Making Policy Public
CUP's annual open call for free collaborations that support organizing, advocacy, and social justice
What is Making Policy Public?
Making Policy Public is CUP's open call program that invites organizers, advocates, and direct service providers to apply to create a free project that break downs a complex social justice issue, policy, or service into an easy to understand, visual explanation.
Organizers and Advocates
If you're a community organizer, advocate, or direct service provider working in community to change policy, create new policies, help people assert their rights, or access services — apply to work with us! CUP facilitates a unique, collaborative process that creates resources to explain complex policies, services, or social systems affecting social justice.
Graphic Designers and Illustrators
If you're a graphic designer or illustrator who cares about using their visual skills to support communities with the critical information they need to create a more just and equitable city—apply to work with CUP! CUP hires graphic designers and illustrators (as individuals or teams) to collaborate on community education projects. You'll be compensated for your work and supported by the team at CUP along the way.
How does it work?
Community organizations and designers respond to CUP's open call for Making Policy Public. A jury of visual designers and advocates use program criteria to select four community organizations’ and four visual designers/teams. Each project team collaborates over 5–12 months, depending on scope or format of the project.
Advocates receive 1,000 free copies of the final project to distribute directly to their communities and networks. Designers receive a $4,000-$7,000 honorarium, depending on the scope of the project.
Who makes up each project team?
CUP brings experience in collaboration and project management, understanding complex policies, print production, art direction, writing, and research. Community organizations bring their deep knowledge of the issues impacting communities and trusted relationships they’ve built through their work. Graphic designers and illustrators bring their visual skills, creativity, and commitment to creating work in support of social justice.
Together, we create projects that break down barriers to meaningful advocacy, organizing, and participation.
Why Apply?
Making Policy Public supports the critical work of community organizers and advocates to better reach their communities through visual design and accessible information, creates opportunities for designers to support the work of social justice without sacrificing experimentation, and makes information on policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared.
Organizers and Advocates
Organizers and advocates get a custom project that is responsive to the needs of their community and increases access to the information that supports people to influence legislation, assert their rights, access services, and create a more just and equitable city.
Graphic Designers and Illustrators
Graphic designers and illustrators are paid to use their skills and creativity to support social justice, while learning how to meaningfully collaborate with organizers and communities.
"It’s really hard to get good materials and so important to be able to hand out and show people [information] that encourages them to read and use [it]. This kind of project is unbelievably useful."
Rachel Burd, Public Utility Law Project
What We're Working On in 2024–2025
Supporting people who identify as TGNCINB to understand their gender affirming rights in New York's shelter system, with Bronx Defenders LGBTQ Defense Project, Harvard Law School's LGBTQ Advocacy Clinic, and designer Marisa Hetzler.
Supporting the employers of domestic workers to create and uphold equitable hiring practices, with Hand in Hand and designer Sean Suchara.
Supporting neighborhoods interested in community land trusts understand what that looks like in New York City, and how they can support affordable housing, green space, and development, with the New York City Community Land Initiative and designer Ishita Jain.
Supporting tenants' understanding of the Good Cause Eviction Law—whether their apartment is protected under the new law, what types of tenant behavior justify eviction, and rules around rent increases and lease renewals, with Housing Court Answers, the Center for Justice Innovation, TakeRoot Justice, illustrator Ryan Davis, and designer Sarah Wang.
Supporting young immigrants ages 18-21 understand their education rights in New York City, with The Door, and designers Shireen Mathews and Tara Tabassi
Supporting tenants' understanding of Local Law 1, which requires landlords to protect tenants from lead exposure, especially in homes with young children, with WE ACT for Environmental Justice, illustrator Dennis Madamba, and designer Jaclyn Reyes.
