INTRODUCTION

I listen to [a] concert in which so many parts are wanting.

—HENRY DAVID THOREAU

This is how it feels to live the life of an artist: Many ideas, projects, brainstorms, and muses coming at us at once, a barrage of details to manage. And typically, the biggest challenge is finding the time to be creative. We have so many daily responsibilities that our creative passions take a backseat. And unless you are an established artist, the time you take for your creative pursuit may conflict with time you already spend on supporting yourself in other ways. This time and space equates to money, your livelihood, and financial support. The typical scenario is to juggle day work while you do your art. Often you have special projects and need concentrated time without the distractions and pitfalls of your job. You desperately need to get to that creative place that helps you produce something wonderful. Yet, without the rich uncle, where do you turn?

There is the world of philanthropy and grants. Many of us have heard of it, but few have clues concerning how to enter. Some of us have even tried, and can’t understand why we didn’t get the grant. And for those of us who are just wired in very different ways, applying for a grant seems so foreign, even though it holds great opportunity and promise.

This guidebook will help you learn about the world of grants and how to navigate it. Through a “present and practice” mode, I provide the tools and support you need to successfully find grant sources and make an application. Obtaining grant support for your project may seem to be an elusive process, especially if you are reading this book after a failed attempt or two. Conversely, you may hear the odd anecdote, which seems to float through every artist community, about the unsuspecting donor walking the streets who discovers the next prodigy, and the six-figure check and grant that follows. This, I’m afraid, is really not the norm and may be even harder to come by than a grant.

The working model should be to become passionate about your project; hold onto your vision, develop tenacity for grantseeking and fundraising, and articulate your needs well. The winning strategy for getting grants is to meet, meet, meet, write, write, write, and send, send, send.

This book will help you in these endeavors. At the same time it will provide you with basic information about the philanthropic community and help formulate strategies to effectively approach this community. For those who have experience in grantseeking and have been successful in obtaining support for their programs, the guide will provide very specific information that will give a “reality check” to your approach.

 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

I have developed this guide using the tools I myself have used in getting grants. Each chapter begins with an overview, which presents a quick synopsis. Also included is a section I call “The Grant Zone,” which illuminates helpful hints related to the grant process. And finally, each chapter discusses dos, dont’s and things that irritate board members with “Board Pet Peeves” and “Grantseeker’s Dos and Don’ts.” With these helpful hints you’ll have a behind-the-boardroom look at the kinds of things that can make your application sink or float.

In writing grant proposals for over twenty years, I have heard every complaint, scrutiny, and criticism. Since I have already done this legwork, you will benefit greatly from my failures and successes. Hopefully you will gain a strong sense of tenacity and the ability to learn through feedback and review.

Use this guide as if you have a personal grantwriting coach. Pay attention to the comprehensive set of ideas, strategies, and tools that can really help you jump through hoops, which is what it sometimes feels like when you are seeking grants. Whether you are a visual artist, writer, photographer, designer, or filmmaker, this guide will support you in your endeavors.

SOMETHING FOR THE NOVICE, MID-CAREER ARTIST, AND SEASONED PROFESSIONAL

For the novice I present the basic elements of how to organize a collection and portfolio of work that can be used in the application process. I present many exercises and mini-workshops to help you prepare yourself. Many of you may have an aversion to writing in a book, so please equip yourself with a notebook and pencil to help you complete the exercises. This guide can also help the artist in midcareer who needs a grant for that seemingly elusive project. And for all the unsung artists who are seasoned and professional with many tributes and honors to their name, this book can help you become more visible within funding circles. Even if you have already been a “grantee,” you can always improve your grantseeking skills.

At the end of the day, we are creative individuals trying to integrate our natural senses in interpreting our world and its people. It is a gift to see and experience life a bit differently. Indeed as Thoreau said, “we hear a concert in which so many parts are wanting.” Close your eyes; take a deep breath...it is time to focus your energy, creative passion, and attention, and give your creative spirit what it is due.