THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTSThe Public Grant Application
People sometimes inquire what form of government is suitable for an artist to live. The form of government that is most suitable to the artist is no government at all.
-OSCAR WILDE
I don’t think Mr. Wilde would agree with the position I present in this chapter about government grants and the public sector. Just as we have seen in applying for private grants, you will find the public sector as helpful, with abundant opportunities.
This chapter will provide you with information about some of the primary funders for the arts in the public sector, these being the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and your state and local arts councils. You may find that the methods are similar in both public and private arenas, but I want to point out the nuances and differences within public grant applications.
We will look at the three levels of government—federal, state, and city—and discern the best ways to access grant dollars in these fairly competitive arenas. We will look retrospectively at the NEA and its current four-goal strategic plan. Then our main focus will be on one of the grant programs. You will have more opportunities to write various pieces of grant applications, and the writing exercises will prepare you well for your first public grant application.
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
We looked at the various ways to help us locate federal and state grants in chapter 6. If you didn’t identify the National Endowment for the Arts as one of the premier funders for grants for individual artists, you can add it to your list. The NEA has many grant programs, some of which are for the more established mid-career artist but the organization can be on your “radar” for future use.
Given the change in political administrations and decreases in federal appropriations, the NEA has had its share of funding challenges. Despite these challenges, I am here to say that the NEA is still alive and kicking. In fiscal year 2004, it awarded over 2,100 grants (totaling $100 million) to individual artists, schools, arts organizations, and communities in all fifty states and six U.S. territories.
The National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act established the NEA when it was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Johnson in 1965. It states, “While no government can call a great artist or scholar into existence, it is necessary and appropriate for the federal government to help create and sustain not only a climate encouraging freedom of thought, imagination, and inquiry, but also the material conditions facilitating the release of this creative talent.” On September 29 of that year, the National Endowment for the Arts, a new public agency, was created “to strengthen the artistic life of this country.”
Between 1965 and 2000, the government’s thirty-five-year public investment in the arts paid tremendous dividends. Since 1965, the NEA has awarded more than 111,000 grants to arts organizations and artists. The number of state and jurisdictional arts agencies has grown from five to fifty-six. Local arts agencies now number over 4,000, up from 400. Nonprofit theaters have grown from 56 to 340, symphony orchestras have nearly doubled in number from 980 to 1,800, and opera companies have multiplied from 27 to 113. And the first grant to the American Ballet Theatre, in 1965, was a harbinger for dance companies, which have multiplied nearly eighteen-fold since then.
NEA Strategic Plan 2003-2008
You can see the illuminating influence the NEA has had on American society. Its primary agenda has not changed, although funding has seesawed over time. The NEA’s public service mandate states that it “[continues] through its commitment to fostering American creativity and investing in our living cultural heritage. By supporting artistic excellence, forging partnerships, building more livable communities, promoting lifelong arts education, and improving access to the arts for all citizens, the agency strengthens American democracy at its core.”
The NEA, like any government entity or private foundation, has “Le Grand Plan” which helps it strategically focus on priority areas that are deemed to be the main focus of its vision and mission.
The following is the NEA’s four-part plan. Given the agency’s history, I think you may agree that it seems quite doable:
THE NEA VISION
A nation in which artistic excellence is celebrated, supported, and available to all.
ITS MISSION
The National Endowment for the Arts enriches our nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country.
GOALS
1. Artistic Creativity and Preservation: To encourage and support artistic creativity and preserve our diverse cultural heritage.
2. Learning in the Arts: To advance learning in the arts.
3. Access to the Arts: To make the arts more widely available in communities throughout the country.
4. Partnerships for the Arts: To develop and maintain partnerships that advance the mission of the National Endowment for the Arts.
A Multidisciplinary Approach
Although the NEA may not be on the top of your list of funders to approach, as your work may not be at that level, I want to review its process so you are familiar with a public agency’s application. There are many grant programs under its umbrella, and for our purposes we will look at Fellowship programs.
