The Robert Dobrzycki Foundation, initiator of the development project for artists, and Mentors4Starters – a leading mentoring initiative in this part of Europe – are joining forces! This collaboration has resulted in the Mentors4ART mentoring program, designed specifically for artists, curators, cultural managers, and leaders of arts organizations.
The initiative aims to help creators develop competencies that increasingly determine not only the scale of projects, but also their sustainability: from strategy and funding, through communication and negotiation, to personal branding.
Set to take place from August through November 2026 in a hybrid format (combining in-person events in Poland with online modules), the program’s inaugural cohort of 20 participants will spend several months working alongside business mentors, taking part in specialized workshops, and building a network rooted in knowledge exchange.
Mentors4ART was created to address a genuine need in the arts and culture sector. While artists and cultural managers frequently launch initiatives of immense social and artistic value, they often lack access to the tools required for sustainable, long-term growth. The program bridges this gap by creating a space where culture and business meet as equal partners—not to reshape artistic vision, but to empower its reach and impact.
“Culture shapes the narrative about Poland far more powerfully than any formal communication. It reflects our imagination, sensitivity, ambition, and way of looking at the world. That is why we want to support the people who create this narrative—artists, curators, and cultural managers. We want to empower them and help them develop projects with a lasting impact. Although our Foundation stems from the business sector, through this project we aim to bring the worlds of business and art together and share essential knowledge,” says Malwina Pawłowska from the Robert Dobrzycki Foundation.
“There is immense energy, courage, and imagination in culture. However, what is often missing is access to the knowledge, networks, and structure that are second nature in business. We are creating Mentors4ART so that these two worlds can meet in a practical, collaborative way. It is not about getting artists to think like corporations, but giving them the tools to develop their projects, make the best decisions, and build a lasting position,” says Krzysztof Jakubowski, co-founder of Mentors4Starters.
The program is built on three pillars. The first is individual 1-on-1 mentoring with business leaders—each participant will complete six 1.5-hour sessions with a mentor tailored to their specific challenges, stage of development, and goals. The second pillar consists of workshops covering areas such as the commercialization of cultural projects, fundraising, securing funding, communication, negotiation, leadership, and personal branding. The third is community: regular cohort meetings, networking with mentors and partners, and joining the Mentors4Starters alumni network.
The program is open to visual artists, performers, stage artists, curators, producers, cultural animators, managers of institutions and foundations, independent creators developing their own projects, and leaders of NGOs operating in the field of culture and art. The program regulations and recruitment details are available at: mentors4art.com.
The mentors are practitioners from various sectors—business, technology, finance, media, consulting, and social organizations—who understand the value of culture and the specifics of the creative sector. Among them are Aleksandra Szymańska, cultural manager and director of the Creative Industries Institute; Paweł Potoroczyn, educator and long-time director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute; and Paweł Miller, communications expert and owner of Nordstar.
Community building will also be an essential element of the program. Participants will not only receive individual mentor support, but will also join the Mentors4Starters alumni network, designed to enable ongoing exchange of experiences, contacts, and knowledge long after the program concludes. The program will wrap up with a cohort closing gala and a presentation summarizing the results of the participants’ work.
Mentors4ART is intended to be not just an educational program, but also a platform for long-term relationships between culture and business. The organizers aim to create an environment where creators gain practical tools for growth, and business leaders have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural sector’s potential, sensitivity, and importance.