Care and Resources Built for Creative Workers
Homegrown Arts & Media Collective is an artist-founded non-profit that supports the artist so they can make the art. From mentorship and career readiness to resource navigation, application help, and long-term well-being support.
We invest in the life behind the work.
Community Fund Voting
Help us win $15,000 for Alberta creators.
We've been selected as a finalist for the Field Law Community Fund. With your vote, we can expand our mental health programming and resource navigation for Calgary's creative community.
What this means
- ✓ Direct support for creative worker wellbeing
- ✓ Expanded mental health resources
- ✓ Increased capacity for our Nomad Social Work Project
Voting closes soon. One vote per email address.
07Artists helped
$12,000+Paid in artist fees
03Active programs
03Programs in development
The Homegrown path
A Sustainable Creative Ecosystem
A circular path of growth care.
- 01
Care
Access social services resources at no charge.
- 02
Learn
Use tried and tested templates and guidance.
- 03
Build
Gain hands-on experience to grow career readiness (SPARKS).
- 04
Connect
Build relationships with peers, mentors, funders and industry partners.
- 05
Showcase
A public platform that brings new work to Alberta audiences.
- 06
Earn
Fair, paid opportunities that help creative careers take root here.
Why this matters now
The Cultural Sector creates economic value.
Culture contributes billions to Alberta’s economy, while emerging creators still face uneven access to professional and wellness support.
View the 2024 cultural indicatorsWays to join us
Homegrown Programming
Mentorship
SPARKS
Project-based mentorship for emerging storytellers, built around the support each creator actually needs.
Explore SPARKSPublic presentation
Short Film Showcase
A welcoming screen and gathering place for locally made work, new audiences and industry connection.
View showcase detailsIn development
Nomad Social Work Project
Alberta’s first embedded mental health program for the arts sector, bringing a Registered Social Worker to where artists and arts administrators already work.
Meet the makers
Built by storytellers, for storytellers.
Homegrown is guided by a small, hands-on team working across community building, program development and production. We build relationships first, then create the conditions for bold work to happen.
Guillermo Barraza
Executive Director / Co-Founder
Katelyn Barraza
Director – Community Wellness
Tyler McKinney
Director – Production
Watch Homegrown
Stories from the work and the road there.
Meet the people who grow the community behind Homegrown. Our channel focuses on our journey, warts and all.
Visit our YouTube channelStart here
What is Homegrown?
Meet the collective, the community behind it and the belief that every story deserves room to grow.
Watch on YouTubeCommunity in motion
2025 Short Film Showcase
Look back at a two-night celebration that brought local filmmakers, audiences and industry into the same room.
Watch on YouTubeFollow the journey
Road to Creative Caravan
Go behind the scenes as Homegrown works toward Alberta’s first mobile media workshop.
Watch on YouTubeSPARKS mentorship · 2027
Move your project forward with the right people around it.
Nine emerging storytellers. Three cohorts. A growing pool of cross-disciplinary mentors. SPARKS brings practical, project-based support to creators across Alberta.
Direct community support
Give emerging stories room to grow.
Your donation helps Homegrown remove barriers to mentorship, production, public presentation and paid creative opportunities for Alberta creators.
Support Homegrown today
Donate through Zeffy, our fee-free fundraising platform, so your full contribution supports the work.
Make a donationHomegrown Arts & Media Collective cannot issue charitable tax receipts.
For funders and partners
Back the infrastructure behind the story.
Help remove cost and access barriers through a clear lane: fund a cohort, sponsor public programming, or create a fair paid opportunity for Alberta talent.
See partnership pathwaysA role for every supporter
Join Us In Our Origins Story.
We’ll build a stronger creative community together.