Grant Guidelines & Eligibility
Supporting arts-driven street redesigns with outsized impacts
The current round of the Asphalt Art Initiative grant application is closed. Cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States with populations of 50,000 or more were welcomed to apply by January 31, 2025. The program will award 10 cities grants of up to $100,000 each, as well as on-call technical assistance from the tactical urbanism firm Street Plans and impact evaluation support from Sam Schwartz Consulting. Winning cities are expected to be announced in spring 2025 for projects installing in 2025-26.
Previous Asphalt Art Initiative grant rounds awarded $25,000 per project. Building on the success of the 90 funded projects to date, this year’s grants will award up to $100,000 for large-scale projects that will make signature streets safer and more accessible, create dynamic new public spaces, or enact other similarly transformative roadway redesigns.
A recording of a virtual information session and Q&A with the program managers is available here.
The Asphalt Art Initiative grant program is designed to fund visual art on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and public infrastructure in cities with the following primary goals:
- Improving street and pedestrian safety
- Revitalizing and activating underutilized public space
- Promoting collaboration and civic engagement in local communities
Please refer to the example projects listed below as well as the to gather inspiration from successful asphalt art projects in cities around the world.
In addition, the Bloomberg Associates Asphalt Art Guide includes detailed guidance and best practices for implementing similar projects, with cost- and time-saving advice on every step of the project, from site selection to implementation and maintenance.
Prospective applicants may access the application form through Submittable, and translated PDF versions of the application form and guidelines are available in Español or Français.
Eligible Applicants
This grant program is open to cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States with populations of 50,000 or more. Each city may only submit one application; multiple applications from one city will not be considered. Please contact arts@bloomberg.org with questions about eligibility and visit Submittable for technical support.
The Project Team must include a Lead City Agency which is the primary government agency with oversight of the project. This agency should be the one with jurisdiction over city streets. If that agency is not the project lead, they must still be a part of the project team. Applicant teams are encouraged to include collaborative partners, such as other city agencies, nonprofit community or arts organizations, and/or individual artists or consultants.
If selected, the Lead City Agency is encouraged to select a Fiscal Sponsor to receive the funds directly. The Fiscal Sponsor should be a charitable organization that is a 501(c)3 Public Charity (or an equivalent entity in Canada or Mexico).
In addition, each application must identify which entity or individual is responsible for project management (day-to-day coordination and implementation) and which is responsible for artistic direction (selection of artist/design, etc.). We understand that each Project Team is unique, so please do your best to represent the makeup of your team.
Eligible Projects
Reflecting the larger grant size in this latest round, proposed projects should be ambitious arts-driven street designs with the goal of catalytic improvements to a key location in the city. Improving road safety, especially for pedestrians and cyclists, must be a component of all proposals. Applicants may demonstrate the intended impact through a variety of approaches:
- Critical Intersections: Enhancing safety, mobility, and access in crossings with concentrated pedestrian, bicycle, and/or vehicular traffic
- Major Corridors: Transforming one or more important streets to enhance the walking or cycling network, including significant reallocation of space for non-motorized transportation
- Signature Destinations: Improving access to culturally, historically, or otherwise significant locations at the neighborhood or civic scale
- Large New Public Spaces: Creating or activating plazas or other pedestrian space with amenities such as seating, greenery or space for cultural programming
- Catalysts for Future Projects: Launching or expanding ongoing programs or policies (g., Vision Zero safety program, plaza program, etc.) in the city or the region
Examples:
- Culver City, CA – 36 painted curb extensions, new crosswalks, protected bike lanes, bus lanes and new pedestrians spaces along a 1.3 mile corridor
- Mexico City, Mexico – Large new painted pedestrian plazas around the grand Zocalo central square with seating, shade and safer connections to surrounding streets
- New York, NY – Large new painted pedestrian plazas, public space activations, and traffic safety improvements in world-famous Times Square
- Reno, NV – Painting and activation of a block-long concrete cap over a railway bed to create a downtown hub for public events
- Toronto, Canada – Painting, activation, and creation of new public spaces along the Bentway under a downtown elevated freeway
- Mazatlán, Mexico – New crosswalks, curb extensions, and a neighborhood plaza for community events and local businesses
Site
Each application must have a site identified for the proposed asphalt art project (or sites, if multiple are feasible within the budget). Eligible sites should be on or adjacent to active roadways, have the potential for active pedestrian usage, and may include crosswalks, intersections, vehicle/parking lanes, pedestrian plazas, sidewalks, or highway underpasses. Sites may be located in and managed by one or multiple jurisdictions (city, state or county, public utility, regional transit authority, etc.) but must be largely or completely on public property and be fully open to the public. See page 71 in the Asphalt Art Guide for considerations when selecting a site.
