Policy Literacy for the Creative Sector

An open-source policy brief educational template for creative workers and entities.

WHAT?

Policy Literacy for the Creative Sector is an open-source policy brief educational template for creative workers and entities.

Designed to support sectoral affinity groups and small-budget entities (e.g.: cohorts of creative workers, cohorts of arts organizations/businesses, cohorts of philanthropy workers, etc.) the template serves two primary purposes: 

  • Provide baseline educational content on the intersection of the creative sector and public policy

  • Serve as an editable template and starting point for anyone who wishes to host regular policy briefs and learn and/or educate cohorts of people on cultural policy without having to develop and/or research the information from scratch.

Key content areas include:

  • The basics of how government works: from federal to municipal governments, to the basics of how bills become laws and how policy work occurs in the U.S. today, focused on application to the creative sector. 

  • The role of government in the creative sector: from the history of government intervention in the creative sector, to the tools and players and current developments impacting the arts

  • Trusted tools and risk analysis for creative workers and entities: Ways to assess risk, consider your role and sphere of influence, identifying trusted resources, and actions you can take in support of the arts. 

Corresponding Tools:

  • Sample Google Slides Deck

  • Sample Script

  • User Guide

  • Trusted Resource List

WHY?

Since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the arts and cultural sector has engaged in substantive advocacy and educational activity aimed at building stronger local networks in support of arts workers and entities. Impacted by the compounding realities of an already struggling arts ecosystem, the sudden loss of income, absence of a social safety net, and overall separation from larger labor movements, left arts workers and entities in dire straits. To address these needs, critical efforts like mutual aid networks, regranting collaborations, community organizing groups, and regular networking calls emerged as educational and resource redistribution life lines. 


The resulting economic and sectoral crisis that has followed continues to highlight the need for arts workers and entities to better understand the role they play in the U.S. economy, the policies and structures that impact their everyday work, and the historical underpinnings that led them here. Anchored in the understanding that healthy communities need a strong cultural sector that preserves its citizen’s ability to engage in creativity and free expression, the Policy Literacy for the Creative Sector template aims to serve as an educational tool that strengthens the sector’s ability to engage in this learning and take action amidst a volatile political moment.

JOIN US FOR THE TEMPLATE LAUNCH ON NOV 18!

TEMPLATE LAUNCH NOV 18       TEMPLATE LAUNCH NOV 18       TEMPLATE LAUNCH NOV 18

Join us virtually on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET for the public launch of the Policy Literacy for the Creative Sector template. 


Facilitated by Alejandra Duque Cifuentes of ADC Consulting and David Holland of Scansion, the event will include an introduction to the template tool, ways creative workers and entities can use it, and a sample policy brief on the state of the creative sector in the context of the current political moment. ASL Interpretation and CART will be provided at this event. Registration is free and required.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

David Holland,
Scansion