Spacetaker ARC Workshop

Funding Strategies for the Individual Artist

GrantsContributions

Fiscal SponsorshipThinking outside the box

With Jenni Rebecca Stephenson, Fresh Arts

Money is ALWAYS the issue. So, where do you find it?

• Art Sales• Commissions• Performance contracts• Recording contracts• Residencies• Apprenticeships (Princess Grace Foundation) / Internships (Getty

Trust)• Professional development programs• In Kind Support • Grants (Institutional funding: Foundations or City, State, or

Federal Funding)• Corporations (art/artist as business expense)• Contributions (Individual)• Monetary Rewards- like Hunting Prize (fairly rare)• Fellowships (usually recognizing career accomplishments)• 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.

Types of support:•Public

•Private•Direct

•Indirect

Grants…Grants usually come from private foundations or from governmental

agencies. (Direct)

OR from contracted organizations who function as a gateway for other (often governmental) funding- i.e. Houston

Arts Alliance. (Indirect)

*There is usually more indirect support available for individual artists than direct.

Why do funders… fund?• Award artistic achievements• Foster emerging artists as they develop their skills• To support specific projects

• Who’s going to benefit?• How much money will you need?• What types of support do you need?• And are you comfortable with the conditions?

And what are you trying to accomplish anyways?

Your strategy depends on relationship between the grant’s

purpose (the funder’s desired outcome) & your traits/work

Consider:• Discipline or medium• Does your work cater to a specific audience?• Background and affiliation (career stage?)• Location• Ethnicity/gender

What is your best angle?Examples: Doris Duke & Lydia Hance / Amegy Bank & Winter Holiday

Art Market

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 Fresh Arts (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 National Performance Network http://www.npnweb.org/ The Foundation Center

http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/specialissues/content.jhtml?id=8300121 The Foundation Center subscription service ($20/month) http

://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/gtio.html

(May be available at local libraries: http://grantspace.org/Find-Us ) Sign up for alerts: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/ NYFA Source: http://www.nyfa.org/source/content/search/search.aspx?SA=

1 Art Deadlines List: http://artdeadlineslist.com/ (old school) Chicago Artist Resource: http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/

callforartists

And for a moderate investment ($75)… R

emem

ber: T

ime is

mo

ney!

* Again, some of these resources are available in

your local library!

Consider timelines.…And how they relate to 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?

If awarded a portion of the funds requested, are you still committed?

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!

For help writing the actual proposal…

Resources on grant-writing: Grant Space (service of the Foundation Center) http

://grantspace.org/Skills/Developing-Proposals

Fresh Arts (Spacetaker) Artist Resource Library http://www.spacetaker.org/artist_resource_center

ARC Workshop: Crafting Artist Statements & Project Descriptions for Artists (May 30th @ 6pm)

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)

To read more of the fine print…

Grantspace.org http://grantspace.org/Skills/Fiscal-Sponsorship (skill area for fiscal sponsorship) Examples of policies & guidelines, ways to approach fiscal sponsors… http://grantspace.org/Skills/Fiscal-Sponsorship

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 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.

CrowdsourcingFrom Glasstire:

Prompt: A New Hope-- Kickstarter!

• It's great. Artist as entrepreneur. (65%, 13 Votes)• It's digital panhandling. (25%, 5 Votes)• Vox populi, vox dei. (5%, 1 Votes)• To boldly fund where nobody has funded before!(5%,

1 Votes)

Total Voters: 20

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 artist statements & project descriptions with Tacey Rosolowski

Survey

Spacetaker ARC Workshop