The Artisan Fund is the nonprofit arm of ARTIST & NOMAD, offering support to artisan communities around the world in an effort to help locally-led artisan businesses thrive through mentorship, design consultation, small grants, and documentary film projects.

In many communities, the main source of income and employment is through the artisan sector, so artisan-led and direct trade models can transform the future of whole communities and families. However, many artisans face exploitation and poverty because of middlemen, lack of market access, and fast design mock-ups of traditional crafts. We aim to help dismantle systems of injustice in the artisan sector by creating more equitable jobs, educating the public about the importance of responsible trade, and shedding light on the beauty and value of heritage crafts globally.

Our Approach:

Our ARTISAN FUND offers small grants that work as a catalyst to launch an artisan leader’s dream and vision to grow their business to a level of sustainable impact for their community. The fund also helps cover the cost to support underserved and under-resourced artisan leaders through consulting in the areas of design, marketing, visual story telling, and business mentorship. We believe partnerships should be led by the artisans, so we come alongside artisan leaders to support their dreams and visions to grow their business, preserve traditional crafts, and prosper through direct trade opportunities.

2026 Artisan Focus:

In 2026 we are focusing on supporting the artisans featured in our documentary film, HANDMADE FUTURE. This fund helped to cover the costs associated with both making the film and sharing the film. As we continue to screen the film throughout the world, we are raising funds to directly support the artisans and artisan communities featured through pop-up markets as well as small grants. The grants aim to help the featured artisans achieve their dreams to create a more sustainable future for their families and communities.

The $5-$15k ARTISAN FUND grants will contribute to supporting artisan dreams through one or more of these areas:

• One - Two Year Apprenticeships to train young people to be the next generations to carry on their local crafts

• Design and Marketing Support to develop collections for the International wholesale market and attend key buyer events

• Artisan-owned Local Shops that offer direct market access, helping to break the cycle of middle-man exploitation and dependency

• Improved Working Conditions in the artisan workshops and studios, including equipment/supplies, renovations, ventilation, and medical care where needed

We welcome your support to help contribute to the tangible needs of the incredible artisan communities featured in the documentary. Each screening of the film and Craft + Culture Tour contributes to this fund, but additional donations are needed to reach our goal. The minimum goal is to raise $100k by the end of 2026 in order to provide grants in the $5-$15k range for multiple artisan groups from the film. Each group will provide a proposal for the use of funds in one of the categories listed above.

If you want to specifically donate to support a grant for one of the artisan communities featured, please email us for more information.

We invite you to join us in creating opportunities for the artisan communities featured in Handmade Future by donating to The ARTISAN FUND. Thank you!

This fund is a 501c3 nonprofit in partnership with Allegro Solutions. Your donation is tax deductible according to US law.