collective power fund

Collective Power Fund focuses primarily on supporting work that incites public dialogue, pushes boundaries, explores genre fluidity, speaks its truth through an authentic perspective, and is often non-traditional, anti-institutional, socially responsible, or disruptive of existing structures and conventions. It encourages a community-forward environment of resource-sharing, mutual support, and fellowship in the Pacific Northwest arts ecosystem.

Available grants:

New Work/Project Grants ($5,000)

Support the creation and presentation of visionary, artist-driven new work/projects.

Research & Development Grants ($2,000)

Research Grants funds can be used to compensate for intellectual labor and idea development, to pay other artists and thinkers for their time and contributions, and/or for costs associated with gaining access to specific resources.

Artist Team or Artist Collective Grant ($10,000)

Support the creation and presentation of visionary, new work/project created by an artist team or arts collective.

Project Criteria (for Individuals)

• Projects must function around a visual arts context
• Applicant must be the primary creator of the project and related work
• Projects must have a publicly accessible component
• Proposals must be for the development, completion, and/or presentation of a project
• Applicant must have creative control and rights of the proposed project
• Applicant can only submit one project per grant cycle
• Individual artists may apply to complete a body of work as long as part of their project expands beyond their own solo practice
• Funded projects must be completed by July 30, 2025

Preference will be given to projects that achieve one or more of the following:

• Exemplifies equity and collectivity
• Provides energy, visibility, and/or solidarity around social justice issues
• Gives back to the community and nurtures our creative ecosystem
• Develops an unconventional approach or perspective to the arts/culture in our region

Project Criteria (Artist Teams & Artist-Led Collectives):

If you are applying as an artist team or arts collective, you will need to choose one person to serve as the project’s lead organizer. The artist team or arts collective will need to have completed at least one arts-related project with the person you chose as the lead organizer.

The lead organizer will be the primary contact for the project during the application and granting process. You can choose to list up to six additional collaborators on the application. The collaborators you list should be people who share organizing responsibilities on the project. Artists who are supported through your project, but do not have organizing responsibilities, do not need to be listed as collaborators in the application.

Artist-led curatorial initiatives are eligible, and visual artists who are interested in organizing and collaborating with other creatives they’ve worked with before are encouraged to do so.

Note: Artists and arts collectives may use a fiscal sponsor for their project, though it is not required. Projects fiscally sponsored by NWFF cannot use NWFF as a fiscal sponsor for this grant cycle, but artists may apply as individuals.