Ends on
Submitto Making Policy Public — Advocates

Making Policy Public

CUP is seeking collaborators for the next four issues of Making Policy Public. Making Policy Public is an 8–10 month long collaboration of CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a foldout poster that breaks down a complex policy issue. 

CUP defines policy broadly. Topics can address: policies (for example, rent stabilization law), systems (for example, how the juvenile justice system works), or processes (for example, applying for asylum). The explanation of the policy, system, or process must meet a social justice goal and the needs of a marginalized community (including low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, among others).

While the effects of public policies can be widespread, the discussion and understanding of these policies are usually not. We aim to make information on policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared. We want to create opportunities for designers to engage social issues without sacrificing experimentation, and for advocacy organizations to reach their constituencies better through design.


Past project have covered topics like: 

Project topics should not be:

  • promotional/lobbying materials for campaigns
  • marketing materials for programs
  • resource directories
  • plans or proposals (for example, a proposed policy change) 
  • about laws that haven’t been passed yet

Who Should Apply?

CUP is looking for community and advocacy organizations working on complex policy issues that need visual explanation.

Organizations should:

  • Work with a community that would directly benefit from the publication and have a plan for distributing the completed project to them.
  • Have already been working on the topic and have experience informing and engaging audiences on it.  
  • Have the knowledge and experience to lead a “teach-in” at the beginning of the project, where they teach CUP and the designer everything we need to know about the project topic.
  • Be engaging the primary audience of the project. Advocates are responsible for recruiting participants for two feedback sessions over the course of the project. Participants should be from the project's target audience and will be compensated for their time.
  • Have a committed project lead that can work on the project and attend all meetings. Meetings happen about every 3–4 weeks over the course of 8–10 months. This person should be a paid member of the organization's staff and this project should be part of their work. 
  • Be interested in engaging in a collaborative design process and in explaining an aspect of public policy.
  • Organize a launch event to formally announce the completion of the project.
  • Be a nonprofit 501c(3) or have a fiscal sponsor that is.
  • Not have collaborated on a Making Policy Public or Public Access Design project in the last three years

For organizations applying from outside of NYC, your topic should be an issue that applies throughout the country, like our project on employee misclassification or our project on e-carceration. If the organization is based outside of New York City, all community sessions and meetings will be remote for the entirety of the project.

Note: Topics cannot change over the course of the collaboration. CUP will select an alternate organization if a selected organization's topic changes or is no longer relevant.


How Does it Work?

Advocacy organizations and designers respond to CUP's open call for Making Policy Public.

A jury of prominent designers and public policy experts use specified criteria to select four community organizations. They then select four designers to create teams that collaborate with CUP on the projects.

Each project team engages in a 8–10 month collaborative process. Two of the projects will begin in January 2022, and the other two will begin in March 2022. Please note these start and end dates as you consider the timeline of your project topic and whether it is the right fit for this program. 

CUP manages the collaboration, oversees all aspects of production, and provides art direction, research, copywriting, and additional support as needed. Advocates receive 1,000 free copies of the foldout poster to distribute directly to their constituents and networks. Designers receive a $7,000 honorarium.

Learn more on the CUP Website


Project Formats

Each project doubles as a pamphlet. The folded pamphlet measures 8” by 11” and unfolds into a 32” by 22” poster. To see previous projects, click here.


Application Criteria

  • Is the topic clearly articulated and addresses a social justice issue?
  • Is the issue well-defined and limited enough in scope to work within the Making Policy Public format?
  • Would a visual tool help make this topic more accessible to the target audience?
  • Is there a clear target audience with a clear need for the tool?
  • Does the organization have a meaningful connection to or is a part of this audience? 
  • Does this project have the potential to cause harm, particularly to people with marginalized identities?
  • Is there a clear distribution plan?
  • Does the organization have expertise in this topic?
  • Does the organization and its work address systemic inequity?

To learn more about our criteria, click here.


Application Timeline and Deadline

  • August 5, 2021 — Call for Making Policy Public proposals opens!
  • August 12, 2021 — Optional webinar for advocates applicants. CUP will host an optional webinar on August 12 from 4:30–6pm EST for advocates interested in applying to Making Policy Public or Public Access Design. If you're interested in participating, register here.
  • September 20, 2021 at 12:00pm EST — Call for Making Policy Public proposals closes (ORIGINAL DEADLINE of 9/13 EXTENDED!)
  • Late October 2021 — Jury meets to review applications and select finalists
  • November 2021 — CUP interviews finalists
  • Early December 2021 — CUP notifies selected applicants
  • January 2022 — Making Policy Public collaborations are announced!


