Grantee Database
World Builders Incubator
Grant Year
2026-27
Grant Program
General Operating Support
Award Amount
$20,000.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, World Builders Incubator (WBI) will launch its next, 2-year Story Arc cohort with rigorously selected and commissioned Story Teams, each with one writer, collaborator, and producer/publisher. These California artists from historically excluded or erased communities will create new works of solutions-focused, mass market art and entertainment in their chosen genre of fiction and narrative medium (theatre/tv/film/books). In collaboration with top thought leaders, WBI will train and support these artists from ideation to distribution. The 2027 Story Teams will choose from the following social and environmental issues and world build around their informed solutions: climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, women’s rights, displaced populations, authoritarianism, or disinformation. Transformative support from CAC would fund the $25,000 commission for one Story Team.
Organization Summary
To achieve its mission, WBI’s utilizes a 3-pronged approach.
COALITION. The WORLD BUILDING COUNCIL is WBI’s ever-growing, multi-sector, volunteer coalition with 125+ current members. The Council includes creatives, thought leaders, publishers, producers, distributors, students, program partners, funders, luminaries, and community members. WBI programs were developed with over 100 hours of generous one-on-one expertise from these members. The Council is the brain trust, network, and talent bank at the heart of our work.
EDUCATION. In collaboration with top Thought Leaders, WBI is developing two free, online resources. The WHEEL OF POSSIBILITIES, which provides details on informed-solutions to over 210 social and environmental issues, answering the question “What can be done?” The ACTIONS LIBRARY provides personal actions toward implementation, answering “What can I do?” Both resources are currently being constructed.
In addition to their public benefit, the Wheel and Library are first points of inspiration and ongoing dramaturgical resources for WBI’s solutions-focused arts and entertainment.
NARRATIVE CHANGE. WBI’s 2-year, inspiration-to-distribution STORY ARC develops solutions-focused arts and entertainment in all genres of fiction and all narrative mediums (theatre, TV, film, books, video games, podcasts, interactive stories, and more). Projects are created by rigorously selected Story Teams with 1 high-profile artist + 1 collaborator + 1 top producer/publisher, and 1 or more Thought Leaders. The Team’s producer/publisher agrees from the beginning to produce/publish the final project. WBI provides commissions, structure, accountability, cross-medium collaboration, dramaturgy, editing, networking, and administrative support. To assist development, our WBI STORIES program provides top actors and directors for private and public readings.
WBI just completed a Story Arc beta test resulting in: 2 plays, 1 TV pilot, 1 screenplay, and 2 books. These beautiful works of fiction uplift solutions for: immigration; climate change; intergenerational trauma; financial literacy; and the patriarchy. Public readings were held at YBCA in San Francisco May 1-3, 2026.
Organization
World Builders Incubator
Address
1791 Solano Ave #B06
Berkeley
94707
County
Alameda
Region
Bay Area – Other
Website
Congressional District
12th District
State Assembly District
District 14
State Senate District
District 7
