Our most recent Open Development Meeting brought together a dynamic mix of creatives, policy advocates, and small business owners. As always, the space functioned as a working session—grounded in collaboration, transparency, and shared growth. Together, we reviewed 12 different grant opportunities, exchanged insights, and explored a range of topics connected to fundraising, sustainability, and resource distribution.
Hosted on Zoom by Claudia Alick, this Open Development Space continues to serve as a co-working hub where we actively build our resources and expand our audiences. It’s a place to work in real time: filling out grants, sharing opportunities, offering feedback on strategies, and exploring mutual aid frameworks.
One of the most meaningful conversations in our last meeting centered on the ethics of receiving funding, particularly from organizations that are not fully aligned with our values. We asked: how do we navigate resource acquisition within imperfect systems? What does it mean to accept funding and redirect it toward justice? The discussion didn’t aim to resolve the tension, but to deepen our collective capacity to move with intention and integrity. We left feeling affirmed and energized around the idea of reparations and seeding healthy economic ecosystems.
As part of our ongoing opportunity sharing, we’re highlighting a grant from our Liberarte consortium partners: the Liberation Through the Arts Grant. This opportunity offers awards averaging $500 for projects across artistic disciplines, including film, theatre, visual art, and literature. In their last Winter Cycle, they funded the writing of a climate justice play and a solar-powered van for artist residencies. Their criteria for selection are artists who align with their mission, vision, and values. To learn more, you can check their grants page here. The deadline for this Spring Cycle is April 30, and it is quite a straightforward application.
We currently meet on Wednesdays, and the invitation remains open. If you are building, fundraising, redistributing, or reimagining how resources flow, this is a space for you.
Sign up for 2026 meetings and join us. Let’s keep growing—together.