We’re looking for groups who work directly with the constituency impacted by the issue and who can directly distribute the completed poster to that audience. Applicants should be interested in engaging in a collaborative design process and, most of all, interested in explaining an aspect of public policy!

We define public policy broadly. Topics can address policies (like the law that guarantees tenants a lawyer in housing court), systems (understanding electronic surveillance and how it’s used against communities of color), or processes (applying for a job as a formerly incarcerated person). Your organization will receive 1,000 free copies of the tool you help create.

Our projects have contributed to real wins for communities, including helping lower fines for street vendors, supporting tenants to successfully end landlord harassment in multiple buildings, and getting new laws passed to support nail salon workers. Making Policy Public has reached more than 150,000 individuals, from immigrants seeking healthcare, to those seeking asylum, and from young people who’ve been arrested to individuals being electronically incarcerated. We’ve created content in English, Spanish, Chinese, Bangla, Korean, Tagalog, and more. We’ve worked with organizations large and small, in every borough of New York City, and beyond.

We welcome applications that address urgent topics–from police brutality, to housing justice, to issues related to COVID–especially ones that will continue to be helpful as we come out of the most dire moments of this crisis. The timeline for Making Policy Public is 8-10 months, starting in early 2021, so completed projects will be ready for distribution by late 2021. Do you have questions about whether your proposal is the right fit? We’ll be holding a webinar on August 4th at 1pm EST to walk you through the application process. Sign up here!

This year, in acknowledgement of the challenges of the pandemic and the important work in the movement for racial justice, we’re simplifying the application process to make it easier for organizations to complete. We recognize that some organizations may not have the capacity to submit an application right now, so we are offering a limited number of groups the opportunity to apply via a telephone call with our staff. We’ll talk through your proposed project topic and record your responses in a format that our jury can easily review with other applications. We expect these spots to fill up quickly, so please email us soon at clair@welcometocup.org to schedule your call!

Applications to Making Policy Public are due by September 14th at 12pm EST. Click here or download the PDF below to learn more!