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Working Assumptions Project Grants

Each year, Working Assumptions awards six $10,000 Project Grants to support visual storytelling projects that inspire audiences and/or participants to look at family in new, meaningful ways. We invite proposals that employ photography or photo-based art for journalistic, artistic, therapeutic, educational, and research purposes. Our funding is unrestricted, allowing recipients complete creative freedom—provided that the project is intended for public consumption and that work on it began prior to the grant application deadline. 

2025 Application window opens: April 15

2025 Application deadline: May 15

About the Grants

At Working Assumptions, we believe that visual storytelling can play a pivotal role in illuminating the complexities of family life today and fostering compassion for the experiences of others. As part of our mission, we support projects that employ photography and photo-based art to spur reflection and dialogue around caregiving, interdependence, and belonging.

We offer six Working Assumptions Project Grants per year. Each grant includes:

  • $10,000 per grant

  • 8-month grant period (September 15, 2025–May 15, 2026)

  • Unrestricted funding for complete creative freedom

What We Fund

Projects must have been initiated prior to the application deadline, and may range from photography series and books to public art projects, therapeutic programs, long-form journalism, performances, and more. We leave it up to applicants to define the term family as they see fit, knowing that caregiving and interdependence take place in a variety of contexts. If it’s family to you, it’s family to us.

Note that we give preference to projects that:

  • Are based on first-person narration and/or on long-term, intertwined relationships with the photographic subjects

  • Build on earlier, related work by the applicant

  • Challenge our assumptions about what family, caregiving, and interdependence look like

Who Should Apply

This opportunity is for individuals and/or collaborations (not organizations), including artists, journalists, educators, therapists, researchers, and creatives across disciplines with a focus on visual storytelling and family. 

  • Residency: Applicants must be residents or citizens of the United States, have a U.S. tax ID number, and have a U.S. bank account.

  • Age: Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

  • Eligibility: Applicants cannot have been employees or grant recipients of Working Assumptions within the last two years.

Program Experience and Support

  • Collaborative goal setting 

  • Quarterly check-ins

  • Tailored support based on project needs

  • Support for promotion of projects 

How to Apply

Check back April 15 to access the application. Please join our Mailing List (form in the footer) to learn about upcoming opportunities.

Application period: April 15–May 15

Required information:

  • Personal details

  • Resume/CV

  • Examples of the current project

  • Related past work

  • Project description

  • Budget outline

Timeline

  • April 15, 2025: Application portal opens for submissions

  • May 15, 2025: Deadline to submit 

  • September 2025: Announcement of winners

The Working Assumptions Project Grants panel includes staff and external partners with relevant expertise.

Judging

FAQs

  • There is no entry fee for Working Assumptions Project Grants.

  • Successful proposals will examine the give-and-take of family and be intended for public consumption. Applicants will demonstrate a unique perspective on visual storytelling around family, a deep commitment to their current project, and prior interest and/or expertise in the proposed area of focus. We give preference to proposals that are based on first-person narration and/or on long-term, intertwined relationships with the photographic subjects. We are also very attentive to issues of consent and ethical practice.

  • We support a wide array of projects centered around family, from photography and visual arts to therapeutic and educational initiatives. Potential outcomes include art projects, documentaries, educational content, and photojournalism stories offering new insights into family dynamics. While we prioritize photography and photo-based art, we're open to interdisciplinary projects that merge photography with other creative or intellectual disciplines in order to broaden the conversation about family.

  • We are open to funding any phase of a given project, provided that work on the project began prior to the grant application deadline. This grant is not for projects that have already been completed; there must be some phase of the work that is ongoing during the grant term. 

    • Example of eligible project: You already finished shooting all the photos for your project, but are spending the next year editing and publishing a book.

    • Example of non-eligible project: You finished your project before the term of the grant and are looking to use the grant for reimbursement on work already completed.

  • No. To be eligible, you must be applying for work that will take place during the grant term.

  • Yes, our grants are unrestricted. This means recipients have the flexibility to use the grant money as they see fit to support their project and its related activities that fall within the period of the grant. We believe this approach empowers grantees to allocate resources in a way that best supports their working process and project goals.

  • Proposals are evaluated based on their innovation, relevance to our mission, potential impact, and the applicant's ability to execute the project. We also consider how the project will contribute to broader conversations about family, so plain-spoken language is always a plus.

  • We don’t. We leave it up to each individual to decide what the term means to them. If it’s family to you, it’s family to us.

  • No.

  • Currently, the grant is open to individuals who are either citizens or residents of the U.S., have a U.S. tax ID, and have a U.S. bank account.

  • All applicants can expect to hear a decision no later than September.

  • If you are selected to receive a grant, funds will be awarded by the end of September.

  • All applicants must submit their application using the online grant portal Good Grants.

  • Yes. Collaborations between individuals are welcome, but grant funds will be disbursed to only one applicant.

  • For any specific questions not covered here, please contact us at hello@workingassumptions.org.

Contact

For any additional questions, please contact us at hello@workingassumptions.org.

2024 Project Grantees

In September 2024, we awarded our first round of project grants to eight incredible artists. Originally planning to fund six, we were so inspired by the quality and creativity of the submissions that we decided to award two additional grants. These remarkable artists Alicia Vera, Debe Arlook, Devin Allen, Justin Hui, Nolan Trowe, Preston Gannaway, Terra Fondriest, and Trent Davis Bailey are exploring the rich intersections of family and photography. Each of them brings a unique voice and vision to their work, capturing the power of family narratives through their lenses.

Photos provided by the artists. Upper left to lower right, reading left to right, grantees include: Alicia Vera (Mexico City / Miami, FL), Terra Fondriest (St. Joe, AR), Devin Allen (Baltimore, MD), Trent Davis Bailey (Evergreen, CO), [WA Logo], Debe Arlook (Santa Monica, CA), Justin Hui (New York, NY), Preston Gannaway (San Francisco, CA), and Nolan Trowe (New Hope, PA).

Learn more about each artist and their projects HERE.