Spacetaker ARC Workshop
Funding Strategies for the Individual Artist
GrantsContributions
Fiscal SponsorshipThinking outside the box
With Sara Kellner, Kellner Consulting &Jenni Rebecca Stephenson, Spacetaker
Money is ALWAYS the issue. So, where do you find it?
• Art Sales• Commissions• Residencies• Fellowships• Performance contracts• Recording contracts• Grants (Institutional funding: Foundations or City, State, or
Federal Funding)
• Contributions (Individual)
• Fill in the blank... Innovate!
$$$
This presentation will focus on:
Know your strengths…and
weaknesses Are you personable? Do you
have good people skills?
Are you comfortable selling yourself?
Are you more comfortable speaking specifically about your WORK?
Are you able to succinctly communicate your artistic vision to others? (And do they buy it?)
Are you a better writer than speaker? (Or vice versa.)
Your answers will help shape your strategy
If you answered yes to the first few questions (i.e. you feel comfortable “working it”), your tactics need to be different than someone
who would prefer writing a dissertation!
Do not assume you need to do it all!
A comprehensive strategy is ideal. But given the demands on your time
(time better spent in a studio or practice room), you need to prioritize based on your skill
set and instincts.
Let’s start with the good written communicators…
Grants.Grants usually come from private foundations or from governmental
agencies.
OR from contracted organizations who function as a gateway for other (often governmental) funding- i.e. Houston
Arts Alliance.
Identifying Grant Opportunities
One word:
GOOGLE.
Be specific in your queries. Start narrow, then open up your criteria.
“individual artist grants Houston Texas” will obtain better results than “arts grants”
Specificity will help narrow down the results to those for which you’re ELIGIBLE.
Identifying Grant Opportunities
There are MANY clearing houses for grant information (local arts agencies, service
organizations like Spacetaker, professional associations, etc.).
Pro? They weed out the less
desirable opportunities.
Con? A lot of their information can be incorrect and/or outdated.*
*We do the best we can!
Shortcuts?…not really.
Best resources will be specific to each artist.
Remember: there are no one-stop shops!
Dedicate a few hours to research at least every 2 months or so.
Sign up for every artist resource newsletter you can find. (Create a junk email address for this & discipline yourself to check it once every 2 weeks.)
Create a binder of potential grant opportunities with tabs for each (organize by submission deadline & proposal format)
Seriously?…OK, fine. Here are a few good ones.
Creative Capital http://creative-capital.org/ United States Artists
http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/Public2/Home/index.cfm The Foundation Center
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/specialissues/content.jhtml?id=8300121
National Performance Network http://www.npnweb.org/
And for a moderate investment ($75)… R
emem
ber: T
ime is
mo
ney!
* Some of these resources are available in
your local library!
Consider timelines.…And consider
your motivation. Are you searching for a grant to
fund a specific project you already have in mind? (And is it time-sensitive?)
Are you open to the project parameters dictated by the funder?
Grant cycles can be as long as 1-2 years ahead.
Example… Individual artist grants from Houston Arts Alliance
GRANT TERM: March 1, 2012–December 31, 2012
Dec 2011: Application & Materials Due
Feb 2012: Project/Fellowship Panel Review
March 2012: Award Notification
March 2012: Contract, Artist W-9 & Venue Confirmation Due
March 2012: 1st Payment
June 2012: 2nd Progress Report (2nd Payment)
Sept 2012: 3rd Quarter Progress Report Due (3rd Payment)
Feb 2013: Final Report Due (Final Payment)
Timing of project & grant payment (budgeting) is
key.Keep in mind that frequently funding is
received AFTER the project is completed, which means the up-front investment
(materials, etc.) is YOUR responsibility.
Is this a deal-breaker? Do you have a means to cover these
initial expenses? Do you have a well-defined budget
including all project costs? (Include marketing!)
Consider all scenarios.
You’ve applied for the grant, but…
If you are awarded the grant, are you 100% committed to fulfilling the project?
Are your collaborators 100% confirmed?
Is the venue confirmed?
If project involves others, consider drafting a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU).
Research! Obtain a contact person for the grants which
catch your eye
Develop a relationship with funder & contact them in ways they prefer: Don’t know? Ask!
Review previously funded projects
Get an idea of what they’re looking for
Have they already funded a project EXACTLY like yours?
Some funders post previously funded proposals!
Eligibility
This is HUGE for individual artists!
Pay careful attention to requirements:
Some won’t fund degree-seeking artists.
Some won’t fund “interpretive” artists.
Some fund only specific aspects of projects.
Some require 501(c)3 status…
What to do about that 501(c)3 status?
Fiscal Sponsorship…is one option.
Definition (from our friends at Wikipedia):
“…the practice of non-profit organizations offering their legal and tax-exempt status to groups engaged in activities related to the organization's missions;
typically involving a fee-based contractual arrangement between a project and an established non-profit.”
Types of Fiscal Sponsorship Comprehensive Fiscal Sponsorship: Fiscally
sponsored project becomes a “program area” of sponsor org.
Pre-approved Grant Relationship Fiscal Sponsorship: Fiscally sponsored project has its own tax and liability issues; sponsor oversees only to assure grant/donated funds are used for specified project.
(most popular variety)
National* organizations who offer fiscal sponsorship
services: Fractured Atlas
www.fracturedatlas.org/
The Field www.thefield.org/
NYFA www.nyfa.org
(New York Foundation for the Arts)
*Be careful here! Some (not all) funders want fiscal sponsor in same state as the granting institution.
The hoops you have to go through:
All contributions need to be filtered through your fiscal sponsor (Usually 7-10 day turnaround.)
