|
Granting
Sources
We know how
much budgetary pressure you’re
under.
And we also know that we’re probably
one of the more expensive programs
you’ll bring to your school,
library, camp or event this year
(though we’re confident that you’ll
find us well worth the money!)
So, we figure it helps us to help
you find some money to offset some
of the cost of your booking. Below
are some excellent sources for
grants we’ve come across.
*note: grant information, terms and
deadlines are subject to change.
Michigan
Arts & Humanities Touring Program
Brainstormers!
is proud to be one of the juried
acts listed in the Michigan
Humanities Council’s Arts and
Humanities Touring Directory. If
you have non-profit status (you’ll
need a copy of your 501(c) (3) as
evidence) the MHC grants up to 35%
of your total contract total with
us, up to a maximum of $3,000.00.
The application is only six pages
long, and they lead you through the
process fairly painlessly, with
instructions and examples along the
way.
NEW THIS
YEAR! They’ve simplified things
greatly by having one application
period instead of two per year,
beginning September 1st,
for programs held between October 1st
and September 30th of the
following year. Also, there’s no
grant application deadline! BUT
HERE’S THE CATCH: the grants
will be awarded on a first-come,
first-served basis, and once their
grant funds are depleted, that’s it!
So, we recommend that you apply
sooner than later. It’s probably a
good idea to give the MHC a call
(phone number below) before you fill
out the application to make sure
there are still funds in the offing.
You can
download the application and
guidelines in MS Word or Adobe PDF
format from this website:
http://www.michiganhumanities.org/grants/touring/index.php
The nice folks
at Michigan Humanities Council are
always glad to answer your
questions. Give them a call at
(517) 372-7770,
and tell ‘em we sent you!
Michigan
Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs
Regional
Mini-grant
Funded by the
State of Michigan through the
Michigan Council for Arts and
Cultural Affairs,
this granting
authority is administered by 19
regional “re-granting” agencies
across the state. Like the MHC
Touring Arts Grant, you’ll need a
copy of your 501(c) (3) to prove
your non-profit status. The MCACA
minigrants are matching grants,
meaning you can get a grant for up
to half
of our contract amount up to
a $4,000.00 maximum.
The
application is only four pages long,
plus a one-page Budget Form, and a
straightforward Final Report Form
that you send in after the show(s).
Unlike the MHC
Touring Arts Grant,
there isn’t an application date that
you can’t file prior to; just a
deadline to meet for each of two
granting periods.
Application
Deadline For
Programs Held Between
July
1st
Oct 1st—Sept 20th
Feb
1st
April 1st—Sept30th
Plus, most if
not all regional re-granting
agencies hold application workshops
approximately one month prior to
each application deadline. We’ve
attended these workshops, and they
lead you painlessly through every
step of the process.
To get the
contact information for your region,
visit this website:
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18833_18834_18841-59482--,00.html
You can
download all the applications, forms
and guidelines you need at any of
the regional websites. Since we’re
in Oakland County, we happen to have
the Oakland URL handy:
http://www.oakgov.com/arts/form_application/index.html
The MCACA
offers many other Grant Programs in
addition to the Mini-Grant Program.
For more information, visit this
website:
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18833_18834-57660--,00.html
Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
South/North Dakota, Ohio and
Wisconsin: Arts Midwest Performing
Arts Fund
The Performing
Arts Fund supports the inter-state
touring of professional performing
artists
in the fine arts of dance,
theatre, music, youth and family
entertainment throughout Arts
Midwest’s
nine-state region.
They grant 20%
of a program’s cost, from a minimum
of $500 granted (i.e., total program
cost $2500) to a maximum of $5,000
granted (i.e., total program cost
$25,000). Their application is very
simple, just five questions long,
and can all be done on-line. You
will need a document proving that
your school or organization is a
non-profit, tax-exempt entity (your
district business office should have
that).
Also, the
programs need to both have an
educational component (i.e., shows
or residency programs for the
students alone), and a community
component (i.e., an performance
advertised to the general public).
We’ve had many schools book evening
Skywriter Shows and advertise them
with community flyers, which
satisfies this latter requirement.
Arts Midwest
will post the next on-line
application (they call it an
“E-Grant”) in February 2010, though
their official application period
begins on March 24th, 2010, for
programs held from July 1st
2010 thru June 30th,
2011. Grants are first-come,
first-served. Tip: because we’re an
artist from one of Arts Midwest’s
region states (Michigan) your
application will go into the “Star
Project” category, which gives you
priority over projects involving
artists from states outside their
region!
For more
information, call
Performing Arts Fund Program
Director Christy Dickinson
at (612) 238-8019
or email her at
performingartsfun@artsmidwest.org
Check this
website for the next funding cycle’s
application info:
http://www.artsmidwest.org/programs/paf/tools
If All
Else Fails…
There’s always the good ol’ Bake
Sale!
Brainstormers! LLC
Phone: (800) 631-0699 |
Client's 
Actors!
