BONA

Let Funding Fuel your Art

Grantmuse

GrantMuse is a UI/UX platform that simplifies grant discovery and applications for artists through smart matching, clear eligibility guidance, and flexibile freelance income reporting tools.

The project won 1st Place at the 2026 Producthon Competition.

Role

UIUX Designer

Team

Cindy Yoon

UIUX Designer

Debbie Kim

UIUX Designer

Duration

Feb, 6, 2026 -

Feb, 8, 2026

Tufts Producthon 48hr Competition

Tools

Illustrator

Figma

Canva

Onboarding & Setup

The user flow begins with onboarding and a quick needs quiz from basic profile info to specifically artist profile for complete personalization. Based on the results, the app matches users to relevant grants that they are likely looking for.

After signing in, users can also access their profile page to edit income details—especially helpful for artists with unstable or freelance earnings—so GrantMuse can continuously tailor grant recommendations and generate application-ready financial information.

Grant Discovery

Our home screen was designed to reduce any cognitive overload and center the artist. Instead of overwhelming users with long lists like traditional grant sites, we first surface customized Grant Matches with funding amounts, deadlines, and match scores.

Below, we show Popular Grants to help users discover opportunities they might not have considered or searched for themselves, and Artist Spotlight, “Meet the past winner section” to humanize the process, give motivation, and build trust in the platform.

Application Process

Further Users enter a guided application flow with an Eligibility check, auto-filled profile, Artist Statement, and a Budget Builder. Through the Budget Builder, users can add planned expenses by type while tracking the grant limit and their total requested amount in real time. A Document Upload Checklist lets users reuse saved files

Onboarding & Setup

The flow ends with a Review & Submit screen that leads to a dashboard where users can track their application and deadlines.

Further, users can manage their profile anytime from their portfolio to financial information.

Because creative income changes from month to month, you can update this anytime. GrantMuse will instantly adjust your matches and application summaries.

1. Information-heavy and overwhelming

2. Not artist-centered

3. Discovery without guidance

4. Requires payment for full access

5. Complex filtering and search

6. Limited clarity and simplification

7. Institutional tone and design

GrantWatch’s User Interface

Gaps in Traditional Grant Systems

Process

The Financial Reality of Being an Artist

This isn’t just anecdotal. Research shows that huge number of artists have irregular income, which makes traditional financial reporting difficult. Meanwhile, only 25% of artists are aware of available emergency funds, highlighting a major discoverability gap. Ultimately 57% U.S. artists worry about affording basic needs such as food, housing, or medical care). Also, many have very low earnings from art work which should be their ultimate income stream.

70%

Artists with Irregular Income

(Study from the National Endowment for the Arts)

25%

Awareness

(Survey from Americans for the Arts )

57%

Low Income Artists

(2025 National Survey)

User Interview

To ground our design in real artists’ experiences, we conducted a survey with 30 emerging artists aged 18 to 24 in the school of the museum of fine art.

77% reported irregular income, often relying on multiple income sources and informal payments like cash or venmo, meaning most artists do not fit the stable financial model that traditional grant systems assume.

When it comes to grants, barriers were even more striking:
– 70% felt confused or intimidated by the grant language.
– 67% started an application but did not finish it.
- 47% avoided applying because they didn’t know how to report their income.

This structural mismatch produces application fatigue, discouraging artists from fully engaging with applications.

Project Goal

Smart matching connects artists with grants that actually fit

Simplifying grant eligibility, requirements, and submissions into one clear, accessible interface

Converts irregular artist income into application-ready formats

Step-by-step guidance makes applying clear and achievable

Wireframe

Heading (Geist)

Sub-heading (Cabin)

Body (Inter)

Logo

Color Scheme

The dark tone builds credibility, the light neutrals keep the interface clean and easy to read, and the green highlights growth, opportunity, and positive progress: reinforcing GrantMuse as a supportive funding platform for artists.

#222222

#EFEFEF

#7cdb87

#FAFAFA

Fonts

The SpotSpree logo uses a simple, location-inspired mark to represent discovering events around you. Its rounded form and vibrant color convey approachability, energy, and ease of use.

Design Guide

Components

Start Application

Save for later

Continue

Upload Later

Competitor Analysis

Current funding platforms weren’t built for independent artists. They help users search or submit, but don’t guide the full process. By simplifying eligibility, handling irregular income, and providing step-by-step support, GrantMuse makes funding clear, accessible, and attainable.

DISCOVERY

ARTIST FIT

GUIDANCE

ACCESSIBILITY

TOTAL

GRANTMUSE

CANDID

SUBMITTABLE

GRANTWATCH

Reflection

GrantMuse was a project that challenged us to design beyond aesthetics and focus on real structural barriers artists face.

Through research, we realized the biggest issue wasn’t a lack of funding opportunities, but how inaccessible grants are due to confusing eligibility requirements and financial reporting systems that don’t reflect irregular artist income.

Designing GrantMuse pushed us to think about clarity, trust, and accessibility in every UI decision: from smart grant matching to step-by-step guidance. Overall, the project strengthened my ability to translate a complex social problem into a clean, user-centered digital experience.