To apply for grants, you either apply individually (with a letter of affiliation) or through a special grant system set up by the fiscal sponsor
(…Like the Multi-Art Project Fund from the Rockefeller Foundation)
Side-by-side Comparison of The Field & Fractured Atlas
Annual Fees(Membership)
% of Donations Taken
Ease of Use
Taxation Grants Benefits
The Field
$2505-8% after $10,000
Easy: Detailed P&L, but no receipts
1099 to artist
No initial investment
Pro develop-ment & services in NYC
Fractured Atlas
$95 6%
More Detailed; receipts required
1099 to artist
Must raise $1,000 to begin
Pro dev online; Access to group health & liability insurance
The benefits of Fiscal Sponsorship
Access to grants/services designed for the individual artist (particularly The Field)
A degree of legitimacy (depending on the fiscal sponsor)
Ability to apply for more grants
A TAX DEDUCTION for your contributors
Additional benefits…The door has now been kicked open to approach
individual funders: philanthropists, family foundations, etc.
The goes back to the original question: where do your strengths lie?
If confident in yourself and your work (as well as have strong interpersonal skills and network), seeking individual donations is a good option.
Patronage is NOT dead… patronage simply tends to go
to individual/personality-driven nonprofits, rather than to unaffiliated individuals.
Ars Lyrica
Fundraising = Friend-raising
Fundraising, whether for a nonprofit or for yourself, is about RELATIONSHIPS.
Start with your friends.
Your friends, family, and colleagues are the foundation for a support network. Their
support can also be used to leverage OTHER funds.
Two recent examples: Photographer David Brown raised
$8,000 to fund his trip to France for Lens Culture FotoFest Paris to meet with curators & photo editors
Local band Two Star Symphony raised over $7,000 to fund studio time to record the score for their collaboration with Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre
Both almost entirely from individual contributions!
What do these 2 projects have in common?
Money was raised for a very specific purpose
Both are generally regarded as creating new, innovative work
Both have received significant press coverage
Both parties went above and beyond a simple email appeal
Cultivating advocates to support you and your work:
Stay in regular contact with those who buy your work or attend your shows
Communicate with patrons in a way that’s not esoteric, sophomoric, or needy
Keep it casual and low pressure When someone does you a favor,
thank them (consider small art gifts) Explore commissions; they’re a great
way to develop relationships
Think of the long haul Recognize your champions; treat them as
such
Work on developing relationships BEFORE you need something
Consider that even someone who might not be able to afford your work might be willing to support you
Developing a supporter base doesn’t happen overnight. Ask yourself:
What can I do TODAY to move the ball forward?
Caveat:Think it’s tacky? Welcome to fundraising!
Most cultural institutions survive on donations. The average performing arts org
only covers 60-70% of its expenses with sales revenue.
If working independently, it is likely your situation is no different!
Embrace the reality… And consider that many will happily support your projects if
only asked.
CrowdsourcingCrowdsourcing allows you to present a project to a cultivated audience to seek
funding. It’s an online platform to aggregate any fundraising efforts.
Popular Options:Kickstarter www.kickstarter.com IndieGoGo www.indiegogo.com Crowdrise
www.crowdrise.com/online-fundraising
Crowdsourcing is less direct & can make the artist/donor relationship more comfortable.
What crowdsourcing does Showcases the campaign in
a public forum
Expresses the fundraising campaign’s need
Presents the fundraising goal
Aggregates & showcases fundraising activity
Incorporates social media, allowing donors to engage with & share your fundraising message
How crowdsourcing works All campaign info lives on crowdsourcing
site
Campaign owner (you) designs giving levels & corresponding “perks” for donations
All donations filtered through site
Receipts & campaign updates go through site
Crowdsourcing site retains a portion of the proceeds (% to site, % to any 3rd party processors, etc.)
Funds disbursed after campaign is completed to your Paypal or bank account
A comparison…Kickstarter vs. IndieGoGo
% of donationBenefit for
giving If you fail…
Kickstarter
5% (plus CC fees) Agreement b/w artist & funder
All $ returned to funders
IndieGoGo 4% if goal met; 9% if goal NOT met
Tax deduction +Artist/funder agreement
% of funds retained
How to launch a successful IndieGoGo campaign
(Tips care of Two Star’s Jerry Ochoa)
1. Make a video: low tech is OK! Introduce yourself, demo the project, explain (briefly/succinctly) why it matters, & personalize the ask
2. Scale giving categories & incentives to fit fundraising goal (Don’t aim too low)
3. Assemble a team: Identify advocates for the project & campaign and give them ownership
4. Maintain momentum: coordinate giving strategically to maintain appearance of momentum
5. Do the legwork: IndieGoGo is only a tool; blast through emails, make phone calls, fundraising receptions, etc.
6. Make donating as convenient as possible: if they say they’ll donate, make it possible for them to do it NOW
7. Take advantage of Fractured Atlas: the tax donation is a great incentive
8. Follow through: campaign allows you to test the scope of your support; stay on schedule and deliver both the project & the promised benefits ASAP
Thank them several times & stay in touch!
Be specific.Patrons want to
know the scope & specifics of the project.
Visuals and examples speak volumes.
A defined project and goal is both actionable and attainable.
Get creative! And set yourself apart…
Leverage a successful campaign into a consistent strategy to cultivate an ongoing network of supporters and
advocates.
And remember, whether it be grants or donations, consistency & persistence
are KEY. Keep trying!
In your inbox
This PowerPoint
Tips for a successful IndieGoGo campaign (care of Two Star Symphony’s Jerry Ochoa)
List of grant resources (Links to articles with Best Practices; Clearing houses to find opportunities)
Info about upcoming workshop on Writing a successful grant proposal with Sara Kellner
Survey
Spacetaker ARC Workshop