The NEA makes direct awards to individuals only through its Literature Fellowships, Jazz Masters Fellowships, and National Heritage Fellowships in the Folk & Traditional Arts. This may seem limiting, yet NEA funding support is available in many nonprofit organizations, schools, and state and regional programs through fiscal agency and sponsorship. The following encompass the reach of all its funding, including individual and organizational grants as demonstrated through all the disciplines listed:
• Arts Education
• Dance
• Design
• Film/Radio/Television
• Folk & Traditional Arts
• Local Arts Agencies
• Literature
• Multidisciplinary
• Museums
• Music
• Musical Theater
• Opera
• Presenting
• State and Regional
• Theater
• Visual Arts
THE NEA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATION
Let’s look at the literature category for NEA grants. The PDF for this grant application is twenty-six pages long. I tell you this with a smile because you only have two pages of an actual form to complete and of that, you have limited space to explain and describe your fellowship plans. The fellowships for the Literature category are divided further and it is the Creative Writing Fellowships that we will discuss here. These grants are $20,000 awards. The review process greatly depends on your previous published work and the plan for your career advancement. The work samples that you submit are limited in both the poetry and creative nonfiction (prose or essays) categories of the Creative Writing Fellowships. Don’t be scared off by the strict eligibility requirement that you must have published or exhibited work. Of course, many readers will already have this. Those of you who are just starting out can look to the NEA as a future resource, to be approached after you’ve gone further down the road of your artistic career.
Let’s look at a few of the particulars and have a go at another writing exercise. This is how the NEA describes its grants in the literary category: “Fellowships in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) or poetry are available to published creative writers of exceptional talent. Fellowships enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. This program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose available in FY 2006 and fellowships in poetry available in FY 2007. Individuals may apply only once each year.”
The NEA has many instructions and sections describing its exclusions, limitations, and deadlines; a very specific requirement for eligibility; and similar to some private funders, a worksheet or checklist that is an integral part of the application. I have included the NEA eligibility requirements below, because I want you to see how specific these requirements are and “lead the cheer” for you to work your art and craft in a focused way. These awards are great, but you will need other supplemental monies. Again, these grants are very straightforward; they help, reward, and support the mid-career artist.
Eligibility for the NEA Grants in Literature
Here’s what the eligibility requirements state (note these are specifically dated as they pertain only to current fiscal year 2006 awards). Check their Web site for the most up-to-date grant cycle:
Creative writers who meet the publication requirements that are listed below are eligible to apply.
Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. See “How to Prepare and Submit an Application” for the documentation that is required to demonstrate eligibility. Ineligible applications will be rejected.
An individual may submit only one application per year. Multiple applications will be rejected. You may not apply for a Creative Writing Fellowship and a Translation Project in the same year. You are not eligible to apply if you have received two or more Creative Writing or Translation Fellowships (in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, belles-lettres, or for translation) from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In addition, you may not apply in Prose if you have received any Arts Endowment Creative Writing or Translation Fellowship since October 1, 1996 (FY 1997). You may not apply in Poetry if you have received any Arts Endowment Creative Writing or Translation Fellowship since October 1, 1997 (FY 1998).
Former grantees must have submitted acceptable Final Report packages by the due date(s) for all Arts Endowment award(s) previously received.
You are eligible to apply in Fiction if, between January 1, 1998, and March 1,2005, you have had published at least five different short stories, works of short fiction, or excerpts from novels in two or more literary journals, anthologies, or publications which regularly include fiction as a portion of their format; or a volume of short fiction or a collection of short stories; or a novel or novella.
You are eligible to apply in Creative Nonfiction if, between January 1,1998, and March 1,2005, you have had published at least five different creative essays (such as personal essays, memoirs, etc.) in two or more literary journals, anthologies, or publications; or a volume of creative nonfiction.
You are eligible to apply in Poetry if, between January 1, 1999, and March 1,2006, you have had published a volume of 48 or more pages of poetry; or twenty or more different poems or pages of poetry in five or more literary journals, anthologies, or publications which regularly include poetry as a portion of their format. Up to sixteen poems may be in a single volume of poetry of fewer than forty-eight pages. This volume, however, may count as only one of the required five places of publication.
Applicants may use online publications to establish up to fifty percent of their eligibility, provided that such publications have competitive selection processes and stated editorial policies.
