2024 Populus Fund Website Banner with the logo repeated 3 times on a blue background

$10,000 Project Grant Applications Open March 1, 2024

Founded in 2020, Populus Fund is a regranting initiative organized by The Union, through the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in order to support innovative artist projects regionally. We aim to fund projects that are catalytic, address community needs, and exemplify new ways of working in, for, and with the public.

In 2024, Populus Fund will award a total of six $10,000 projects proposed by artists or artist groups working outside established institutions.

Regranting Region

Artists living in the following 35 counties surrounding the Omaha metro area are eligible to apply for funding:

IOWA COUNTIES
Audubon, Cass, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Shelby

NEBRASKA COUNTIES
Burt, Butler, Cass, Colfax, Cuming, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Gage, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Platte, Polk, Saline, Sarpy, Saunders, Seward, Stanton, Thurston, Washington, Wayne, York

Map of eligible Populus Fund counties in Nebraska and Iowa

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to receive a Populus Fund grant, applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be 18 or older

  • Reside in one of the eligible 35 Nebraska/Iowa counties listed above

  • Applicant can provide a W9 and Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) once selected to receive an award

  • Applicants must be visual artists, curators, collectives, cultural organizers, collaborations, or artists with a history of presenting their work in visual arts contexts/venues

  • Performance, dance, film, text, sound, or any artist that works outside of a traditional visual arts practice is eligible to apply as long as their project proposal has visual arts as a driving force.


Ineligible to apply:

  • 501c3 organizations and LLCs established for commercial enterprise

  • Staff, board, or immediate family member of The Union for Contemporary Art

  • 2022 & 2023 Populus Fund Project Grant Awardees


Selection Jury:
Awardees will be selected by a rotating panel of artists and arts professionals. Union staff will remain fully neutral in the selection process, beyond facilitating a short vetting process to ensure applicants meet eligibility criteria.

The selection jury is different each grant cycle and jury members are chosen to best reflect the diverse pool of applicants. Each selection jury will include:

  • an artist, arts professional, or community organizer from out of state,

  • an arts professional engaged with another Regional Regranting program,

  • a previous grantee

PROJECT CRITERIA

In 2024, Populus Fund seeks to fund artist-organized projects that offer opportunities for artists to use their skills to provide experiences, content, materials, activities, platforms, etc. that engage and connect with the community through art.

Populus Fund grant recipients will receive funding for projects that promote collaboration with the public and are radically accessible. Funds can be used for the research, development, or creation of public-facing new work, a project or performance. Public engagement can occur via process, presentation, production, or publication. This may include exhibitions, performances, events, lectures, workshops, screenings, readings, publications, residencies, programming at artist-run-spaces, online projects, etc.

Populus Fund's aim is to expand the financial support for artist-led projects in our region. Projects in partnership with funded organizations, art museums, or commercial galleries that have their own operating and programming budgets or a capacity to fundraise for their own projects will not be considered for funding. However, we do accept projects that work in partnership with DIY, underfunded, or self-funded arts and community organizing groups. Please reach out to us if you have questions about an institutional partner on your project.

Projects that support inclusion, diversity, equity, and access are strongly encouraged. Projects that engage the public must prioritize the health and safety of participants. Applicants should identify any safety protocols if necessary.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

March 1, 2024 Applications open

April 8-13, 2024 – 1:1 application feedback sessions w/ Union staff

April 15-20, 2024 – 1:1 application feedback sessions w/ Union staff

April 28, 2024, 11:59pm – Applications close

Early June, 2024 – Awardee notification

July 12, 2024 – Awardee announcement

July 2024 – July 2025 – Begin project support and implementation

Apply Now

Resources for Applicants

Artists interested in applying for Populus Fund Project Grants can make use of several resources to help with the development of their application, including a sample budget and the scoring matrix used by the jury. Find them all at the link below.

Resources for Applicants

1:1 Application Feedback Sessions // April 8-13 + 15-20

Artists interested in applying for Project Grants can meet directly with Union staff (on Zoom) to discuss the grant and their application. Applicants will receive feedback on their application in-progress, including info on best practices for composing an Artist Statement and project proposal. Follow the link below to register for a time.

*Union staff do not participate in the application jury process. Attending a feedback session does not guarantee funding. Feedback Sessions are limited to one per applicant.

Register for a Feedback Session

QUESTIONS + ACCESSIBILITY

Curious about something that is not answered above or on the FAQ page? Drop us a question at populusfund@u-ca.org.

Please reach out to The Union team if you have any questions about eligibility or would like assistance reading or filling out your application at populusfund@u-ca.org.

SUPPORT

If you are interested in expanding our support for artists by contributing to the Populus Fund, please contact our Development Director Jon Day, jon@u-ca.org.

  • More Funding Opportunities for Omaha-area Artists

    Omaha nonprofit Amplify Arts promotes unity, innovation, and progress in the arts to build strong and vibrant communities. This work includes an Artist Grants program for area artists of many disciplines.

Populus Fund is a regranting initiative organized by The Union, through the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, supporting innovative artist projects throughout Omaha–Lincoln metros.

THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS

In accordance with Andy Warhol’s will, the mission of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is the advancement of the visual arts. The foundation manages an innovative and flexible grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalogue raisonné projects. To date, the foundation has given over $218 million in cash grants to over 1,000 arts organizations in 49 states and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide.

Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Logo - two-tone portrait of Warhol and his signature - 4