Questions?

Visit our website or email Clair Beltran at clair@welcometocup.org.


CUP is happy to consult with organizations on project proposals. Don’t hesitate to email us at info@welcometocup.org if you have questions or need help. 

Ends on
Submitto Making Policy Public — Designers

Making Policy Public

CUP is seeking collaborators for the next four issues of Making Policy Public. Making Policy Public is an 8–10 month long collaboration of CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a foldout poster that breaks down a complex policy issue.

CUP is looking for talented graphic designers, illustrators, and infographic designers with an interest in bringing unique visual solutions to complex policy issues. Designers collaborate with CUP and an advocacy organization to create great design that has social impact. 

While the effects of public policies can be widespread, the discussion and understanding of these policies are usually not. We aim to make information on policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared. We want to create opportunities for designers to engage social issues without sacrificing experimentation, and for advocacy organizations to reach their constituencies better through design.


Who Should Apply?

CUP is looking for skilled designers and artists who are excited to shape content and find creative design solutions to explain complex policy.

Designers should:

  • Be interested in working in an intensely collaborative process and in creating accessible visual explanations of complex information.
  • Be able to incorporate illustration, photography, information design, or other non-typographic solutions into their work. 
  • Be able to attend project meetings every 3–4 weeks. If the project team collectively decides to meet in person, we expect the designer to attend in-person meetings if they're not based in NYC. If the advocate is based outside of NYC, the team will meet remotely.
  • Be able to attend two trainings. We ask that designers who are selected for Making Policy Public participate in two, 2–3 hour trainings about anti-oppression practices and how to overcome bias in illustration.

Because of the intensive nature of Making Policy Public collaborations, CUP strongly encourages designers to apply as a team. Interdisciplinary teams (designers, illustrators, photographers, etc.) are also encouraged. 

We want to uplift designers who identify with communities that have been historically marginalized in the design professions. We encourage designers who identify with those groups to apply, including but not limited to people of color, people from low-income, LGBTQ+, immigrant communities, formerly incarcerated people, and others.


How Does it Work?

Advocacy organizations and designers respond to CUP's open call for Making Policy Public.

A jury of prominent designers and advocates use specified criteria to select four community organizations. Then, they select four designers or teams to collaborate with CUP on the projects.

Each project team engages in a 8–10 month collaborative process. Two of the projects will begin in January 2022, and the other two will begin in March 2022. Please note these start and end dates as you consider the timeline of your project topic and whether it is the right fit for this program.

CUP manages the collaboration, oversees all aspects of production, and provides art direction, research, copywriting, and additional support as needed. 

Advocates receive 1,000 free copies of the foldout poster to distribute directly to their constituents and networks. Designers receive a $7,000 honorarium.

Learn more on the CUP Website


Project Formats

Each project doubles as a pamphlet. The folded pamphlet measures 8” by 11” and unfolds into a 32” by 22” poster. To see previous projects, click here.


Application Criteria

  • Does the designer show an ability to organize complex information?
  • Is the designer interested in a deeply collaborative process?
  • Does the designer seem capable of creative unique, relevant work that can meet the needs of community partners?
  • Can the designer incorporate illustration, photography, information design, or other non-typographic solutions into their work?

To learn more about our criteria, click here.


Application Timeline and Deadline

  • August 5, 2021 — Call for Making Policy Public designers opens!
  • August 25, 2021 — Optional webinar for designers applicants. CUP will host an optional webinar on August 25 from 4:30–6pm EST for designers or design teams interested in applying to Making Policy Public or Public Access Design. If you're interested in participating, register here.
  • September 20, 2021 at 12:00pm EST — Call for Making Policy Public designers closes (ORIGINAL DEADLINE of 9/13 EXTENDED!)
  • Late October 2021 — Jury meets to review applications and select finalists
  • November 2021 — CUP interviews finalists
  • Early December 2021 — CUP notifies selected applicants
  • January 2022 — Making Policy Public collaborations are announced!


Questions?

Visit our website or email Clair Beltran at clair@welcometocup.org.


All applicants agree that CUP is granted the non-exclusive reproduction rights to all entries for CUP’s advertising, promotion, exhibition, print publication, and Internet purposes.

Ends on
Submitto Public Access Design — Advocates

Public Access Design

CUP is seeking collaborators for the next Public Access Design projects. Public Access Design is a 4–6 month long collaboration between CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a booklet that breaks down a complex policy issue. 