You must apply in a specific literary form (i.e., fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry). You must establish your eligibility in the form in which you apply. No exceptions will be made to the eligibility requirements. The following may not be used to establish eligibility:
* Self-publication including work that has appeared in a publication for which you are the editor, publisher, or staff
* Collaborative work
* Scholarly writing
* Instructional writing *Journalism
* Editorials/letters to the editor
* Interviews
* Student publications and publications which primarily print work by persons who are affiliated with a particular academic institution
* Vanity press publication—one that does any of the following: requires individual writers to pay for part or all of the publication costs; asks writers to buy or sell copies of the publication; publishes the work of anyone who subscribes to the publication or joins the organization through membership fees; publishes the work of anyone who buys an advertisement in the publication; or publishes work without competitive selection
Review and Translation
THAT, indeed, is how the eligibility requirements read for NEA writing grants. Note that each genre has publication requirements that are fairly recent, in that you can use publications that you have completed in the last seven years. Also note, in all eligibility requirements the items and situations that are excluded. Typically, you will see a cap on the number of times you can receive a grant, and both public and private funders have some restrictions. Some of the restrictions may be in the number of total grants you can receive, and some have waiting periods but will allow you to apply again.
The Procedure, Form, and Helpful Hints
The application procedure involves four simple but detailed steps:
1. Application Acknowledgment Card and Application Checklist: These are frequently used with applications from public sources, and as we discussed earlier, checklists are very commonly used in the private sector.
2. Application Form: These are the instructions about the form, the number of copies needed, and so on. The form has a few pages, the first of which uses boxes to check for “Yes” and “No” answers to such questions like, is this your first application? Have you received a previous grant? Which category of support are you applying for? It also addresses simple things like legal name and citizenship. Further on in the application, there is a page with a large tabled section to summarize your education, publications, other fellowships, prizes, honors, and professional memberships.
3. Manuscript Material: These are the instructions for “work samples,” and similar to those of the private funders we reviewed earlier, these instructions are specific and you should follow these exactly. Be prepared with NEA applications to send many copies of a manuscript or whatever materials you are submitting for review and eligibility.
4. Proof of Eligibility: As mentioned earlier, this is an important aspect of these grant competitions. For NEA applications you must submit proof of eligibility. The following detail describes what is required and gives you an idea of the formality of the process. As mentioned earlier, NEA is a great resource, yet is only advantageous if you are in your mid-career with some credits to your name.
Your application package must include proof of your eligibility. For each publication listed in “Summary of Publications” on the application form, send one clearly reproduced copy of each of the following:
a. Proof of publication (the title page or table of contents of the book or magazine). If a table of contents is used, highlight the page number on which your material begins.
b. Date of publication (the copyright page or other page with the publication date).
c. Proof of authorship (e.g., the front cover of a novel or a book of poems, the table of contents page, the first page of a story or poem).
Where applicable, highlight your name as it appears on any of the above. These copies cannot be returned; do not send originals.
The NEA Application and Being Computer-Savvy
The application form is available in a PDF file, and you can use your computer to fill it out. To access the form, you must have Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. The NEA Web site provides a link to the Adobe Web site, where you can download the Reader for free. It’s important to note that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader does not allow you to “save” your completed forms. You can use the Acrobat Approval program to save, but there is a charge for this software.
To get around the “save” problem with Acrobat Reader, you must complete the form in one sitting and print it out. Before you start to fill it out, ensure that you have all the correct, final information available. You will be unable to go back and retrieve or edit your information once you close the window containing the forms. You must print out the forms before you close the window or you will lose the information that you have entered. With multipage documents, you may want to proofread and print each page as you complete it. Another option is to print the forms first, fill them out by hand, and ensure their accuracy before filling in the final forms on your computer and printing them out again.
You are allowed to use a typewriter (I know many writers who do) as long as you adhere to the typesetting and font requirements for the applications.
THE APPLICATION FORM
The application form is basically two pages, with the first page full of boxes to check and fill out with your contact information, birth date, grant category that you are applying for, and the standard “certification,” which is a statement that all government applications have to ensure the integrity of the information. A special note here about your name: if you use a pen name, stage name, or pseudonym, list your legal name first on all government documents and your alias in parentheses.
Then we have the second page, which has five items in large tables, and grids whereby you fill in the “white spaces” with your information.
