Field Funds - Collective Work

Collective Work is a Field Funds grant opportunity from A Blade of Grass that supports U.S.-based groups of artists, creative practitioners, and culture bearers working collaboratively in socially engaged art. The opportunity is intended for cooperative, collective, and collaborative groups seeking support for practical needs connected to gathering, accessibility and translation, and documentation and archiving. Eligible groups may request $500 for a specific need related to their collaborative creative practice. The funding may support work that is already planned or underway, including expenses that form part of a larger project or event. Eligible applicants must be U.S.-based groups consisting of three or more artists, creative practitioners, and/or culture bearers with a demonstrated history of collaboratively creating socially engaged art. A Blade of Grass recognizes that practitioners may not identify their work using the terms artist or socially engaged art. Regardless of terminology, applicants must be able to demonstrate a practice that applies creative strategies and interventions that make society more just, kind, safe, and free; involves and builds meaningful relationships with communities and collaborators; and uses processes and skills beyond those associated with studio artwork or traditional performance. Examples of these processes include advocacy, dialogue, facilitation, organizing, and research. Nonprofit organizations and commercial businesses are not eligible to apply. Each eligible group must identify a representative who will serve as the point person for the application. If selected, that representative will sign the agreement on behalf of the group and coordinate receipt of the $500 payment. Collective Work funding can support gathering-related expenses such as facilitator fees, venue rental or other hosting fees, promotion of an event or gathering, food and hospitality, honorariums for artists or participants, and participant travel. Applicants may also propose another gathering-related expense through the available write-in category. Accessibility and translation expenses may include ASL interpretation, Communication Access Realtime Translation, language interpretation, language translation, image description, captioning, access consultants and coordinators, accessibility audits of websites or other materials, modifications to physical spaces, accessible transportation, and masks, testing, or other COVID safety measures. A Blade of Grass encourages applicants to follow the leadership of disabled practitioners and hire disabled people to provide access when possible. Documentation and archiving expenses are also eligible within the Collective Work cycle. Groups may use funds to commission photo, video, or audio documentation of a project; commission written documentation or reflection; or pay for image descriptions, audio descriptions, captioning, and other accessibility work associated with documentation. Funding can also support assistance with designing, creating, or contributing to an inventory system for files or materials; digitization of analog media or documents; supplies needed to house archival materials; web hosting; inventory management; database subscriptions; storage; and other administrative expenses associated with accessing and maintaining archival materials. An Other write-in option is available for eligible expenses that are not specifically enumerated. Certain applicants, projects, and activities are expressly excluded. Field Funds does not accept applications from nonprofit organizations or commercial businesses. Proposals are also ineligible when an event or project is not initiated and led by an artist group, when funding would support the creation of studio work or presentations, or when proposed activities would take place more than six months after the application deadline. The requested $500 may, however, contribute to a larger project or event that has already been planned or is currently underway. All proposed expenses must be spent within six months of receiving the funds. The May 2026 Field Funds cycle for Collective Work is closed, and A Blade of Grass states that grantees have been contacted. The funder directs prospective applicants to check back for future cycles, indicating that additional Collective Work opportunities are anticipated even though the supplied information does not provide an exact date for the next Collective Work cycle. Selected applicants for a cycle receive the $500 payment within 10 days of the application due date, and all proposed expenses must be spent within six months of receiving funds. The supplied Collective Work information does not state the exact May 2026 application opening date or application deadline, nor does it provide a pre-application requirement, application portal, or required application uploads.

Ensure the proposal is initiated and led by the artist group and clearly connects the requested $500 to an eligible Collective Work expense. Show an established collaborative socially engaged practice rather than conventional studio or performance work. Choose expenses that fit gathering, accessibility and translation, documentation and archiving, or a justified write-in category. Plan to spend all requested funds within six months of receiving the award.