Public Access Design is a 4–6 month long collaboration between CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a booklet that breaks down a complex policy issue.

Public Access Design is for advocates who have a pressing issue that could benefit from a visual explanation. Topics are concise in scope and scale, and focus on immediate issues that are affecting communities.

CUP defines policy broadly. Topics can address: policies (for example, rent stabilization law), systems (for example, how juvenile justice works), or processes (for example, applying for asylum). The explanation of the policy, system, or process must meet a social justice goal and the needs of a marginalized community (including low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, among others).

While the effects of public policies can be widespread, the discussion and understanding of these policies are usually not. We aim to make information on policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared. We want to create opportunities for designers to engage social issues without sacrificing experimentation, and for advocacy organizations to reach their constituencies better through design.

Past projects have covered things like:

• how to avoid wage theft if you’re a domestic worker
• how to get your stuff back after an arrest
• navigating the bail process

• promotional/lobbying materials for campaigns
• marketing materials for programs
• resource directories
• plans or proposals (for example, a proposed policy change)
• about laws that haven’t been passed yet

CUP is looking for community and advocacy organizations working on complex policy issues that need visual explanation.Organizations should:

• Work with a community that would directly benefit from the publication and have a plan for distributing the completed project to them.
• Have already been working on the topic and have experience informing and engaging audiences on it.
• Have the knowledge and experience to lead a “teach-in” at the beginning of the project, where they teach CUP and the designer everything we need to know about the project topic.
• Be engaging the primary audience of the project. Advocates are responsible for recruiting participants for two community sessions over the course of the project. Participants should be from the project’s primary audience and will be compensated for their time.
• Have a committed project lead that can work on the project and attend all meetings. Meetings happen about every 2–3 weeks over the course of 4–6 months. This person should be a paid member of the organization’s staff and this project should be part of their work.
• Be interested in engaging in a collaborative design process and in explaining an aspect of public policy.
• Organize a launch event to formally announce the completion of the project.
• Be based in New York City
• Be a nonprofit 501c(3)
• Not have collaborated on a Making Policy Public or Public Access Design project in the last three years

Note: Topics can’t change over the course of the collaboration. CUP will select an alternate organization if a selected organization’s topic changes or is no longer relevant.

Advocacy organizations and designers respond to CUP’s open call for Public Access Design.

A jury of designers and public policy experts use specified criteria to select one to two community organizations. They then select 8–10 designers to be Public Access Design fellows. Public Access Design fellows are the only designers considered to collaborate on Public Access Design projects.

Each project team engages in a 4–6 month collaborative process. Projects will begin June 2022 and end December 2022. Please note these start and end dates as you consider the timeline of your project topic and whether it is the right fit for this program.

CUP manages the collaboration, oversees all aspects of production, and provides art direction, research, copywriting, and additional support as needed. Advocates receive 1,000 free copies of the foldout poster to distribute directly to their constituents and networks. Public Access Design Fellows who work on a project receive a $4,000 honorarium.

This cycle’s jury will be announced soon!

Organizers can choose the media format that best meets their needs from four options, each designed to be easily completed within the four- to five-month project time frame.

The formats offered this year are:

• Folds: A pocket-size print graphic that unfolds to 11.5" × 21"
• Pages: A 3½" × 5½" 10-page print publication

The jury will use the following criteria to evaluate project proposals:

• Is the topic clearly articulated and addresses a social justice issue?
• Is the issue well-defined and limited enough in scope to work within the Public Access Design format?
• Would a visual tool help make this topic more accessible to the target audience?
• Is there a clear target audience with a clear need for the tool?
• Does the organization have a meaningful connection to or is a part of this audience?
• Does this project have the potential to cause harm, particularly to people with marginalized identities?
• Is there a clear distribution plan?
• Does the organization have expertise in this topic?
• Does the organization and its work address systemic inequity?

• March 7, 2022 — Call for Public Access Design proposals opens!
• April 4, 2022 — Open Call Closes
• Mid-April 2022 — Jury meets to review applications and select finalists
• Late April 2022 — CUP interviews finalists
• Early May 2022 — CUP notifies selected applicants
• Late May 2022 — Public Access Design projects are announced!

What is a good size scope for a Public Access Design project?
You should be able to explain your proposal in 10 words or fewer. Explanations of large complex systems are better left to Making Policy Public. More concise topics should be addressed through Public Access Design.

For example, a proposal about the rights of rent-regulated tenants would be a better fit for Making Policy Public, whereas a proposal about what should be on your lease if you are a rent-regulated tenant would be a good fit for a Public Access Design. See examples of current and past Public Access Design projects here.

Can we apply to Public Access Design to create campaign materials or promotional materials for our organization?
No. This program is for making educational materials that community organizations and advocacy groups can then use in their work. For example, Damayan Migrant Workers Association has an ongoing anti-trafficking campaign. We collaborated with Damayan and designer Raj Kottamasu to create a short educational video that explains some of the causes of labor trafficking of Filipino domestic workers.

Can our project visualize proposed legislation?
No, proposals to visualize proposed or pending legislation will not be selected for Public Access Design. Proposals related to legislation that hasn’t passed should focus on creating a visual explanation of the current system or policy that the legislation would modify. 

Can we submit more than one application?
Yes, community or advocacy organizations may submit more than one project proposal.

Can I apply if we are a volunteer-run organization?
Unfortunately, no. Working on a Public Access Design project is an intensive process and requires a lot of time from each collaborator. We believe in compensating people for their time and so we expect that advocates are doing this project as part of their job. This person should be a paid member of the organization’s staff and this project should be part of their work. We also know that some volunteer-run organizations may have shifts in their capacity. We require that community and advocacy organizations have a committed project lead that can work on the project all the way through and attend all meetings. 

If our application is not chosen, can we apply again?
Yes. Public Access Design juries will meet approximately every four months to select a new project proposal from advocate applicants. If your project proposal is not selected in the upcoming jury session, it will automatically be considered once more in the next round unless you opt out of this during the application process.

After that, organizations are welcome to apply again. Please review the selection criteria upon reapplying to better understand what makes for a strong application. 

Should I apply to Making Policy Public or to Public Access Design?
Public Access Design projects are completed within a shorter time frame than Making Policy Public. To accomplish this, they are narrower in scope (see above).

In addition, Public Access Design projects are limited to New York City-based organizations and constituencies. Making Policy Public is open to local as well as national and out-of-state issues (although we look for partners that can attend meetings locally).

Making Policy Public uses a single format – an 8” x 11” pamphlet that unfolds three times to a 32” x 22” poster. Public Access Design projects can take the form of a booklet, a motion graphic, an interactive graphic, or a fold-out. You may choose which program to apply to based on the format most appropriate to your program.

CUP accepts applications from community organizations and advocacy groups for the Making Policy Public program once a year. Public Access Design applications are accepted about every four months.

If neither of these programs seems like the right fit but you still would like to work with CUP, you can hire us through our Technical Assistance program. 

Find out more about Making Policy Public

Find out more about Technical Assistance

We are currently working with CUP through one of CUP’s other Community Education programs. May we apply to Public Access Design?
No, organizations that are currently collaborating with CUP are not eligible to apply for this program.