Community Advocacy Virtual Pilot

• Early September: Registration opens

• October 7, 2025: Registration closes

• October 9 - November 20: Weekly virtual sessions every Thursday at 2:00 PM ET to 4:00 PM ET. Except for Tuesday November 18.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

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OBJECTIVES/INTENDED OUTCOME

The CAELII Community Advocacy Virtual Pilot will:

• Develop practical campaign skills, from fundraising and field strategy to message development and public speaking.

• Strength civic confidence and support identity-affirming leadership development for those historically excluded from politics.

• Foster long-term ecosystems of support through mentorship, peer learning, and access to ongoing organizing infrastructure.

• Build political power among arts and culture leaders by demystifying how to run for office or hold civic leadership roles.

• Cultivate a sustaining community for creatives in public service to exchange strategies and strengthen equitable leadership.

At the end of the program, attendees will walk away with a: 

• Public Leadership Portfolio: Participants will create a personal leadership platform, campaign roadmap, and public narrative statement.

• Mock Campaign Simulation + Policy Pitch: Participants will pitch their campaign and policy ideas to a panel of guest mentors in a live closing session.

• Resource hub: All participants will have access to a private resource hub which will also serve as a peer learning and collaboration space for the participants and alumni.

 Ideal for:

• Artists, cultural workers, creative organizers, and arts educators 

• Community-rooted leaders

• Individuals curious about running for office, serving on commissions, school boards, or local advisory councils

• People with experience in advocacy, teaching artistry, community organizing, or nonprofit leadership

General Questions

For general inquiries about the application process or scholarships/financial aid, please contact Lissette Martinez, lissettemartinez[at]nationlguild.org.

Facilitators

Dr. Quanice G. Floyd, Executive Director, National Guild for Community Arts Education

Dr. Quanice G. Floyd (she/her) is a renaissance woman who wears many capes. Born and raised in NYC, she has spent over a decade in Washington, DC where she has received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from Howard University and Kent State University respectively. Her passion for arts administration led her to pursue her second Master’s degree in Arts Management at American University and is currently a doctoral student at Drexel University. Quanice was recently appointed as the Executive Director of National Guild for Community Arts Education after previously serving as the Executive Director at Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance, an arts education advocacy and service organization. She is also the Co-Founder of the Arts Administrators of Color (AAC) Network, an organization committed to empowering artists and arts administrators by advocating for access, diversity, inclusion, and equity in the arts in the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas. She has also been a public-school music educator where she taught elementary and middle school general music, chorus, band, and orchestra. Quanice serves as a commissioner for the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities and is an alumna of Fractured Atlas’ Artist Campaign School, the National Guild for Community Arts Education's Leadership Institute (CAELI), ArtEquity's Racial Facilitator Cohort, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Music Educators and Arts Administrators Academy, 4.0 Schools' Essentials Program, and the Arts Education Collaborative’s Leadership Academy. Quanice received the Americans for the Arts' American Express Emerging Leader Award and the Arts Advocate of the Year Award from the Coalition of African Americans in the Performing Arts.

Tom Tresser, Civic Educator and Public Defender

Tom Tresser is a civic educator and public defender based in Chicago. He has over 50 years experience in public life, with his first voter registration campaign was in 1971. He has started or led 14 nonprofit enterprises in the arts, community development, and civic engagement. He was a Shakespearean actor and co-founded The Free Shakespeare Company in Chicago in 1981. He served as the Managing Director at Pegasus Players from 1985 through 1990 and was one of the most successful Off-Loop producers. At Pegasus, Tom created the Chicago Young Playwrights Festival, which is heading into its 39th season! In 1991 Tom worked for the League of Chicago Theatres as an organizer coordinating the campaign to save the National Endowment for the Arts. He wrote his first op-ed urging creative workers to lead in public life in December of 1991. In 2009 he was a leader of the No Games Chicago campaign that spiked Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Routledge Press published Tom’s account of that unprecedented grassroots organizing in September of 2024. In 2013 Tom co-founded the CivicLab in Chicago’s West Loop as America’s first co-working and maker space dedicated to civic engagement and social justice. In 2013 he founded The TIF Illumination Project that uses data mining, investigatory reporting, graphic design, and popular education methods to explore and explain the hyper-local impacts of Tax Increment Financing Districts on our communities. Tom has taught civic engagement, public policy, community organizing, creativity, nonprofit management, and leadership at six local universities. He has done over 300 public meetings and countless training workshops in front of over 20,000 people. Download his training offerings. You can check out his writing for his Substack email newsletter “CivicNotes,” his current work for The Nonprofit Quarterly and more here. In March of 2025 he started organizing The 100K Project to inspire and equip 100,000 servant-leaders from the arts, library, nursing, social work, science, and education sectors to run for local office or to help others run.

Curriculum

Price

Thanks to generous support from philanthropic partners, the full cost of the Institute has been considerably subsidized, which allows a tiered pricing structure. We are also excited to offer further subsidized pricing for teaching artists. To apply for the teaching artist fee, please fill out this form. If price is a barrier to participation, please contact, programs[at]nationalguild.org.

FAQ

1. Do I need to be planning a run for office to join?

Not at all! While this program is excellent for future candidates, it's designed for anyone who wants to understand how change is made. If you're curious about the inner workings of government, the mechanics of campaigns, and how to effectively advocate for your community, we're here for you!

2. What is the expected time commitment?

The program includes 8 core sessions, each lasting 2 hours. To get the most out of the experience, we expect participants to dedicate roughly 1-2 hours per week on supplemental “coursework”. Our priority is your learning, and we remain flexible to the cohort's needs, adapting as needed to ensure a valuable and manageable experience for all.

3. Is this program open to people everywhere in the country?

Yes! We are a national program and encourage applications from all over the country. We believe a diversity of perspectives is key to a rich learning environment and actively seek participants from urban, rural, and suburban communities across all regions.

4. If I run for office later, will the Guild endorse my campaign?

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the National Guild is legally prohibited from endorsing or supporting any political candidates. However, we can provide the foundational knowledge, practical tools, and strong peer network you'll need to launch a successful campaign. We hope the connections you make in the cohort will lead to powerful, mutual support in your future advocacy work!

5. Are there additional scholarships for participation? 

Teaching artists are given a signifcant discounted rate of $50 and should apply here if they're interested in joining. Because of our partnership, CAEC members are also given a discounted rate of $80 and should contact Judith Ryder to register. If price is a barrier to participation, please contact, programs[at]nationalguild.org.

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