Collective Futures Fund: Ongoing Platforms Grants

The Collective Futures Fund offers Ongoing Platforms Grants of $8,000 to support long-term artistic projects in the Greater Boston area. These grants encourage collaboration and public engagement, targeting visual arts initiatives that foster local artist communities. Applicants must demonstrate their project's impact, provide past work samples, and outline their budget and timeline. This funding opportunity is designed for artists and collectives in various disciplines, promoting innovative art forms and community-focused projects.

Grants of $8,000 each to support sustaining or the completion of long-term projects. This category recognizes the commitment, time, and focus required to pursue long-term artistic endeavors that support and foster local artist communities. These projects must be collaborative and have some public component to them. Applicants can apply based on specific initiatives or for general support for a platform.
The application includes a project description of ongoing work or specific initiatives, stated impact in the Boston community and why support is needed at this time, past work samples, and timeline and budget specifying need.
Applicants will be evaluated on past work samples and impact in addition to stated need at this time.

Eligibility

At the time of applying and completion of research/project, applicants must be residents of the Greater Boston area residing in either Plymouth, Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex, or Suffolk counties.Visual artists, curators, arts writers, cultural organizers, collectives, collaborators at all career stages who reside in Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties are encouraged to apply.Examples:New artist-driven and run spaces, organizations, micro-cinemas, community centers, and collaborations for presenting and experiencing art, performance, old and new media, and community projectsPublications, online or in print, that highlights and amplifies local artist communities and critical discourse   Public art projects such as murals, outdoor sculptures, or installations with a temporary or permanent physical presenceCuratorial projects by independent curators and/or visual artists  Socially-responsive and engagement projects such as artist gardens, mutual aid arts initiatives, community storytelling, grassroots archives and history-keeping, and more.
Independent and alternative artist-driven education projects such as lecture series, workshops, programmingWhile we take an expansive view toward the visual arts, the project must have visual arts and visual impact as a strong component. We welcome film, performance, dance, music, and education as part of that expansive definition, but a project’s relationship to the visual arts must be explained.Artists operating in more traditional or craft disciplines are also eligible to apply. We ask that all applications describe their risk taking and experimentation within their particular discipline.All projects must engage or be shared with the public in Greater Boston via process, presentation, production, or publication.If applying as a group, a collaboration or collective can be longstanding or newly formed specifically for this project. Please identify one participant to serve as the lead contact. The lead applicant will the main contact and financially responsible for the grant, including taxes.  Tufts University alumni are welcome to apply.

Ineligibility

Projects organized by existing incorporated businesses (including LLCs, B Corps, state non-profits, 501(c)(3) organizations, and 501(c)(4) organizations), universities or schools (private, public, charter), religious institutions, or LLCs established for commercial enterprise are not eligible. This grant is oriented toward independent projects driven by artists and cannot be used as supplemental organizational funding. Applicants can be working with nonprofit organizations as venues or partners, but the project must be driven primarily by the artists and be distinct from an organization’s regular programming.Projects that are in support of or present individual artists and their solo practice are not eligible. Projects must be based in collaboration in either process or implementation.Students enrolled in a degree program as well as current students, faculty, post-graduate fellows, and staff of Tufts Univeristy are not eligible.Applicants can not propose projects to be sited at Tufts University Art Galleries.