Public Access Design program is for advocates who have a pressing issue that could benefit from a visual explanation. Topics are concise in scope and scale, and focus on immediate issues that are affecting communities. 

CUP defines policy broadly. Topics can address: policies (for example, rent stabilization law), systems (for example, how juvenile justice works), or processes (for example, applying for asylum). The explanation of the policy, system, or process must meet a social justice goal and the needs of a marginalized community (including low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, among others).

While the effects of public policies can be widespread, the discussion and understanding of these policies are usually not. We aim to make information on policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared. We want to create opportunities for designers to engage social issues without sacrificing experimentation, and for advocacy organizations to reach their constituencies better through design.


Past projects have covered things like: 


Project topics should not be:

  • promotional/lobbying materials for campaigns
  • marketing materials for programs
  • resource directories
  • plans or proposals (for example, a proposed policy change)
  • about laws that haven’t been passed yet


Who Should Apply?

CUP is looking for community and advocacy organizations working on complex policy issues that need visual explanation.

Organizations should:

  • Work with a community that would directly benefit from the publication and have a plan for distributing the completed project to them.
  • Have already been working on the topic and have experience informing and engaging audiences on it.
  • Have the knowledge and experience to lead a “teach-in” at the beginning of the project, where they teach CUP and the designer everything we need to know about the project topic.
  • Be engaging the primary audience of the project. Advocates are responsible for recruiting participants for two community sessions over the course of the project. Participants should be from the project's primary audience and will be compensated for their time.
  • Have a committed project lead that can work on the project and attend all meetings. Meetings happen about every 2–3 weeks over the course of 4–6 months. This person should be a paid member of the organization's staff and this project should be part of their work.
  • Be interested in engaging in a collaborative design process and in explaining an aspect of public policy.
  • Organize a launch event to formally announce the completion of the project.
  • Be based in New York City
  • Be a nonprofit 501c(3)
  • Not have collaborated on a Making Policy Public or Public Access Design project in the last three years

Note: Topics can't change over the course of the collaboration. CUP will select an alternate organization if a selected organization's topic changes or is no longer relevant.


How Does it Work?

Advocacy organizations and designers respond to CUP's open call for Public Access Design.

A jury of designers and public policy experts use specified criteria to select one to two community organizations. They then select 8–10 designers to be Public Access Design fellows. Public Access Design fellows are the only designers considered to collaborate on Public Access Design projects.

This years's jury is:

Each project team engages in a 4–6 month collaborative process. Projects will begin in January 2022 and end in June 2022. Please note these start and end dates as you consider the timeline of your project topic and whether it is the right fit for this program.

CUP manages the collaboration, oversees all aspects of production, and provides art direction, research, copywriting, and additional support as needed. Advocates receive 1,000 free copies of the foldout poster to distribute directly to their constituents and networks. Public Access Design Fellows who work on a project receive a $4,000 honorarium.

Learn more on the CUP Website


Project Formats

Organizers can choose the media format that best meets their needs from four options, each designed to be easily completed within the 4–6 month project timeline. 

The formats offered this year are:

  • Folds: A pocket-size print graphic that unfolds to 11.5" × 21"
  • Pages: A 3½" × 5½" 10-page print publication

Click here to see more examples of past projects and formats.


Application Criteria

  • Is the topic clearly articulated and addresses a social justice issue?
  • Is the issue well-defined and limited enough in scope to work within the Public Access Design format?
  • Would a visual tool help make this topic more accessible to the target audience?
  • Is there a clear target audience with a clear need for the tool?
  • Does the organization have a meaningful connection to or is a part of this audience?
  • Does this project have the potential to cause harm, particularly to people with marginalized identities?
  • Is there a clear distribution plan?
  • Does the organization have expertise in this topic?
  • Does the organization and its work address systemic inequity?

To learn more about each of these criteria, click here.


Application Timeline and Deadline

  • August 5, 2021 — Call for Public Access Design proposals opens!
  • August 12, 2021 — Optional webinar for advocate applicants
  • September 20, 2021 at 12:00pm EST — Call for proposals closes (ORIGINAL DEADLINE of 9/13 EXTENDED!)
  • Late October 2021 — Jury meets to review applications and select finalists
  • Early November 2021 — CUP interviews finalists
  • Early December 2021 — CUP notifies selected applicants 
  • January 2022 — Public Access Design projects are announced!


