ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
The Creative and Independent Producer Alliance (CIPA) is a US-based network that prioritizes advocacy, mentorship, and community for producers creating new live performances worldwide.
Our core objective is to promote the value of producers, their craft, and their professional relationships with artists & the field.
OUR HISTORY
Established in 2020 by eight producers, CIPA now boasts a membership base of nearly 300 producers who operate outside institutional spaces and create live works beyond traditional frameworks. We value and continuously strive to elevate the essential role of producers in new work development.
CIPA hosts a variety of programs, including a fellowship program focused on creative producing, training workshops in Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), CIPAConnect convenings for exchanging knowledge on relevant industry topics, and direct support for producers attending conferences.
OUR VISION
We envision a more vibrant global arts scene that is equitable, diverse, sustainable, transparent, and artist-led. CIPA contends that the global arts scene is a dynamic space in which producers at all career stages are critical to the creation of new and important work across artistic disciplines. We foresee an arts industry that serves a demand for broadened perspectives and an expansive representation of the society in which we create our work. CIPA will remain at the forefront of advocacy for the pioneering producers pushing the boundaries of performance.
At CIPA, our shared values are vital to our community. All members sign a group values statement when they join the organization.
We position the artist’s voice and needs at the center of our process, championing their role as reflectors of our collective culture and providing new infrastructure models to support their vision and ongoing practice.
We advance cultural representation in our field to honor and support voices from diverse perspectives. We resist historically oppressive institutional structures and continually work to uncover and mitigate inequities in our practices.
We believe the development and advancement of new performance are imperative and key to the health and survival of our field and our evolution as a culture. 
We advocate for artists and practitioners, ensuring best practices and codes of conduct are observed between and among presenters, funders, producers, and artists.
We support safe conditions for artists and presenters to take risks and serve their constituents, and we ensure equitable and just compensation for artists, independent producers, and all cultural workers.
We build the future by developing a diverse and inclusive community of independent and creative producers at all career stages who can create meaningful contributions to the Alliance and the field.
We uphold integrity and transparency in our relationships and systems. We maintain honest and transparent creative and financial communications with our artists and partners and the working communities they represent and impact.
Fiscally Sponsored by Producer Hub
Producer Hub is a connective space for independent producers, artists, and other arts workers creating live performance. Their mission is to provide independent producers and artists, at every level, with the community, mentorship, education and resources to create work, realize their full potential and make lasting contributions to the performing arts field.
Made Possible by the Support of the Mellon Foundation
CIPA's current development and planning phase is hosted by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and funded in part by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Founded as Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, LMCC serves, connects and makes space for artists and community. Since 1973, LMCC has been the champion for independent artists in New York City and the cultural life force of Lower Manhattan. At LMCC, we envision New York City as a place in which artists and community in dialogue are creating a more just, equitable, and sustainable society. LMCC.net