GRANT INFO

Often artists come into the grant writing process with a mentality that truly requires a shift in order to successfully see the project proposal through. This shift includes moving from approaching your craft as a hobby to a profession. Discipline, time management, budgeting, and business acumen are professional development skills you will need to implement as you begin to transition from a developing to an emerging artist.

 

Manpower

As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. Everyone has their own go to creatives/specialists who they prefer to work with, and that is your team whether official or not. With a project proposal the success of your application is not so heavily weighted on an officially paid/contracted team, however; the creatives whom you rely on and pay for services should be aware and in support of your project, since their name and creative input will support your project proposal.   

 

Deliverables

Many creatives come to their first grant writing session unprepared. In order to ensure efficiency regarding time, creatives should come to their first session with all of the deliverables from the grant preparedness checklist. This includes an updated bio, most recent EPK, business registration, marketing plan and a budget spreadsheet. Also support material regarding your project request e.g. flyers from previous events, released singles, and letters of support from managers, studio, mentors, and collaborators.

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Resources

It is imperative for creatives to appreciate that ‘in order to make money, you must spend money. Although grants are an opportunity to acquire more resources, the keyword here is ‘more’. With that being said, be prepared to invest in your creative projects and the grant writing process. Lastly, grant writing requires a time investment and time management is key to ensure the highest potential ROI. Remember to plan your projects at least 4-6 months ahead allowing for grant response time.