Orientation to grant and fellowship support for individual artists and writers. First presented to a group of undergraduate and graduate students in a Fine Arts program.

1. Seeds of Funding
for Individual Artists
advice and ideas
Jane Kokernak  April 25, 2014
Al Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds,” via Juxtapoz.com, 2012

2. 2
An orientation to arts funding for
individuals
1. Motivations for artist and funder
2. Sources and kinds of funding support
3. Finding relevant funders
4. Presenting your work + a budget
5. Summary of outreach process

3. exercise 1: wish lists
Take
a
sheet
of
paper;
make
3
columns.
Think
of
an
in-­‐progress
or
dream
art
project
for
a
minute.
In
le<-­‐most
column,
at
top
write
“$500,”
in
middle,
write
“$1,500,”
and
in
right
column,
“$10,000.”
Listen
for
instrucFons.
3

4. 4
Reasons artists seek grants + fellowships
• Money to make art, learn more, develop career
“Alleviates pressure of having to work 40 hours a
week so you can spend quality time in your
studio.” (artist)
• Scope and completion of specific art works
“It's the difference between being able to go to Paris
to view museum collections of the things you are
writing about and sitting at home wondering what it
was like.” (novelist)

5. 5
More reasons …
• Encouragement and validation
“I love getting grants, though I write many more than
I receive. Receiving one carries a nice emotional
boost as well as the financial help.” (artist)
• Valuable credentials in the art community
“Grants show the world that other professionals in
your field appreciate your talent and are willing to
support your growth.” (artist)

6. 6
Reasons funders support artists
• Belief that the arts are central to a functioning society
• Business strategy to show visible support for arts and artists
• Personal interest in the arts in general or a particular art form
• Personal association with artists

7. 7
Resources
$$$
Connection
Interests
What makes for a good source of funding?

8. 8
Sources of funding support
• Public (national, state, municipal)
• Private (non-governmental)
Foundation grants
Non-profit orgs (grants, artists in residence)
Corporate giving programs
Individual donors, esp. crowd-sourced platforms

9. 9
Kinds of support
• Direct support (direct to artist)
• Indirect support
Intermediary organizations
Fiscal sponsorships (e.g., Fractured Atlas)
• Restricted
• Unrestricted

10. 10
Specific types of support
• Cash grants
• Professional development (e.g., to attend conferences)
• Fellowships
• Monetary awards (like a prize)
• Commissions
• Apprenticeships (more formal)
• Internships
• Residencies (arts colony)
• Teaching residencies (placements in schools, theatres, etc.,
may require teaching, performance, exhibit)
• In-kind support (donated supplies)

11. exercise 2: I have a dream…
Take an index card; answer these questions.
1. In the near future, what is something you really,
really want to do in art, if money were no object?
2. What kind of time and activities are involved?
3. What stage is this thing at?
4. How would it add to your portfolio or knowledge
or artistic career?
5. Who would benefit from it?
6. What kind of support would you need to do it?
11

12. On the index card, circle what you think are key words.
Look for
• Nouns (person, place, thing)
• Verbs (action!)
• Numbers (time and money)
12

13. 13
Finding relevant funders
• Public (national, state, municipal)
National Endowment for the Arts http://arts.gov/
Americans for the Arts http://www.americansforthearts.org/
National Park Service Artist-in-Residence Program
http://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/artist-in-residence.htm
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/
Go here for fellowship support
for artists from a region or state.

14. 14

15. 15

16. 16

17. 17

18. 18
Finding relevant funders
• Private (foundations, nonprofits, corporations)
Back pages of art magazines, like Sculptor
Google “artist grants” and find articles like this: “20 Top
Artist Grants and Fellowships,” ArtInfo, 2012:
http://bit.ly/RQVKDw
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) “Opportunity
Listings,” https://www.nyfa.org/Classifieds/Opportunities
CaFÉ -- Call for Entry: https://www.callforentry.org
The above resources are freely available. Another excellent resource is Foundation
Center Online -- https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/ -- available for a fee, or at
some libraries.

