Etsy launches $10 million craft initiative with Asheville as first hub
Asheville became Etsy’s first craft hub, with 20 nonprofits slated for $100,000 grants and $1.4 million already flowing through local Helene recovery efforts.
Etsy named Western North Carolina the first of five hubs in its new Craft Catalyst Initiative Tuesday, putting Asheville at the center of a $10 million national craft push. The first round will send $2 million in unrestricted $100,000 grants to 20 nonprofit organizations across Asheville, the Bay Area, Berea in Eastern Kentucky, Greater Philadelphia and Santa Fe in Northern New Mexico.
The announcement landed at the Center for Craft in downtown Asheville, where Gov. Josh Stein, First Lady Anna Stein and Etsy Executive Chairman Josh Silverman marked the rollout. The Center for Craft is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and the initiative builds on more than 20 years of helping makers build resilient businesses. The center’s National Craft Innovation Hub reopened publicly on Nov. 16, 2019, at 67 Broadway in downtown Asheville.
Etsy had already supported the River Arts District visioning and planning process after the storm, while the Center for Craft launched its WNC Craft Futures Fund in October 2024. That fund has mobilized $1.4 million for emergency relief and recovery, and a spring 2025 WNC Craft Futures Cohort gave 40 craft artists $15,000 grants each.
The governor’s office places Western North Carolina’s craft economy at $3.1 billion and says the greater Asheville region is among the most craft-dense in the United States. The dollars flow first through nonprofits, not directly to individual sellers.
Stein called Asheville an epicenter of art, small business and the creative economy, while Anna Stein said the support could help bring more visitors to Asheville and surrounding communities during recovery. Stephanie Moore said the partnership matters, and Chelsea Mozen said Etsy wants artisans to have the support they need to grow, connect and keep craft thriving.
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