Space IS the Final Frontier
Space and the page limitation given for most applications can be a challenge. Although I write fairly brief and concise applications these days, I went into many a battle with way too much armor and only weighted myself down with verbose writing.
Because space is such an important factor in applications, I have presented you with not one but two exercises to coach concise and simple writing. The first exercise is one that I have used in the grantseeking classes that I taught for fifteen years, and the second is something customized from the NEA application. OK, get ready to be concise and prepare for the Battle of Lengthy Writing.
Writing Exercise One
In most applications, whether private or public, individual or artist, form or free narrative, you will undoubtedly be asked to describe your program. Let’s try this exercise using the scenario that I have seen in many applications. Your instructions are to write a brief description of your project, including a title. (Use no more than twenty-two words.) For a change of pace, let this be a project that an organization would implement. This will help you think about and describe projects that support individual artists and could be implemented through a fiscal agent or an artist residency. Try to do this exercise without reading further, giving yourself some time to draft, write, and use the skills you have learned to date. Then check the examples and helpful hints.
Easy Ways to Write Concisely
Here is a quick writing workshop to help you develop those concise writing skills when dealing with limited spaces. To avoid writer’s block and staring at the page, allow yourself to write anything at first. Until you are “trained” to write concisely, try writing without limiting the number of your words. Here are some other helpful hints:
Concise Writing Hint #1
In this assignment of a project description, try to write the who, what, and how. The where and why areas will be dealt with in other sections.
I am a poet (the who), working with Arts Lab (the what), that focuses artists’ creativity through a multidisciplinary peer group and a four-month intensive learning program (the how).
Notice the where and why are unnecessary for this very basic exercise of writing a project description. And depending on “what” it is, you can use many different nouns to describe the program. For instance, if we think “learning program” isn’t quite right, or snappy enough, we can use “production lab” or even “learning atelier.” Remember, in word choices you aren’t going for fancy. We don’t use words that they won’t understand; so using “atelier” is right on the edge. It is a recognizable term used in artists’ circles and is appropriate here.
Concise Writing Hint #2
Write declarative sentences. These are the basic sentence structures we learned in grade school English. Use a subject (you or the project name), a verb (the action word), and the object (the activity).
I am a musician (the subject) composing (the verb) a jazz master’s series (the object).
Concise Writing Hint #3
Don’t put too many ideas in one sentence, thereby avoiding the run-on sentence.
I am a musician, composing a jazz master’s series, which focuses on the musicality of Twin Cities jazz with the West Bank School of Music’s Jazz Festival, which is a community festival celebrating the culture, art, and community of the Seward, Riverside, and Longfellow neighborhoods.
See, there is a lot there, at least half a dozen simple ideas. At first, you may write like this, which is actually okay. I even encourage it because you just want to get the ideas out without worrying about grammar, punctuation, and word counts. You will edit later, taking away ideas that are not germane to the central point or thought. Let’s dissect that run-on sentence so you see what I mean:
* Simple Idea One: I am a musician, composing a jazz master’s series
* Simple Idea Two: which focuses on the musicality of Twin Cities jazz
* Simple Idea Three: with the West Bank School of Music’s Jazz Festival
* Simple Idea Four: which is a community festival celebrating the culture, art, and community
* Simple Idea Five: of the Seward, Riverside, and Longfellow neighborhoods
We have five main ideas in this sentence, which is overkill. So get the pen out and edit away. Simple Idea One is your introductory sentence, so leave it for now. Simple Idea Two goes first, since it is not really necessary information and is repetitive in that the communities with the Twin Cities are named in Simple Idea Five. Then look for other redundant phrases or ideas. Notice that Simple Idea Three says it is a festival; then Simple Idea Four repeats that it’s a festival and describes it. Also notice that Simple Idea Four says, “community” then Simple Idea Five describes it. This is all very good information in the evolution of writing this simple sentence. Yet by editing it somewhat, you can have something that flows more smoothly and is not running on and on:
I am a musician composing a jazz master series for the West Bank School of Music’s Jazz Festival, which celebrates the art and culture of the Seward, Riverside, and Longfellow communities.
