Counter Histories is an initiative supporting projects that creatively reframe the past to engage with urgent questions of the present and future. Magnum Foundation is calling for proposals from photographers and artists who engage with photography in the context of Puerto Rico and its diaspora, who would like to expand and complete a project that responds to this theme and who are excited to contribute to a creative community of fellows. Applications are due April 1, 2026.

About the Program

At a time when public memory in Puerto Rico is under threat due to systemic disinvestment and cultural erasure, this initiative seeks to strengthen the role photography can play in building a collective visual archive that is useful for the present and future of the archipelago. The contested nature of history in the context of Puerto Rico is a fertile ground for artists to engage with ways of reimagining documentary and memory work. At this crucial crossroads, there is an opportunity to support work that upends historical representation by outsiders and centers the perspectives of those on and with ties to the archipelago.

Building on our longstanding Counter Histories initiative, Magnum Foundation is partnering with the Instituto de Observación Colectiva and past Counter Histories Fellow Christopher Gregory-Rivera to launch a new edition of the program focused on Puerto Rico and its diaspora. Counter Histories: Puerto Rico is made possible with the generous support of the Mellon Foundation and hosted at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. Read more about this collaboration in our announcement here.

Program Details

$10,000 project development grant for up to eight participants. Funds may be used in whatever way fellows see fit in order to expand and complete projects.

Eight-month virtual fellowship from June 2026 to February 2027.

Fellows will attend 25–30 hours of virtual fellowship programming between June 2026 and February 2027. There will be no more than four hours of required online participation in a given month.

One in-person symposium (likely February 2027) with a culminating public presentation.

Magnum Foundation will cover all travel expenses related to the in-person symposium and ensure participants have a reliable internet connection for the virtual meetings.

The content of the virtual fellowship programming will be designed in response to the interests and needs of participants. This may include guest presentations, working groups, community-building sessions, curatorial advising, professional development, and project feedback from mentors and peers.

In addition to the project development grants, each grantee will receive discretionary funds to support individual sessions with experts and creative collaborations among fellows.

All fellowship gatherings will include translation and will be accessible to both English and Spanish speakers. Applications are encouraged from individuals who have completed at least one long-term project, including recent graduates and self-taught photographers.
The program is open to photographers of all ages.

Duration

The fellowship runs for 12 weeks, from late March to early June.
Exact start and end dates will be agreed upon with the selected fellow.

Fellows are expected to produce and complete a documentary photography project in New York City during the fellowship period.
Fellows are required to work Wednesdays and Thursdays (16 hours per week) with the MF team in Magnum Foundation’s NYC office.
There may be occasional requirements to attend evening events at the MF office.

Compensation

A $5,000 production grant will be provided at the beginning of the fellowship to cover costs associated with the production, completion, and distribution of the NYC-based project.

An additional compensation of $25 per hour will be paid for the 16 hours per week spent on in-office arts administration work, paid bi-weekly.

The fellowship is designed for New York City–based photographers and does not include room, board, or transportation.

Image: Image from the Intelligence Division Archive of the Puerto Rican Police Department. Credit: Archivo General de Puerto Rico/ICP.