Collective Power Fund 2025

About the Open Call

2025 Collective Power Fund grants are project-based and distribute $60,000 in funding: (1) $10,000 for Artist Team or Arts Collective; (8) $5,000 for New Work/Projects; and (5) $2,000 for Research + Development. Individual artists in King County can apply for $2,000 or $5,000 tiers; the $10,000 tier is for artist teams/collectives in King County. New Work/Project Grants support visionary, artist-driven new work. Research & Development Grants fund intellectual labor, idea development, and access to resources. Artist Team or Artist Collective Grants support creation and presentation by teams/collectives. Projects must function around a visual arts context, have a publicly accessible component, be for development, completion, or presentation, and the applicant must be the primary creator with creative control. Projects seeking retroactive support, ongoing programming, solely individual studio practices/solo exhibitions, or work-for-hire are ineligible. Artist teams/collectives must choose a lead organizer, who will be the primary contact. Fiscal sponsorship is allowed but not required, except NWFF cannot sponsor projects for this cycle. Eligible applicants must reside in King County, create visual arts work, be the main creator, be an individual artist, artist team, or artist-run collective, be 21+, and able to receive income in the U.S. Disciplines include 3D art, architecture, animation, ceramics, craft, design, drawing, digital art, folk art, film, illustration, installation, murals, naive art, new media, painting, performance art, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video, sound art, social practice, tech-based art, traditional art, and video games; others need strong visual context. Disabled, BIPOC, LGBTQ2IA+, or rural artists are strongly encouraged to apply. Ineligible applicants: NWFF Board/staff/interns or their partners/family; curators/managers of other artists’ work; incorporated entities (except LLCs); 2024 grant recipients. Applications are evaluated on artistic strength, capacity to complete, public accessibility, impact, challenge to mainstream methods, and significance of funding. Preference is given to projects exemplifying equity/collectivity, supporting social justice, giving back to the community, and developing unconventional approaches. Pre-panel feedback is available by emailing the Grants Manager before November 3rd, 2025, covering eligibility and application strengthening.

What is Offered

Project-based grants totaling $60,000 are distributed as: (1) $10,000 for Artist Teams or Arts Collectives, (8) $5,000 for New Work/Projects, and (5) $2,000 for Research + Development. These funds support the creation and presentation of visionary, artist-driven new work.

Requirements

To be eligible, applicants must: reside in King County (proof upon finalist status), create work grounded in visual arts or with a strong visual context, be the main creator, be an individual artist, artist team, or artist-run collective, be 21 years or older, and be able to receive income in the U.S. Projects must function around a visual arts context, have a publicly accessible component, and be for development, completion, or presentation. Applicants must have creative control and rights. Artist teams/collectives need a lead organizer who has completed at least one arts-related project with the team. Ineligible applicants include NWFF Board/staff/interns or their family/business partners, curators/managers of other artists’ work, incorporated entities (except LLCs), and 2024 grant recipients. Required application materials include a Discipline Statement, Biography, Project Overview, Project Narrative, Project Budget, Visual Support Materials, and Visual Support Material Descriptions.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit the required materials as outlined in the Application Checklist and Application Materials sections, including a Discipline Statement, Biography, Project Overview (Title, Estimated Start/Completion Dates, Amount Requested, Project Budget, Project Summary), Project Narrative (text or video), Project Budget (PDF), Visual Support Materials (2 of 3 options: up to 8 images, 1 website URL, 1 video up to 5 min), and Visual Support Material Descriptions (Title, Date, Role, additional details). Applications are submitted via the "APPLY NOW" link: https://nwfilmforum.submittable.com/submit/092d09db-add4-4b4d-92c8-692cd7bfe7c4/collective-power-fund-2025. Pre-panel feedback is available by emailing jade@nwfilmforum.org before November 3rd, 2025.