practices that are human-centered and anti-isms.
- CHANGEMAKING AND CONFLICT: Create practices for collective decision making to make policy change, and how to hold discomfort during changemaking.
General Questions
For general inquiries about the application process please contact Lissette Martinez at lissettemartinez@nationalguild.org.