BIPOC Maker Accelerator Program
Our annual BIPOC Maker Accelerator program is designed to provide funding, support, exposure, and connections to BIPOC makers to support their ability to thrive in our region’s craft and maker landscape.
2026 BIPOC Maker Accelerator
Selected program participants will receive:
$1,000 business stipend toward materials, website development, etc.
Free booth space to sell products at the 2026 Emerging Craft Market (August 29, 2026) and the 2026 Holiday Market (December 4-6, 2026)
Event-day stipend for both events for transportation, parking, food, etc.
Product photography to use for website, social media, etc.
Extensive promotion on Handmade Arcade’s digital outlets
Four group creative entrepreneurship workshops taught by Talpha Harris, a BIPOC entrepreneurial educator
Two 1:1 hour-long coaching sessions with a BIPOC entrepreneurial expert
Application Timeline
Application Deadline: Thursday, January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST)
Applicant Notifications: Second week of February
Maker Pictured: 2025 BIPOC Maker Accelerator Cohort Member Kay Cee Collection (Photo Credit: South Breeze Photography)
Apply by January 16, 2026!
Participation Requirements
All accepted makers are required to:
Complete a confirmation form that will detail all required workshop dates and milestones
Sell their products at the 2026 Emerging Craft Market on August 29, 2026 at the Energy Innovation Center and the 2026 Holiday Market on December 4-6, 2026 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Complete the 2026 Holiday Market post-market survey
Attend four group workshops between April-July 2026
Participate in a 1:1 hour-long coaching or consulting meeting between April-July 2026
Complete a post-program survey by December 31, 2026
Adhere to Handmade Arcade’s Maker Terms & Conditions.
Application Support
If you have questions about the application process or program, feel free to attend of one of the following Office Hour sessions hosted by HA team members. These are casual drop-in sessions, not formal presentations.
Tuesday, January 6 from 12 - 1 PM
Wednesday, January 7 from 6 - 7 PM
All Office Hours can be accessed via this Zoom link. Feel free to reach out to makers@handmadearcade.org with questions.
Eligibility Requirements
Maker must be 18 years or older
Maker must be BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color)
Maker business must be under five years old
Maker must reside in Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Westmoreland, Washington, or Armstrong counties with the ability to attend in-person workshops in Pittsburgh
Maker must have access to technology that will allow them to attend virtual workshops via Zoom
Maker must have already developed products (this program is not intended to help start up a new business or develop an idea into fruition)
Makers who have already participated in Handmade Arcade’s BIPOC Maker Accelerator are not eligible to participate again but are encouraged to contact Handmade Arcade for future paid mentorship and contract opportunities at makers@handmadearcade.org.
Maker Pictured: 2023 BIPOC Maker Accelerator Cohort Member Catherine Trendz (Photo Credit: South Breeze Photography)
BIPOC Maker Accelerator Program Background
Handmade Arcade made a public operational commitment in 2020 to examine all “legacy” policies and procedures through a lens of anti-racism and equity, acknowledge past harm HA’s exclusionary attitudes or jurying practices may have caused to BIPOC makers, and create and implement new programs, policies, and procedures that would center HA’s five core values of anti-racism, equity, collaboration, transparency, and financial sustainability in every decision. Handmade Arcade’s BIPOC Maker Accelerator program was piloted in 2023 in partnership with Talpha Harris and Sustainible, and the pilot program was generously funded by Neighborhood Allies. The purpose of the BIPOC Maker Accelerator program is to provide money, support, exposure, and connections to BIPOC makers to support their ability to thrive in our region’s craft and maker landscape.
The goals of the program are to:
Provide financial resources for program participants to sell at Handmade Arcade’s Holiday Market
Amplify and promote the work of program participants through extensive and prioritized marketing to Handmade Arcade’s audiences
Provide individualized creative entrepreneurial training and resources to BIPOC makers by hiring BIPOC creative entrepreneurial experts as coaches, consultants, workshop leaders, etc.
Build and strengthen genuine relationships with BIPOC makers to support their continued ability to thrive in our region’s craft and maker landscape