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Congratulations to the Cycle 7 Futures Fund Grantees!

PUNKS NOT DEAD! (but my uncle is) ($6,000): Brendan Logan transforms a vintage van into a mobile memorial exploring grief, legacy, and punk history through his uncle, D.H. Peligro—a St. Louis native and drummer for the Dead Kennedys.

  

Mangrove ($8,000): Sebastián Llovera and Eva Agüero Benzecri’s project is a new art platform supporting immigrant and first-generation artists through exhibitions and public programs that explore themes of migration, identity, and belonging while fostering inclusive, dialogue-driven community experiences.

Continuing the Chain of Love ($8,000): Jorden Latson and Camryn Daniels bring the Black community a fiber arts–based project rooted in intentional community building, offering accessible workshops that use creativity as a tool for liberation.

Five Dolla Cam Public Programming ($4,500): Malik Fabian-Mahmud and Ryan Gipson II’s community arts initiative offers free, inclusive programs like chess club, figure drawing, and zine-making workshops that engage marginalized communities.

Forging Black Joy ($8,000): Amina Taylor and Naysa Adams’ project is a festival and arts exhibition in North County St. Louis that uplifts local Black artists and affirms the area as a vital space for artistic growth.

Riverlands video project ($8,000): Coco Liao, Moira Smith, Vincent Stemmler, and Elior Berkowitz are artists, activists, researchers, and storytellers documenting the Mississippi-Missouri confluence through interviews, video, and water sampling, culminating in an experimental film.

Queer Fight Club ($5,000): Mad Green organizes an ongoing social practice that offers Queer people a joyful, communal space to share knowledge, release rage and grief, and build safety and solidarity through weekly self-defense classes.

DEAR MAMA Curated Art Experience ($4,500): Niger Dermonee Moore’s project is an annual art gallery that honors mothers and Womxn through art and community healing, with each year focusing on a different aspect of shared experience.

Ply ($8,000): Artists Taylor Yocom, Erin Luna, and Grant Benoit will create an artist book highlighting and archiving work by St. Louis-based fiber artists.

 
 
 

FUTURES FUND INFORMATION

The Futures Fund is an annual grant program administered by The Luminary to support innovative, experimental, and forward-thinking artistic projects in the St. Louis region. Launched in 2019, the Futures Fund is part of the Regional Regranting Program of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, a national initiative designed to advance independent, artist-led practices through localized, community-based support.

The Regional Regranting Program currently includes 36 partner organizations in cities across the United States and Puerto Rico—from San Juan to Seattle, Mobile to Minneapolis—each responding to the specific needs and creative ecosystems of their local context. Over the past decade, this network has collectively awarded more than $4.7 million in funding and supported over 1,000 independent art projects, making it one of the most impactful grassroots arts funding efforts in the country.

As the St. Louis partner in this expansive network, the Futures Fund plays a critical role in resourcing local artists and small collectives at a time when direct project funding remains scarce. The fund provides grants ranging from $2,500 to $8,000 to projects that are bold in concept, deeply engaged with their communities, and responsive to the complex realities of contemporary life. Key considerations for selection include a project’s potential impact, its originality within both regional and national contexts, and its commitment to equity, sustainability, and accessibility.

In a cultural landscape marked by the closure of artist-run spaces and shrinking institutional support, the Futures Fund encourages new ways of thinking, making, and organizing. It exists to sustain the region’s creative vitality, support artists as cultural leaders, and imagine more just and expansive futures—both for St. Louis and beyond.

 
 

  • -Projects that are initiated by individual artists and collectives within the St. Louis region

    -Projects that take place within 40 miles of Downtown St. Louis

    -Projects that have a strong visual arts component and visual impact

    -Projects organized and implemented by (but not limited to) visual artists, curators, writers, cultural organizers, collectives, collaboratives, or artist-run collectives

    -Projects that are open and accessible to the public

    -Projects that are innovative to the St. Louis area

  • -Demonstrate a commitment to community-building, education and/or experimentation

    -Respond to contemporary issues of the moment with distinct new models or approaches to arts organizing

    -Have a longstanding impact and visibility for visual arts in the region

    -Prioritize expanding the conversation of arts and criticism within St. Louis, in context with the greater Contemporary Art World.

  • -New artist-driven organizations, institutions, collaborations and spaces for presenting and experiencing art and performance.

    -Visual arts projects that prioritize engagement or collaboration with other cultural practitioners, community members, and organizations.

    -Research projects that center a visual arts inquiry and have a public-facing component, such as a lecture or pedagogical program, attached.

