Chew on This:
Making Money to Make Your Art

by Josh Moore

Aside from what is common for artists struggling to make a living – Catering, waiting tables, living off mom and dad – a new breed of creative personalities are combining their art with community and social empowerment. These new artists are forming nonprofit and community based organizations to bring art to their community, country and world.

However, while art and music are gaining increasing recognition as fundamental tools for social and personal enrichment, funds for these nonprofit programs are still no easier to find than pay checks for the professional modern dancer. So what are these organizations to do in order to find funding for their art and for their communities? Well, they must continue to be “starving artists” drawing their funds from a diverse stream of funding activities.

Currently, about half of the total revenue from arts and culture organizations is generated through earned income. For a starving artist, this would be waiting tables, for an arts organization, this is charging admission at the door and selling items through a gift shop. An additional 11% of funds come through government support, with the remaining funding coming from private contributions, and foundation (both corporate and private) support.

For the remainder of funding, there is room for optimism. With $13 billion dollars given to US arts and culture in 2005, there must be a few hundred dollars for the “starving artist”. Individual contributions are by far the easiest for an organization to obtain, and simply going through the phone book or leaving a sign up sheet at your event or organization can help develop a database of potential funders. 

Foundation and Corporate support, however, require a great deal more research and persistence to locate and obtain. While the process of grant solicitation is beyond the scope of this article, the first step is to find organizations that would be a good match for your nonprofit. The bodies with links below, including the Federal Government, offer free information. Local libraries also carry resources for grant seekers, such as The Foundation Report, and The National Directory of Corporate Giving. Finally, never underestimate walking through the community and soliciting support from the neighborhood business. Remember, art is art, but business is business. Everyone likes a bargain….maybe you can design their logo.

For further info:
Grantmakers in the Arts (www.giarts.org)
Fundsnet (www.fundsnetservices.com)
Grantsmanship Center (www.tgci.com)
Foundation Center (www.fdncenter.org)
Federal Governments Grant page ( http://www.grants.gov/)