Design Trust 2022 July Cycle Grant Recipients | October Cycle Call for Grants

Design Trust 2022 October Grant Application is now open. Since its establishment in 2014, Design Trust has been offering grant support to individual designers, curators, collectives as well as non-profit organisations. Share with us your ideas and proposals by 20th October 2022. We are also pleased to announce the Grant Recipients from the 2022 July grant cycle. The upcoming projects include research topics on community design, history of Hong Kong architecture and local culture. 

Design Trust offers grants to individual designers, curators, collectives and non-profit organisations for projects and activities that are relevant to various design disciplines. These grants support projects relevant to the context and content of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Cities within the Greater Bay Area include: the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao, and the nine municipalities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province. We support innovative, thought-provoking investigations in various design disciplines from graphics, media, wearables, architecture to the built environment; and actively aim to accelerate creative design and research development of meaningful projects. These projects include but are not limited to: talks, exhibitions, residencies, research projects and creative installations.

DESIGN TRUST SEED GRANT fosters a culture of experimentation, testing and sharing. It is awarded to individuals seeking to kick-start a meaningful and intellectual project with social, educational, economical or environmental impact for communities. Seed Grants may support applicants who have a project in the pipeline that needs additional resources, as well as emerging designers, and young scholars. Design Trust highly encourages applicants from Hong Kong and the region to apply for this grant to support projects showcasing work at international venues, symposium or international biennales to showcase prototypes, or works relevant to architecture.

DESIGN TRUST FEATURE GRANT fosters cross-disciplinary projects focusing on the Greater Bay Area region. Projects awarded have a wide-reaching audience and may be sited in an exhibition or biennale venue with international recognition and standing. This grant supports international exchanges between a Hong Kong/ China based collective with an international renowned cultural institution. It aims to excel, share and build new knowledge and unique positions on the value of design, critical research and provocative outcome

Grant Recipients from the 2022 July grant cycle:

‘’Been Living Here…(An Archive on Local Settlements)’’ by The Caomen, is the second phase of “Been Living Here…”, an archive on ordinary lives in rural villages of Hong Kong from the perception of the inhabitants. After the farming village, Ma Shi Po, documentation (1st phase), the team moved on to a traditional village Lam Tseun (San Tong) to further explore the local community with modern lifestyle adaptation.

‘’Untold Stories: Hong Kong Architecture’’ by Raymond Wing Kee Fung, promotes the achievements of Hong Kong architects and designers who have contributed much to the magnificent design of Hong Kong architecture and cityscape. This project proposal focuses on publishing a book that expounds the stories of local designs and works of architecture named "Untold Stories: Hong Kong Architecture" in English.

‘’Hong Kong Ghost Signs: Summoning Characters From Our City's Past’’ by Ben Marans and William Henry Potts, explore ghost signs, which are remnants of Hong Kong’s classic, hand-painted advertisements that tell the story of communities in transition and how our built environment was used. This project will inspire the public to identify, document, and celebrate these cultural relics, enabling and empowering them to discover characters from Hong Kong’s past.