Note: CUP is happy to consult with organizations on project proposals. Don’t hesitate to email us at info@welcometocup.org if you have questions or need help! We can't respond to requests for feedback on application content after September 7, 2021, so please plan accordingly.

Ends on
Submitto Public Access Design Fellowship — Designers

Public Access Design Fellowship


The Public Access Design (PAD) Fellowship is a yearlong professional development program for New York City-based emerging artists and designers. The Fellowship invites New York City-based emerging designers and artists to learn about community-engaged design alongside a cohort. Over the course of the year, Fellows attend six to seven meetings beginning January 2022. During these meetings, Fellows come together to learn about community-engaged design, anti-oppression practices, and community organizing.

In addition to the Fellowship meetings, three to four Fellows will have the opportunity to collaborate on a Public Access Design project. Public Access Design is a 4–6 month long collaboration of CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a booklet that breaks down a complex policy issue.


How Does it Work?

Designers and artists respond to CUP's open call for the Public Access Design Fellowship.

A jury of designers and public policy experts use specified criteria to select 8–10 designers to be Public Access Design fellows. They also selected one to two fellows who will collaborate on the Public Access Design projects that will begin in January 2022.

This years's jury is:

We want to uplift designers who identify with communities that have been historically marginalized in the design professions. We encourage designers who identify with those groups to apply, including but not limited to people of color, people from low-income, LGBTQ+, immigrant communities, formerly incarcerated people, and others.

Note: CUP is actively monitoring and planning for how we can best keep designers and community partners safe during COVID. We will be in touch with fellows about whether or not meetings will take place in-person or remotely.

Learn more on the CUP website


Why Apply?


Reasons to Apply

  • The fellowship is an opportunity to learn from and build relationships with other emerging designers interested in contributing their design skills to community-engaged work.
  • During the fellowship you will learn about CUP’s community-engaged design practices and how you can apply it to your own design practice.
  • Fellows have the opportunity to meet previous CUP collaborators such as prominent designers, leaders in the advocacy world, and CUP alumni.
  • Through the fellowship meetings fellows gain a stronger understanding of how to collaborate with community organizations.
  • With each meeting, fellows can reflect on their design practice and the design community through an anti-racist, equity-driven lens.


Reflections from Previous Fellows

  • “It re-cemented the things that we want to do [with our design practice]. We are going to approach next year with new goals, new motivation, and new people.”
  • “I’ve always wanted to work with community organizations and have that be a big part of my work. Meeting with the alumni showed me how realistic, how big a part of social design can take up in my practice.”
  • “This fellowship helped me refocus my goals and my destination as a creative.”
  • “I appreciated being pushed to talk about privilege and different perspectives in life.”


Application Criteria

We seek skilled, emerging designers with an interest in  social justice and a collaborative, community-engaged design process. Because fellows will be considered for Public Access Design projects, fellows should be able to create original and inventive visual solutions to explain complex policy.

The jury will evaluate applicants based on the following criteria:

  • Does the designer show an ability to organize complex information?
  • Is the designer interested in a deeply collaborative process?
  • Does the designer seem capable of creative unique, relevant work that can meet the needs of community partners?
  • Can the designer incorporate illustration, photography, information design, or other non-typographic solutions into their work?

To learn more about each of these criteria, click here.

Note: Applicants don't need to have prior experience in social justice work or community-engaged design to be considered a strong candidate for the fellowship.


Honoraria

All Public Access Design fellows receive:

  • A $200 honorarium
  • Press and promotion from CUP

Fellows who collaborate on Public Access Design projects also receive:

  • An additional $4,000 honorarium
  • Full attribution and rights to reproduction for their work
  • Project publicity through CUP, including press releases, exhibit entries, and design award submissions


Application Timeline and Deadline

  • August 5, 2021 — Call for Public Access Design fellows opens!
  • August 25, 2021 — Optional webinar for designers applicants. 
  • September 20, 2021 at 12:00pm EST — Call closes (ORIGINAL DEADLINE of 9/13 EXTENDED!)
  • Late October 2021 — Jury meets to review applications and select finalists
  • Early November 2021 — CUP interviews finalists
  • Early December 2021 — CUP notifies selected applicants
  • January 2022 — Public Access Design fellows are announced!


Questions?

Visit the FAQ section on our website OR email Pilar Finuccio at pilar@welcometocup.org.


Note: All applicants agree that CUP is granted the non-exclusive reproduction rights to all entries for CUP’s advertising, promotion, exhibition, print publication, and Internet purposes.