Deadline: 20-Oct-2025
The Design Trust offers Seed, Feature and Impact Grants to individual designers, curators, collectives and non-profit organisations for projects and activities that are relevant to various design disciplines.
The Design Trust Feature Grant supports cross-disciplinary projects with a wide-reaching audience, often sited in internationally recognized exhibition or biennale venues. This grant fosters international exchanges between Hong Kong or China-based collectives and globally renowned cultural institutions, encouraging the submission of ongoing research proposals that advance design competency and public benefit.
Seed Grants are awarded HKD 50,000, while Feature Grants are capped at HKD 300,000, with full or partial funding considered on a case-by-case basis. The grants are open to projects across a variety of design disciplines, including graphics, media, wearables, architecture, and the built environment, and aim to accelerate the development of meaningful and socially impactful work.
Eligible projects include exhibitions, research projects, and creative installations that demonstrate originality, criticality, and urgency while benefiting the public realm. Applications are accepted from individuals, collectives, and certified non-profit organizations based in the Greater Bay Area or focusing on the region. Those who have previously received multiple Seed or Feature Grants may be eligible to apply for the Design Trust Impact Grant for new research applications.
The Design Trust Seed Grant encourages experimentation, testing, and sharing, providing support to individuals looking to start intellectual projects with social, educational, economic, or environmental impact. It is suitable for emerging designers, young scholars, or applicants with projects in the pipeline needing additional resources. Applicants from both the region and internationally are encouraged to apply, particularly for projects focusing on Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area that can be showcased at international venues, symposiums, or biennales.
Applicants must create an online grant account and submit a completed application form along with a project budget, timeline, presentation materials, portfolio or previous work samples, recommendation letters, CVs, and organizational documents if applicable. Shortlisted applicants may be invited for an interview.
Successful applicants will receive an email notification within 8 to 10 weeks, and must sign an agreement with Design Trust. Grants are disbursed in installments, with the first payment released 30 days after signing the agreement and remaining installments provided following successful reviews or completion reports.
Longer-term projects or grants exceeding HKD 100,000 require mid-term review, and all projects must submit a completion report or evidence of successful execution within two months of project completion. Applications are reviewed twice yearly, with submission deadlines on October 20th.
For more information, visit Design Trust.
