Populus Fund

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 new, creative visual arts projects that exemplify exciting and meaningful ways of working in, for, and with the public.

In 2025, Populus Fund will award a total of seven $10,000 project grants. These grants are aimed toward artists or artist groups/collectives working outside established institutions.

Artists working outside of a traditional visual arts practice -- in performance, dance, film, text, sound, etc. -- are eligible to apply so long as their project proposal has visual arts as a driving force.

Items needed for application:

• Artist(s) Narrative Biography

• Artist(s) Statement

• Resume, CV, or document listing past shows/projects/performances

• Work Samples (up to 5)

• Separate Document describing work samples provided

• Project Details & Description

• Project Timeline

• Budget

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

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 & 2024 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

-> VISUAL ARTS-FOCUSED

We have an expansive understanding of the visual arts, and we are open to new interpretations outside the mediums of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, etc. Successful applications will demonstrate the project's connection to the visual arts as a form of communication between artist and public.

-> NEW AND INNOVATIVE

Funds can be used for the research, development, or creation of new work, and the jury will select projects based on the innovative, artistic, and creative strength of the proposal. We are interested in work that might fall outside the scope of traditional presenting organizations, including experimental projects and projects that live in the margins between studio art forms. An innovative project will be one that utilizes its visual medium in an exciting and thoughtful way. The artist’s unique voice and vision for the goals and outcomes of the project are very clear.

-> PUBLIC-FACING

We seek to fund projects that engage and connect with the community through art. Proposals should explain how the proposed project will promote collaboration with the public. This could include exhibitions, performances, readings, workshops, publications, residencies, or some other form of public-facing event. The Union strongly believes in radical accessibility, and grant-funded events should reflect that belief. Ideal projects will be readily accessible to the public through collaboration, participation, or presentation.

-> ARTIST-LED

The aim of Populus Fund is to expand financial support for independent, artist-led projects. Projects in partnership with art museums, commercial galleries, or other established organizations will not be considered for funding. However, we do accept projects that work in partnership with DIY, underfunded, or community-based groups. Please reach out to us if you have questions about the eligibility of your project.

-> DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE

Projects that support inclusion, diversity, equity, and access are strongly encouraged. Projects that are in any way discriminatory (in terms of race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, socioeconomic status, and/or disability) will not be considered for funding. When designing public engagements, applicants must also prioritize the health and safety of participants. Applicants should identify any safety protocols if necessary.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

March 7, 2025 – Applications open

April 7-19, 2025 – 1:1 application feedback sessions w/ Union staff

April 27, 2025, 11:59pm – Applications close

June, 2025 – Awardee notification

July, 2025 – Awardee announcement

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.

1:1 Application Feedback Sessions // April 7-19

Artists interested in applying for Project Grants can meet directly with Union staff (on Zoom) to discuss the grant, application materials, or aspects of their project proposal. Feedback Sessions are for in progress applications, not yet submitted to Submittable. Union staff cannot review applications once submitted. Feedback Sessions have an open format - the structure of each session is different for each applicant and is based on the questions they have, and support they need within their application.

*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.

Click HERE to Meet the 2024 Populus Fund Grantees

Click HERE to Meet the 2023 Populus Fund Grantees

Click HERE to Meet the 2022 Populus Fund Grantees

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.

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.