Concise Writing Hint #4
Write freely and edit without mercy. Pare down fat sentences, editing all the unnecessary adjectives and repetitious words or ideas. Look at the following three sentences, which go from fat to lean—twenty-nine words to sixteen—in no time flat:
Twenty-nine words: I am a potter working with inner-city students on the project “Poetry Plates,” which blends and integrates the clay making of plates, and the learning and creating of poems.
Twenty-three words: “Poetry Plates” is an integrated learning project of pottery and poetry forms for inner-city youth.
Sixteen words: “Poetry Plates” is an artist residency, teaching pottery and poetry forms to inner-city youth.
Avoid using jargon, and try to speak and write as simply as possible without fluff, verbosity, or ideas that are not germane to the central meaning.
“Poetry Plates” is a mid-career artist residency that teaches inner-city youth the utility of poetry forms and expressions, while integrating the process for creating pottery.
Say what? The notion of a mid-career artist residency is misplaced here and can be mentioned elsewhere. Take out the words “utility, forms, and expressions” since these are overkill and unnecessary to define what is being taught. Also “while integrating” is indirect. The rewrite could be:
“Poetry Plates” is a program that blends the art mediums of poetry and pottery. This is done through a six-week artist residency for inner-city youth.
Concise Writing Hint #5
Write sentences that makes sense and read smoothly. Read your work aloud, and if it doesn’t sound smooth to your ear, you need to edit. Notice in the last example from Hint #4, not only do we have a “skinny” sentence but we have skinny words. Half of the words are monosyllabic and fall easy on the ear.
Now you ask, do you have to write like this? No, of course not. I am not asking you to write prose or poetry, but just making the point after reading hundreds of proposals in my day, that the simplest writing is the best writing.
Writing Exercise Two
Having warmed up the cerebral cortex, let’s tackle this next exercise, which will in essence write the description of your fellowship plan. The description will only take about 150 words. The form does not state a word limit per se, only white space, which is like a road of white snow. You are driving/typing happily along, and suddenly you have a roadblock and are unable to go/write further. This is partly due to the use of the PDF format. Trust me on this, I’ve filled out this form myself, and the space allowed will only take about 150 words.
Since we are practicing writing concisely, this description will be a set of declarative statements, encompassing who, what, where, when, how, and a little bit of why. It will be our best exercise yet.
Write a sentence or two saying who you are. You can name your discipline, level in your career, or affiliations if these are relevant. It can be an introductory sentence and fairly straightforward.
Step Two
Write three declarative sentences, stating the obvious attributes of your plan. You are describing the “what” and the “where” of your plan. Does it involve focused time to complete or initiate new work? Will it involve focused study through a workshop, retreat, conference, or attendance in a program? Will it involve other study methods, such as researching book references, artist interviews, or artworks?
Step Three
In one or two sentences, describe how these activities support your development or how they are implemented to give you the result you want, which is to support you doing your art, advancing your career, or finding new skills, techniques or areas to explore.
My fellowship plan uses a threeprong approach, supporting my writing and midcareer advancement. One: I will be part of a multidisciplinary peer group in the Arts Lab, which is a four-month learning atelier focusing on producing new work. Two: I will pilot these new works in four communities hosting Spoken Art Forums, places where the art form originally emerged. Three: I will meet and interview a number of Spoken Word Artists at these forums, focusing on the roots, architecture, and forms of the spoken word and writing genres. This third prong will culminate in my coordinating and hosting a Writer’s and Spoken Word Charrette with The Loft. Borrowing the Charrette concept from the architect’s arena, a term used to describe the final, intense work effort expended by art and architecture students, my cohort and I will provide the intensive solution-driving environment needed to identify the concepts, structures, and challenges of an evolving art form. The Charrette will host over 100 spoken word artists and writers.
Dissecting the Example
In looking closer, you can see a fairly simple introduction basically stating that the plan as follows supports a writer in midcareer. Then, we have three sentences that focus on what and where. These give the basic elements of the plan, the methods for studying, working, and learning. The rest of the plan discusses more of what and how, giving the reviewer an added bonus of what may result from this work—an arena (the Charette) for defining the state of spoken word forms as an evolving art in society. By using the Charette as a modality, it tells the reviewer that the artist is looking at the basic “architecture” of spoken word art, as a new and emerging art form.
