The Commons 2026 Urvashi Vaid Changemakers Fund Awardees

The Commons is thrilled to announce the 11 awardees of the 2026 Urvashi Vaid Changemakers Fund.

This year, more than $75,000 has been awarded to local programs and initiatives across the Outer Cape that embody the values Urvashi Vaid championed throughout her life: justice, courage, creativity, and coalition-building across difference.

The selected projects are bold, community-centered, and deeply rooted in the people and places of the Outer Cape. They range from storytelling, community workshops, and public performances that restore Indigenous narratives, deepen understanding of Wampanoag culture and history, and foster collaboration across communities, to a youth photography and writing exchange connecting middle school students in Provincetown, Massachusetts, with peers from the Yup’ik village of Newtok, Alaska. Other awardees are advancing environmental stewardship, community connection, and Indigenous-informed fire practices, while others are creating space for wellness, artistic expression, LGBTQ+ celebration, and collective resilience.

We are so honored by all of the applicants who shared their work with us, and we offer our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s awardees. We are inspired by these projects and believe they reflect the life’s work and mission of Urvashi Vaid in powerful and meaningful ways.

We look forward to sharing more about each of these projects soon.

Meet the 2026 Awardees

• After Hours [AH]
  After Hours [AH] is a hybrid social and skill-building program for young adults (ages 18–30) on Cape Cod. Hosted at Lower Cape TV in Orleans, it blends makerspace, coworking, and social hub models to provide a safe, alcohol-free, collaborative environment. The program combines weekly gatherings, low-cost and free workshops, mentorship, and special events to foster connection, creativity, and community engagement."

• CODY PLAYS
  CODY PLAYS is a monthly community theater project in which a new play is written for a special guest from Provincetown, highlighting their contributions to the town. Each play is cast with friends, coworkers, and local actors, and performances are free for the public. The project fosters inclusion, celebrates local stories, and builds community through collaborative performance and audience engagement.

• Community Wellness Access Program
  The Community Wellness Access Program provides subsidized yoga classes and sauna sessions in Provincetown for year-round workers, J-1 students, and other community members facing financial barriers. The program offsets reduced-rate access so participants receive affordable care while instructors are paid fairly. By combining wellness services with inclusive “third space” environments, the program supports physical and mental well-being, fosters inter-community connections, and strengthens year-round community resilience.

• FireKeepers: Young Women in Fire
  FireKeepers trains young women and community volunteers on the Outer Cape to become certified wildland firefighters and prescribed burn practitioners. The program bridges generational and gender divides in the local fire workforce while fostering environmental stewardship, community connection, and Indigenous-informed fire practices. The project addresses ecological, cultural, and social dimensions of fire stewardship while fostering inclusive leadership and community-based environmental action.

• Frolic Weekend: Jackpot
  Frolic Weekend: Jackpot is a multi-day, community-centered cultural event in Provincetown, designed specifically for queer and trans men of color. The program provides affirming, accessible, and culturally specific spaces for social connection, creative expression, wellness, and community-building. The weekend blends social, artistic, and nightlife programming while partnering with local venues, artists, and businesses to foster inclusion, visibility, and economic support."

• Lessons from Newtok
  Lessons from Newtok is a youth photography and writing exchange connecting middle school students in Provincetown, Massachusetts, with peers from the Yup’ik village of Newtok, Alaska—one of the first U.S. communities forced to relocate due to climate change. Through storytelling, students explore environmental impacts on their communities while blending scientific research with Indigenous knowledge, culminating in a collaborative public exhibition in Alaska.

• Lower Cape Pride Celebration
  Lower Cape Pride will host a weekend of inclusive events and entertainment celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, with main programming in Orleans from June 12–14. Core events include a parade, post-parade celebration, Pride Bowling Social, and inclusive worship services.

• Outsider Festival: Missing Time
  Outsiders Festival: Missing Time is a multi-site, participatory cultural festival produced by Camp Provincetown, celebrating Provincetown’s history as a refuge for outsiders, artists, and marginalized communities. The project focuses on collective memory, exploring “missing time”—moments of cultural, social, and environmental fragmentation—and creating durable records through community participation.

• Womxn of Color Weekend: Thrive to Survive: Fortifying Ourselves in This Political Climate
  This project supports the 20th anniversary of Womxn of Color Weekend (WoCW) in Provincetown through a series of workshops, panels, and a film screening focused on sustaining and nurturing movements centered on BIPOC LGBTQIA2+ communities. The program will provide participants with tools, resources, and community connections to navigate the social, political, and economic challenges impacting marginalized communities. Through both in-person and hybrid events, the project aims to create a supportive and empowering environment where participants can learn, build relationships, and develop strategies for resilience and collective action."

• We and the Land Are One Thing – Film / Puppet Performance
  This Wampanoag-led project brings together Wampanoag communities and Outer Cape residents through a documentary film and an interactive puppet performance exploring the relationship between people, land, and ecological balance. The project will combine storytelling, community workshops, and public performances to restore Indigenous narratives, deepen understanding of Wampanoag culture and history, and foster collaboration across communities. Through shared art-making, dialogue, and cultural exchange, the project seeks to address historical erasure while inspiring a renewed sense of responsibility toward the land and one another.

• Womencrafts 50th Anniversary: An Exhibition of Archives, Activism and Visibility
  To celebrate Womencrafts’ 50th anniversary in 2026, this project will create a series of archival-inspired poster collages highlighting the store’s five decades as a feminist, lesbian-owned space promoting activism, literature, and the arts. The exhibition will incorporate Womencrafts’ historical materials alongside intersectional cultural and political markers, addressing issues such as the AIDS crisis, queer adoption rights, trans rights, and marriage equality. The project emphasizes visibility, historical preservation, and storytelling to honor Womencrafts’ legacy as a safe, activist space for marginalized communities."