Applicants should define a significant challenge with the site that can be addressed by an asphalt art intervention (e.g., a major destination that is difficult to access, lack of useful public space, or a street with a high volume of pedestrians, cyclists, or drivers). Applicants are encouraged to include all available data about traffic and pedestrian volumes, crash and injury histories, speeds or other relevant metrics.
Duration
If selected, projects must be designed to last a minimum of two years after being installed, with plans for maintenance of the artwork itself as well as any additional materials (planters, protective bollards, seating, etc.) After at least two years required by the grant, all proposals must include a description of plans to further maintain, remove or replace the project (e.g. as part of a planned or proposed capital project.)
Goals & Metrics
A critical component of the Asphalt Art Initiative is to identify priority goals for each project and to make a plan for collecting metrics to determine how successful the project is at meeting those goals. Goals and metrics may differ from project to project, but proposals with clear safety-related goals will be prioritized. See our List of Common Metrics for reference.
Budget
Each application must include a proposed budget outlining the size of the grant requested (up to $100,000) and how the grant will be spent. Typical costs covered by the grant include artist fees, paint and other supplies, community engagement expenses, maintenance of artwork and other components, and programming and activation (where applicable).
Competitive proposals will include in-kind support from the municipality, particularly from the engineering or transportation department, such as permitting, resurfacing, engineering drawings, installation of signs and markings, bollards or other traffic barriers, traffic control during installation, and/or maintenance. Proposals may also make use of additional funding or in-kind support from outside sources, if applicable.
Content
Funded projects cannot include obscenity, hate speech, political messages, religious content, commercial advertisements, or depict illegal activity or imagery that is prohibited by regulatory entities.
Selection Criteria
Competitive proposals must clearly demonstrate:
Impact
- The chosen site is significant to the city (e.g., central location, concentrated pedestrian and vehicular traffic, cultural or regional significant).
- The proposed project addresses a relevant and meaningful challenge faced by the identified site, the surrounding neighborhood, or the city (e.g., traffic safety, underutilized or insufficient public space, etc.), with a particular emphasis on road safety for pedestrians and/or cyclists.
- The proposed project clearly benefits the local community and engages residents/stakeholders in its planning, development, execution, and post-installation activation.
- The proposed intervention would produce sufficient, appropriate metrics to determine success.
Viability
- The characteristics of the proposed site (e.g. physical layout, traffic or pedestrian volume, neighborhood context) are such that the proposed intervention has a high likelihood of success.
- The project team and partners have the necessary authority and expertise to oversee a project of this nature.
- The project has demonstrated support from city and community stakeholders, through existing partnerships or a thoughtful outreach/engagement plan.
- The proposed budget and timeline are realistic and demonstrate notable in-kind city support.
Quality & Visual Interest
- The process for artist selection and design development is well-defined and appropriate for the proposed project, and will be overseen by someone with appropriate expertise.
- If the artist has already been selected, the chosen artist has demonstrated creative skill and the potential to develop a visually compelling design.
- The surface being painted is in good repair or there is a reasonable plan to repave or otherwise treat it to be receptive to the chosen materials.
- The proposed maintenance plan is realistic and lays out clear responsibilities for keeping the mural maintained for at least two years.
Contact
Please direct any questions to arts@bloomberg.org and visit Submittable for technical support.
Dates & Deadlines
September 2024
Grant round announced
January 31, 2025
Application deadline
Spring 2025
Winners announced