The Marcelo Avilès Scholarship Fund was established in 2026 to support talented young arts professionals in attending the WAA Annual Conference. Marcelo was the program director at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival and a leader in our field. He was a mentor to artists across the Bay Area, a champion of emerging voices, and a dedicated member of WAA. His passion for the arts was matched only by his genuine love for the people who make this work possible. The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, where Marcelo worked is developing a parallel legacy fund. Learn more about Marcelo and his legacy at the YBG Festival website.
The WAA Conference provides a prime environment for connection, discovery, and insight: a space for presenters, artists, agents, and practitioners from the West and beyond to connect, to discover, and to pursue their shared goal of programming live performances. The Marcelo Avilès Scholarship Fund is a competitive program and applications for support will be adjudicated by a scholarship committee made up of WAA stakeholders and members. The fund creates access and opportunity for talented young arts professionals to experience and join the WAA community for the first time or to remove barriers to connecting for the next three years.
Please note, you must apply for the scholarship prior to registering for the conference.
Eligibility
- Individuals no older than 40 as of September 8, 2026 based in North America.
- Emerging performing arts professionals are those professionals who are actively working in the touring and performing arts presenting ecosystem, specifically those who intersect with performing arts centers in some capacity. Including, but not limited to artists/performers, programmer/presenters, marketers, agent/managers, producers and technical staff.
- While members and nonmembers are eligible to apply, applicants with a history of WAA membership or connection to the performing arts booking and touring field will be prioritized.
Terms
- Applications will close on May 15 for adjudication. We will be unable to take late applications for this fund.
- The fund will not support retroactive scholarships; you must apply for the scholarship prior to registering for the conference.
- Awards will be distributed to successful candidates based on fund capacity and demonstrated need articulated within the application.
Thank you to our Charter Members
- Linda Lucero, YBG Festival
- UCSB Arts & Lectures
- Bill Bragin, globalFEST / The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
Want to contribute to The Marcelo Avilès Scholarship Fund?
Please visit https://www.westarts.org/donate
Please contact membership@westarts.org with any questions or concerns.