Research/Development Grants

Overview

Big Field Fund Research/Development Grants award $3000 to support artists in the early stages of an ambitious project that will fulfill one or more of the following focus areas:

  • projects that manifest new and inventive models to present/nurture/deploy visuals arts in Iowa

  • projects that support under-resourced artists and creative communities

  • projects that engage with vulnerable or underutilized resources, structures, systems, or ecologies

  • projects that would likely not otherwise be eligible for financial support due to their multidisciplinary, ephemeral, or risk-taking nature

BFF R/D Grants are intended to support eastern Iowa artists (this year, defined as within the 35 counties proximate to Iowa City and in the state of Iowa, view map here).

In addition to the financial award to support their work, BFF will support grantees with:

  • a public award celebration

  • a grantee cohort gathering 

  • a studio visit/consultation with an artist, curator, or specialist in the field

  • promotion of their projects via BFF’s communication channels

Important Dates

  • First Round Applications Open

  • First Round Applications Due
    11:59 pm

  • First Round Applicants Notified;
    Second Round Application Open

  • Second Round Applications Due
    11:59 pm

  • Second Round Applicants Notified

  • Grantee Contracts Due

  • Award Celebration + Funding Distributed
    (Exact Date TBA)

  • Grantee Cohort Gathering
    (Exact Date TBA)

  • Grantee Individual Check-Ins + Studio Visits

  • Proposed Project Activities Complete,
    Grant Reports Due

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • be at least 18 years old

  • reside and plan to produce the project within the 35 counties proximate to Iowa City and in the state of Iowa. Additional collaborators may live elsewhere. (This region includes the following counties: Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Davis, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Henry, Iowa. Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington. View the geographic region here.)

  • have an active artistic practice and be able to demonstrate recent work

  • have the ability to complete work proposed within one year of the grant award (largely in the calendar year 2027)

Applicants may not be:

  • a non-profit or incorporated business (501(c)(3)s, LLCs, S- or C-Corp, or partnership)

  • enrolled in a full-time degree-granting program

  • PS1 staff or board members (these individuals may not benefit financially from Big Field Fund grants and are not eligible to be lead applicants)

  • a BFF Project Grant awardee in the last two years*

    *R/D grantees will be eligible to apply for a Project grant the following year. Project Grant grantees (lead applicant) must wait two years after completing their project to apply again.

R/D proposals must:

  • support progress towards a future publicly-realized project in the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, social practice, performance art, film/video, photography, textiles, ceramics, cross-disciplinary, public art, etc.)

  • incorporate activities that expand your ability to pursue a future project (such as learning a new technical skill, building relationships with potential collaborators/partners, conducting research through reading/ interviews/site visits, creating prototypes, etc.)

Application & Selection Process

BFF applications must be made via BFF’s Submittable website. You’ll need to create a free Submittable account to log in to the application website.

The first round of applications will be reviewed for eligibility by BFF staff. All eligible first round applicants will be invited to submit a second round application which provides more detail on the proposed project.

Preview first round application questions here. [text] [PDF]


The second round of applications will be reviewed by the 2026 BFF jury (TBA), composed of two Iowa artists and/or curators and two national artists and/or curators. In 2026, 4 applications will be selected for a R/D grant.


Second round applications will include:

  • a detailed project description

  • a detailed project budget

  • support documents

FAQs

  • Yes, we welcome applications to support collaborative projects. However, one of the collaborators must serve as the lead artist on the application. In the second round, there will be an opportunity to identify project collaborators and describe the nature of the collaboration.

  • You are not eligible as a lead applicant, but you could be a collaborator with another artist/artist collective in the eligible region.

  • BFF grants are intended to support projects that go beyond individual studio practice and traditional approaches to publicly presenting artwork. While this does not necessarily exclude a solo creative practice or gallery exhibition, a strong project proposal will justify how this approach fulfills the goals of the BFF.

  • Applications must come from an individual (not an incorporated nonprofit or business). Submitting a BFF Project or R/D Grant proposal tied to your individual artistic practice is possible as long as the related project is not part of your business endeavors. If awarded a grant, all grant funds must remain separate from your business. Your proposal will still need to meet the other eligibility criteria, including the public realization of a project that engages with the visual arts and fulfills one or more of the BFF focus areas.

  • Paying artists (including yourself and collaborators) and other workers, supplies, marketing costs, equipment (equipment purchase may only be 25% of your budget), documentation, venue costs, travel.