Break Out the Champagne
I know I get carried away with celebration, but hey, you did it! This review of the NEA grant application has pushed you forward, and the exercises that you have completed have helped you gain a vast amount of information to apply to all your grantseeking endeavors.
Given that the NEA fellowships require established work, exhibits, and publications, let’s look at another level of government funding that may be more accessible to the beginner and emerging artist.
THE STATE ARTS BOARD AND ARTS COUNCIL
There is a state arts board or council in every state of the union and even six territories. These receive NEA monies along with local support through their state governments. I have reviewed a few of these: Minnesota, Ohio, New York, and California, to see how these states support artists. As you might imagine, arts funding comes in similar packages, and depending on the financial health of the state, one state might have more and better programs than another.
I included Minnesota because I know it personally, having lived there for more than twenty-five years. During this time I knew well the legacy of former Governors Arnie Carlson and Rudy Perpich, who made the arts one of the state’s top priorities. In similar fashion, Ohio and New York have had leadership that invested well in sustainable arts programs. And, of course, you only need to read the newspapers and remember California’s budget woes to know it has scaled back on its program.
Unique Funding
The following is a list of the different groups and programs supported by state arts boards and councils. Review these and let your mind trigger new ways for you to plug yourself in. These come in many labels but the general categories supported are:
Individuals
Schools
Arts organizations
Communities of color
Cultural collaborations
Artist residencies
Artist registries
Apprenticeships
Heritage preservation
Public art
Many of the programs that provide support for individuals do so in fellowships, awards for lifetime achievements, and through honoraria positions, such as New York’s State Poet and State Author. Also in the case of New York, individuals can only apply through organizations and so fiscal sponsorship is a mandatory requirement for some programs. And although state arts boards and councils provide support for every discipline, some focus unique programs for music, dance, and literature. For states that have a folk art tradition, we see apprenticeship programs and heritage preservation programs, meant to keep traditional styles of these art forms alive.
MORE ABOUT ARTIST RESIDENCIES
There are two types of art residencies that I want you to add to your resource lists. The first is the residency that provides a place— usually quiet, beautiful, and serene—to do your work. These are like working retreats, and you apply for them as you would any grant or fellowship. They come in varying lengths of stay, and some provide a small food stipend, or room and board.
The second kind of residency is the one I have discussed briefly, in which you are employed or contracted to “reside” within a small community, school, or academic setting and are the guest artist. These are formalized programs in many communities. Arts organizations that support youth and art in school programs are high on many priority lists for state funders. One of my favorite ways of working, and gladly one of the more popular granting programs, is the artist residency. In Minnesota, artist information and applications are reviewed and selected to be part of a state roster that advertises artists for hire. This roster is a juried catalog of individual or paired artists who demonstrate high artistic quality and the ability to teach students in grades K—12, a resource for schools interested in hosting artist residencies, and a marketing tool for teaching artists. Let’s look at a couple of people who work in these residencies, to become aware of the great opportunities you shouldn’t let pass by. The first example is a writer and poet, and the second is a singer and songwriter:
John Minczeski, Writer/Poet Residency
In residencies, I strive to deliver a sense of excitement and discovery in poetry, and give students poetry’s ancient tools: metaphor and image. I have developed writing exercises to help students delve into memory, use their senses, or imagine what it feels like to be so close to a wild animal that they know what it’s thinking. Other assignments include poems of praise, in which students explore themselves, their families, and the world. Each poem involves discovery, and each discovery is a surprise.
My recent book, Circle Routes, published in October 2001, won the Akron Poetry Prize. My poems appear in scores of journals, anthologies, and periodicals throughout the country. I have received fellowships from the Bush Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and other grants and awards. My teaching experience, dating back to 1973, includes classes at The Loft, Macalester College, Saint Cloud State University, Warren Wilson College, and other organizations. I have been named the Edelstein-Keller Distinguished Writer in Residence at the University of Minnesota for the 2004-2005 school year.
Barb Tilsen, Folk, Ethnic-Inspired Musician
At the heart of my school residencies is the creative process. Whether we’re writing songs together, making our own musical instruments, exploring songs through stories or arts projects, music feeds our spirits, connecting us in deep and universal ways. Selfexpression and community connection form a strong dynamic, bringing a better understanding of ourselves, our world.
