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Submit to Verdant Fund Project Grant 2025

VERDANT FUND – PROJECT FUNDING GUIDELINES

OVERVIEW

The Verdant Fund awards grants of up to $7,000, with a total of $60,000 dispersed annually. These project grants support non-traditional, public-facing visual art projects that take place within the state of Alabama and are led by Alabama-based visual artists.

Eligible applicants include individual artists, artist-curators, collectives, or collaboratives, provided the lead applicant resides in Alabama.

PROJECT CRITERIA

Funded projects must:

  • Be artist-driven.
  • Occur outside traditional venues (e.g., museums, galleries, art centers).
  • Include a public-facing component that engages the local community.

Projects may be interdisciplinary but must be grounded in visual arts. The Verdant Fund does not support projects that are primarily:

  • Film (narrative or documentary)
  • Performing arts, event production, music, dance
  • Product design, decorative arts, or architecture

Exceptions may be considered if a significant visual arts component is present. We acknowledge that disciplinary boundaries can be fluid and welcome projects that are conceptually and formally rooted in visual arts.

EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS WE SUPPORT

  • Visual art interventions in public spaces (e.g., murals, billboards, digital wraps)
  • Site-specific installations in non-art venues or public spaces
  • Temporary sculptures
  • Artist books, zines, or short-run publications with free public access
  • Community-engaged fiber art or craft projects that advance the field
  • Socially engaged or civic practice projects with collaborative public components
  • Moving image or new media work grounded in visual arts
  • Dialogue-driven practices (e.g., podcasts, research, criticism, art journalism)
  • Experiments in new media or materials
  • Innovative exhibition or programming formats in unconventional spaces

WHAT WE DO NOT SUPPORT

  • Projects presented as part of an art institution’s regular programming (nonprofit or for-profit)
  • Projects accessible only behind a paywall or by limited invitation
  • Projects without a lead artist who resides in Alabama
  • Projects not meaningfully contributing to the field of visual arts

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must:

  • Be an artist or artistic collaborative with a professional documented practice
  • Reside in Alabama and maintain a permanent address in the state

The Fund prioritizes proposals from:

  • Women artists
  • Artists of color
  • Artists with disabilities
  • LGBTQ+ artists
  • Artists working in or from rural Alabama

SELECTION PROCESS

A panel of three jurors — regional and national artists, curators, and arts professionals — will review applications. Verdant Fund partners (Alabama Contemporary Art Center, the Coleman Center for the Arts, and Space One Eleven) do not select awardees.

Proposals are evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Artistic Strength - Clarity, originality, technical and conceptual execution

  • Does the artist present a clear and compelling artistic vision?
  • Is the work innovative, bold, or experimental within visual arts?
  • Does the artist demonstrate intentionality and depth in form or material?
  • Are concept and form meaningfully connected?

2. Equity + Relevance - Positionality, cultural timing, access, and representation

  • Is the artist’s connection to the subject clear and appropriate?
  • Does the project address timely or locally relevant issues?
  • Are historically marginalized communities represented or engaged?
  • Does the artist consider access (physical, financial, sensory, etc.)?
  • If collaboration is involved, is power shared equitably?

3. Critical Value - Thoughtfulness, research, and cultural contribution

  • Is the project informed by research, lived experience, or cultural insight?
  • Does the work critically engage with its subject, context, or field?
  • Will this project contribute meaningfully to visual discourse?

4. Clarity - Transparency of idea, process, and outcomes

  • Are the project’s purpose, process, and outcomes clearly articulated?
  • Is it easy to understand what will be done, when, and with what result?

5. Project Integration - Alignment of concept, form, audience, and scale

  • Are concept, method, and community components aligned?
  • Is the scale appropriate for the budget and timeline?
  • Does the proposal feel intentional and well thought-out?

6. Feasibility - Budget, logistics, timeline, and capacity

  • Is the budget appropriate and clearly aligned with the scope?
  • Does the artist show the ability to carry out the project successfully?
  • Have logistical needs and challenges been accounted for?

7. Community Experience - Public interaction, co-creation, and engagement

  • Is the public-facing component clearly defined and meaningful?
  • Will the audience or community have an active, impactful experience?
  • Is the engagement designed to be inclusive and accessible?

TIMELINE

  • Application Opens: August 13, 2025
  • Grant Notifications: December 2025
  • Earliest Project Start Date: January 2026

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted through Submittable:
👉 https://verdantfund.submittable.com/submit

You will be asked to provide:

  • Website
  • Bio
  • Demographic Information (This information is required to ensure the Verdant Fund is supporting projects and artists in alignment with our mission and stated priorities. Responses are used for internal tracking and reporting only.)
  • Resume or CV

 Project Summary and Description
Clearly describe your proposed project, including:

  • What you plan to do
  • When and where it will happen
  • Who is involved
  • How it meets the public-facing requirement
  • How it relates to contemporary visual art
  • Project Budget and (template provided)
  • Five work samples (related to the proposed project or representative of prior work)

Accepted file types:

  • JPG (≤1MB)
  • Video links (Vimeo)
  • Audio files
  • PDFs or Word docs

NEED HELP?

If you have questions or need assistance with the application, contact:
📧 info@verdantfund.org

WANT TO PREPARE?

The Verdant Fund