Apply gradient across a grid

[DavidacrossAmerica]

I want this grid to fade away from bottom to top. I thought applying a gradient to the grid from white to the color of the background image would do it, but every way I try it (rasterizing, expanding, etc.) it either does nothing or the gradient is not applied evenly to the lines from top to bottom (sometimes the vertical lines have the gradient but not horizontal or vice versa). How do I do that, or is there a better way to achieve what I am looking for?

[Monika Gause]

Should each block have a uniform color?

Or would just fading be OK?

For them to fade you could apply an opacity mask. That will make the thing transparent.

[DavidacrossAmerica]

The bluish color behind the grid should remain as it is. I want the grid itself to fade away.

[Monika Gause]

And the grid consists of lines? Or are there rectangles? Please show what's in the layers panel.

[DavidacrossAmerica]

The grid was created with the grid tool. I guess they are lines just grouped together.

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Then you can apply an opacity mask to the grid. 

Make a black to white gradient in a rectangle and select grid and gradient and in the transparency panel hit "Make Mask"

[DavidacrossAmerica]

Cool. Thank you. I have to play around with the specifics a bit, but this is what I was trying to do.

[Monika Gause]

Glad you could solve it!