Over the next year, A Blade of Grass will distribute $25,000 to artists and creative practitioners working throughout the country with 50 grants of $500 each. Field Funds supports both the public components of a project and the often unseen work that makes collaborative creative practice possible such as research and relationship-building. We are piloting this program with three funds to support specific needs common to socially engaged art: Artist-led Gatherings, Accessibility & Translation, and Documentation & Archiving.
We believe all parts of the creative process are valuable—from seeding new ideas to sharing work with audiences and archiving fleeting experiences. So, we designed a process where all eligible applications have the same chance of being funded. For this reason, there is no need for applicants to make a case for why a project is deserving of support, instead we ask applicants to speak directly and concisely to how they will specifically use $500.
All applications will be reviewed for eligibility. All eligible applications will be automatically assigned a number, and a number generator will make final selections randomly. 4-5 applications will be selected for funding each cycle. Our intention is to create a nimble process that can be responsive to feedback and the changing needs of practitioners.
Open Call: Artist-led Gatherings
Applications close January 31, 2025 11:59PM ET
To be eligible to apply for this opportunity, practitioners must:
- Be currently located in the United States and able to receive taxable income;
- Propose a use for $500 that would support an artist-led gathering;
- Be an individual artist or collaborative with a demonstrated history of creating socially engaged art* (Field Funds does not accept applications from nonprofit organizations or commercial businesses.)
*Field Funds uses the terms artist and socially engaged art, but we understand that not all practitioners identify with the same language. Regardless of how they describe their work, eligible applicants will be able to show in their application that their practice:
- Applies creative strategies and interventions that make society more just, kind, safe, and free.
- Involves and builds relationships with communities and collaborators in ways that are meaningful to those they work with.
- Uses processes and skills beyond those used to create studio artwork or traditional performance—including advocacy, dialogue, facilitation, organizing, and research.
For more information, please see full Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of this page.
Open Call: Artist-led Gatherings
What can this opportunity support?
Artist-led gathering for practitioners to bring groups of 3 or more people together. This could be a standalone gathering in person or online to further research, chase curiosities, or simply build connections. Or, this opportunity could add support to a larger project or event that is already in the works. There is no requirement that the gathering be public, and selected practitioners will have the freedom to use the $500 contribution as they see fit.
Gathering proposals can support practitioners to:
- Pay fees to a facilitator
- Pay fees to accessibility service providers (ASL interpretation, CART or live transcription, image description, etc.)
- Pay rental or other fees to hosting venues
- Promote a gathering or event
- Provide COVID safety measures for events (testing, masks, hybrid options, etc.)
- Provide food and hospitality
- Provide honorariums to artists and/or participants
- Provide travel for participants
When should my proposed activities take place?
Selected applicants will receive funds as early as February 10, 2025. All proposed expenses should be spent by July 31, 2025.
What kind of proposals are not eligible?
Proposals from nonprofit organizations or commercial businesses, proposals for events or projects that are not initiated and led by artists, proposals to support the creation of studio work, books, exhibitions, or other presentations, and proposals for activities that take place after July 31, 2025.
Could requested support go towards a larger project or event that is already planned?
Yes, proposals should describe how these funds would support an existing or planned event.
Open Call: Artist-led Gatherings Schedule
January 2 – Applications open
UPDATE: February 15 – 11:59 PM ET – Applications closeJanuary 31 – 11:59 PM ET – Applications close
February 19 – Selected applicants notified. Applicants who do not hear from us by 6:00 PM ET on February 19 have not been selected.
February 24 – Funds distributed to selected projects
February 24 – July 31, 2025 – Proposed activities take place
August 15, 2025 – Follow up survey* due
*Selected applicants will agree to complete a brief follow up survey after completing their proposed activities. The survey asks for some documentation that the proposed activities took place (1-5 photos, screenshots, web pages, etc.), and 5 short answer questions asking: Did you complete your proposed activities? Did it go as planned? What did the $500 support? Did anything surprising, exciting, or otherwise noteworthy come out of this experience? Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your experience?
Office Hours
Our team will host open hours on Zoom for folks to drop in with questions about their applications or the process. Feel free to join any of these calls at any point during the hour. Please note, other applicants may be present.
Tuesday January 21 — 1:00-2:00 PM ET (register here)
Wednesday January 29 — 3:00-4:00 PM ET (register here)
Open Call Cycles
January 2025: Artist-led Gatherings (Apply now!)
March 2025: Accessibility & Translation
May 2025: Collective Work
July 2025: Archiving & Documentation
September 2025: Collective Work
November 2025: Artist-led Gatherings
Partner Cycles
To expand the reach of Field Funds and help us refine the program to meet the needs of practitioners working across disciplines and in different locales, A Blade of Grass will partner with peer organizations who will host closed application cycles exclusively for their communities. This year, our partners are artist-founded organizations deeply rooted in specific communities, regions, or disciplines. We understand that there is not one, easily defined field of socially engaged practice, and we look forward to learning about the communities our partners serve.
If your organization would be interested in partnering with us, or you would like to nominate an organization in your community, please write to programs@abladeofgrass.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why $500?
We are working to support practitioners at a range of scales, from Field Funds to the A Blade of Grass Fellowship. Making these grants $500 maximizes the resources we have to reach the most people. We do not expect Field Fund recipients to produce a public event or completed project with these funds. Instead, we hope to help recipients develop, enhance, and document the important work they’re already doing.
How will proposals be selected?
A Blade of Grass staff will review applications to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria. Eligible applications will automatically be assigned a number. Grantees will be selected using a random number generator. This process means all eligible applications have the same chance of being funded. For this reason, there is no need for applicants to make a case for why a project is deserving of support, instead we ask applicants to speak directly and concisely to how they will specifically use $500.
Why randomly select who gets supported?
We chose to randomly select recipients because we believe that all eligible requests are deserving of support. All eligible applications are automatically assigned a number, and a random number generator makes the final selection. By forgoing an extensive review process and we can pay out funds within a week of applications closing.
How should collectives or collaborative groups apply?
To propose collaborative or group activities, one member should apply on behalf of the group. We will not consider multiple applications for the same project. Members of the same collective or group may each apply for their own distinct projects.
How does this program think about the diversity of who it supports?
Using a randomizer to select from eligible applicants reflects back the makeup of the application pool overall. As we pilot this program, we opted to work on building an applicant pool that includes practitioners representing many geographic regions, disciplines, practices, and identities. To do this, we are partnering with artist-founded organizations throughout the year to host funding cycles for their communities.
Why support artist-led gatherings, accessibility & translation, and documentation & archiving?
We’ve spent the last year in conversation with practitioners about their needs, which pointed to these categories as a starting point for introducing Field Funds. As we pilot this new program, we hope to continue learning what support would be most helpful. We invite applicants to share other needs this program could support in the application form.