    -Socially-responsive projects such as alternative education projects, microcinemas, mutual aid initiatives and more, wherein visual art is the focal point or vehicle for engagement.

    -Publications and online networks for distribution of artworks, arts writing, and information

    -Public art projects such as murals, outdoor sculptures, or installations with a temporary or permanent physical presence

  • -Projects organized by existing incorporated businesses (includes LLCs, B Corps, state non-profits, 501(c)(3) organizations, and 501(c)(4) organizations), universities or schools (private, public, charter), religious institutions*

    -Projects seeking to get support retroactively or seeking reimbursement

    -Projects that are in support of one individual artist and their solo practice in their studio

    -Projects without a public-facing component

    *Please note: Artist-led projects can be located at otherwise excluded incorporated businesses (see above), but the project must be distinct and separate from that organization’s regular programming. If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the Futures Fund team in advance of applying.

  • February 26: Application Opens

    Mid March: Info Session on-site at The Luminary

    April 9th: Info Session 2 at Tech Artista U-City

    May 5th: Application Closes

    End of May 2025: All applicants notified, 75% of funds disbursed to grantees

    Mid June: Public announcement and celebration party

    March 2026: Project review and reflection

    Funded projects must commence between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026

 
 
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Important
links

 
 
 
 
 
Frequently
asked questions
 
 

The application process is designed to provide the Futures Fund with the most complete picture possible of the goal, scope, and viability of each project. We encourage open and honest communication between applicants and the Fund.

 
 
 

  • The Luminary invites arts organizers, curators or artists (two local, one out of town), to serve on a review committee. This year’s panelists will be announced February 26th. Reflecting a range of valuable perspectives, these panelists will review all of the submitted materials and then convene to discuss the applications. The panelists will then develop a shortlist of projects of possible grantees and then The Luminary will extend final invitations to grantees.

  • We will award a total of up to $60,000 in grants between $2,500 and $8000 each. We expect to award approximately 10-12 grants with an average award of $5000. We strongly recommend asking for the realistic amount needed to fund the project and pay collaborators.

  • We prefer applications that have a strong concept, timeline, and list the people or organizations you might be working with. We are looking for projects that are clear and accomplishable on the timeline presented. All projects must be completed by the end of a calendar year (June 2025). We can accept projects that have already begun or are currently in process. We cannot accept already finished projects that are seeking reimbursement.

  • You can submit multiple applications only if they involve different collaborators or organizations.

  • Applications for the 2025-2026 funding cycle are due on May 5th, 2025, before 11:59 pm. We encourage you to submit your application early, as we will only be available to answer questions until 5 pm the day the application is due.

  • No, there is not an application fee to apply.

  • A check or direct deposit will be made out to the lead applicant, any number of collaborators, or a fiscal sponsor. Anyone who receives funds will be personally responsible for applicable taxes associated with the award. They will be required to fill out a contract and a Form W-9 and will be issued a 1099 to be filed with their annual tax return.

  • Yes, though this season’s regrants will focus on project-based funding, a percentage of the fees may go to support the everyday expenses of the organizers, including rent, fees, and administration in acknowledgement of the ongoing struggles that arts workers face.

  • No, but the artist/lead organizer must have a social security number in order to receive payment of the award. Additional collaborators and/or participants do not need to be U.S. citizens or have social security numbers. Please note the lead applicant must be a full-time St. Louis resident with an address located within 40 miles of the St. Louis city center.

  • Futures Fund is expressly interested in visual art including: public art projects/site specific installations, the publication of writing directly related to the visual arts including printed matter and online publications, artist residencies, film screenings, curatorial projects and exhibitions that highlight unconventional artistic practice, workshops, multimedia, video and photo projects.

  • Yes, so long as the equipment is necessary for the development of your project.

  • Yes, web-based projects are eligible (blogs, podcasts etc..), as long as the content is related to visual art.

  • Recipients will have 1 calendar year from the date of award notification to complete their projects or host the proposed public event.

  • Applicants can be the lead organizer on more than one proposal at any given time, though in this case, only one of their projects will be funded. Alternatively, applicants can be listed as additional collaborators on multiple proposals without affecting their eligibility on projects where they are designated as the lead artist.

  • Recipients will be required to make regular public progress updates to be posted by The Luminary at our discretion on our website, partner websites, social media and more. The frequency of updates will be determined in collaboration with the recipient and the Futures Fund team on a project-by-project basis. A final report detailing the outcomes of the project are due at the end of the granting cycle, and 25% of the award amount will be retained until a final report is submitted.

 
 
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