Time Capsule: US Dispatches supports documentation of this pivotal period of social and political transformation in the United States. 

Proposals for the current cycle of grants are due by July 15, 5pm ET

There will be a second cycle of grant-making announced in September of 2026 with a tentative proposal deadline of October 15, 5pm ET.

If you have questions about this request for proposals or would like to review proposal ideas, please reach out to Melissa Harris, the program’s Creative Director: melharris421@gmail.com. Please note that all final decisions regarding grants will be made by Magnum Foundation’s editorial team and the Creative Director is not responsible for final grant-making decisions.

Grant Details

• Total grant: $7,000 per grantee               
  • $5,000 paid up front upon acceptance and $2,000 paid upon submission and acceptance of final deliverables (submitted to Magnum Foundation)
  • There will be two grant-making cycles for this program. Cycle 1 proposals are due July 15, 2026. Cycle 2 proposals are tentatively due October 15, 2026.
• The majority of projects supported through this grant need to be based in the US (though the photographers don't have to be US-based), but we will support up to 5 additional projects about US impact elsewhere in the world.

Timeline 

• Cycle 1 Proposal deadline: July 15, 2026
• Cycle 1 Applicants notified: Week of July 27, 2026
• Cycle 2 Proposal deadline (tentative): Oct 15, 2026
• Cycle 2 Applicants notified(tentative): Week of November 2, 2026
• Cycle 1 Deliverables due: February 1, 2027
• Cycle 2 Deliverables due (tentative): May 1, 2027 

Project Focus & Scope

• Projects should document the recent and ongoing social, political, civic, cultural, or environmental transformations in the United States (or their impacts abroad)
• US-based projects should address the resilience, creativity and solidarity that have emerged in response to crisis. 
• In addition to projects realized in the US, there are up to five grants available to support projects that explore the reach and impact of American policy and power beyond US borders. 
• Projects should be conceived as independent bodies of work responding directly to the present moment, rather than serving primarily as extensions of existing projects. While proposals may build on ongoing areas of inquiry or relationships, applicants must demonstrate a distinct engagement with contemporary social, political, and civic change.
• This program welcomes proposals for collaborative group projects. To apply as a partnership or group, one member should submit an application on behalf of the group. If the group project is selected, each participant will receive an individual grant of $7,000 to support their contribution to the group project.
• Photography must remain the primary medium; projects may also incorporate video, archival material, text, or audio.
• Grantees are encouraged to publish or exhibit work independently. Any published or exhibited work should credit Magnum Foundation.
• There may be opportunities to participate in collective publications or exhibitions.

Deliverables (submitted to Magnum Foundation on deadline)

• Sequence of 20–40 final high-resolution images
• Project Title
• Project statement (500–800 words)
• Image captions

Application Requirements

• Proposal narrative (max 500 words): Describe the project scope and topic and explain why it aligns with this initiative.
• Project timeline: List of specific production dates and project benchmarks, including start date and expected completion date.

Program Oversight

• Projects will be selected by Magnum Foundation’s editorial team.
• The criteria for selection will be based on the program’s focus mentioned above, which aligns with Magnum Foundation’s responsibilities to the program’s funders. 
• The second portion of the grant payments will be distributed upon satisfactory completion of the proposed scope of work. 
• If the grantee determines that a project needs to change in either topic or scope at any point during the grant period, a new project proposal must be submitted to the Magnum Foundation’s editorial team for evaluation and approval. If the new proposal is not approved, the grant agreement will be discontinued. 
• Deadline extension requests will be reviewed by the editorial team. If the extension request is not approved, the grant agreement will be discontinued. 
• If the grant agreement is discontinued for any reason during a project’s production period, Magnum Foundation could request that the grantee return any unspent funds from the initial grant payment and would not be required to pay the $2,000 second payment.

Rights & Use

Grantees retain copyright. Magnum Foundation receives a non-exclusive, perpetual license to preserve and display images for educational, research, and exhibition purposes, with credit to the photographer.