As a singer/songwriter, I’ve performed for all ages since 1971 and worked with children since 1985. My experience includes Minnesota Arts Education Partnerships, instructor/teaching artist with the West Bank School of Music, the Children’s Theatre, SteppingStone Theatre, Intermedia Arts Minnesota, ArtStop, the Children’s Museum, and arts residencies in schools and other programs. Highlights include residencies creating songs for community groups and directing my youth chorus at the Raptor Center bird releases. I coordinate the Peace Resources Project for Children’s Music Network and received the Best Recording for Young Children Award in 2001. My songs appear in Sing Out! and other publications.
Residencies can be based on any part of the curriculum: Songwriting, “Make-it Shake-it” Instrument-Making Projects, Soundscapes/Storysongs, and Creative Musical Arts Projects (crankies, flip books, overhead art, musical slide shows). I also am open to developing new residency ideas. I have a special interest in peace, conflict resolution, anti-bias education, and the environment.
More Than a Residency
All of these artists describe what they do with a classroom of students. They provide information about programs and activities, samples, and ideas that can be commissioned for hire. More than that, they tell you who they really are through their work. They talk about their artistic process in ways that you can understand, and they include a list of awards, accomplishments, and special and personal interests.
We won’t spend time writing one of these out, since they are pretty straightforward, but I wanted to give you an idea of the kinds of residencies that exist and those that are part of many state arts programming.
EXAMPLES OF STATE FUNDING FOR INDIVIDUALS
Now, let’s look at a few examples of individual artists receiving grants from state funders. Although it isn’t the case across the board, grant size is smaller generally for these programs, since one of the main aims is to fund as many artists as possible. Here are a few examples, again from my home state of Minnesota. Note, they are very specific and resonate with the focused tone of the fellowship plans we have worked on so far:
* Dance: $6,000—To create and present a new full-length performance, breaking down the walls between various dance forms and interweaving the elements of different dance genres. $3,000—to re-choreograph “Leonora’s Dream” to be performed in two new locations.
* Theater: $4,400—To collaborate with an Australian composer and director, to co-create a new piece of musical theater that will explore the contrasts and similarities between Australia and the United States. $4,000—To research and conduct interviews for the play The Partition Project, set during anti-Sikh riots immediately after Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Pangea World Theater will host the workshop and performance when the script is completed.
* Pottery: $6,000—To acquire and install a large-scale “car kiln” with an adequate firing chamber that will allow her to experiment with imagery and scale.
SAME LEOPARD, DIFFERENT SPOTS
As you become more familiar with the requirements for applications, you will see the similarities between state and private funders. Even though each has its own language and calls things by different names, some aspects may seem similar. For instance, private funders host informational meetings to help answer questions about the application process. Public funders have similar meetings, but because public monies are sometimes viewed as contracts and not grants, a public entity might call these meetings “bidders’ conferences.” Same utility, same focus, only they use a different name.
PUBLIC FUNDERS, PUBLIC SERVANTS
Having applied for grants to both public and private entities, I don’t know which seems easier. However, I can say something about public funders in that they take their role as public servants quite seriously. As we round out our experience in accessing grant dollars, do not shortchange yourself by avoiding public grant opportunities because you have deemed them too bureaucratic.
My experience with staff in both federal- and state-operated programs has been stellar. I have met many administrators in some of the more popular departments like education, health and human services, housing and urban development, science, and, yes, the arts, and they have all been very helpful. This is your tax money at work, and when it comes to public monies distributed this way, it seems that both state and federal entities get it right.
THE GRANTS ZONE
You have done a lot of work, so give yourself a pat on back! Hopefully, after the exercise, the public-grant arena doesn’t seem so big and scary. Remember the following helpful hints: Grant applications are more standardized in public arenas; the eligibility requirements can be formidable; public grant applications rely on concise writing.
BOARD PET PEEVES
In this case, instead of boards we have staff, juries, panels and peer reviewers. These are some of the things that drive them crazy: Incomplete plans that miss telling them how this helps you develop as an artist; plans that focus only on the means; writing and narrative that is too abstract.