19. 19
Evaluating the fit between you + a funder
• Do more research once you know the name of potential
funder. Foundation Directory Online:
https://fdo.foundationcenter.org/
• Study funder guidelines (on funder website)
• Check limitations and exclusions
• Ask artist friends and mentors for knowledge of funder
 Avoid the “scattershot” approach. Apply only for grants and
other support that are a reasonable fit, a good match. It’s likely
that you’ll apply for just one or two at time.

20. 20
Presenting your work + a budget
What goes into a typical funding application?
• Cover letter (1 page)
• Project description (up to 2 pages)
• Budget sheet
• Supporting materials (may include portfolio, resume or artist
statement, and other recent documentation of career)

21. Exercise 3: simple budget
Look
at
items
from
$1,500
wish
list
(exercise
1).
1.
Group
them
into
relevant
categories
of
expenses:
Materials
Salary
Travel
2.
Imagine
other
support
for
this
work
(in-­‐kind
or
money)
for
contribu-ons
or
income.
3.
Add
both
expenses
and
contribuFons.
This
is
your
total
budget.
4.
Determine
your
“ask”
or
request.
21

22. 22
Sample project budget
Remember: you can
tinker with amounts
and categories to
make your request
in line with funder
guidelines.
How could we
adjust down for a
request limit of
$1,500?

23. 23
Components of cover letter/email inquiry
• First paragraph: a thank you for the opportunity to apply, and a
straightforward request with amount: “I am applying for an
unrestricted artist’s grant of $750.”
• Body: a summary of project (a few sentences), and specific
mention of one aspect of your project (think: motivation and
funder interests)
• Closing: reasonable expression of interest and a one-sentence
description of attachments or enclosures.

24. Exercise 4: motivation and funder interests
Look
at
notes
from
dream
project
(exercise
2).
Consider
this
RFP
(Request
for
Proposals):
A
major,
internaFonal
ad
agency
has
a
new
office
in
Boston.
The
firm
wants
to
establish
its
presence
in
the
creaFve
community,
and
announces
a
project
that
“seeks
art
works
from
individual
arFsts
that
recognize
the
diversity
of
ciFzens
and
arFsts
in
the
Greater
Boston
area.”
Awards
are
up
to
$1,500
in
direct
support.
Discuss
with
your
neighbor
your
proposed
project
and
how
it
might
fit
with
the
call
for
new
work.
24

25. 25
Final words on process
• Do your research; know what’s out there.
• Evaluate potential funders for good fit with your work.
• Prepare budget and description that makes the case for your
work.
• Seek feedback and help from friends and mentors.
• Revise budget and description.
• Emerging artists: start small, get feet wet.
• Persist.

26. 26
Additional resources
• Artist Grant Proposal Writing Handbook (online), First Peoples Cultural
Council
http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Arts/General/
FPCC_Grant_Writing_Handbook.pdf
• Artist’s Guide to Grant Writing: How to Find Funds and Write Foolproof
Proposals for the Visual, Literary, and Performing Artist (print, $16.99), by
Gigi Rosenberg, 2010 http://gigirosenberg.com/book/
• Funding for Individual Artists (online), Grant Space, Foundation Center
http://bit.ly/1ik91iL
• Grants for Individuals: Arts (online), MSU Libraries
http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3arts.htm
• Proposal Writing (online), San Francisco Art Institute
http://www.sfai.edu/proposal-writing

27. 27
Acknowledgements
Alexander Chee
koreanish.com
Kathryn DeMarco
kathryndemarco.com
Ted Harris
openstudioproject.org
Ian Kennelly
iankennelly.com
Tim Murdoch
timmurdoch.com
Lowry Pei
lowrypei.com
Leslie Sills
lesliesills.com
Madelyn Smoak
madelynsmoak.com
“Both Hands Clapping,” via Brandulariy, 2012