Arts Management 101

Revitalizing Arts Coverage

2008-02-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today I heard the sad news that after years of shrinking fees and declined writing assignments, dance historian and writer Tedd Bale has chosen to step down from his post at the Boston Herald. The conditions that led Bale to this decision exist in communities across the country, as paper sales drop and blogging increases. Only time will tell what the long-term affects are of ousting informed arts writing to make way for near-sighted blog mumbling, but in the short run, I am wondering how arts communities can continue to learn from writers who have lost their syndicated voice?

From my own experience, I have seen the following work well for providing alternative means for communities to interact with dance writers:

Hire them to moderate a conversation within your art community.
Hire them to submit articles on your blog.
Hire them to give a talk at your school, community group, or artist cooperative.
Hire them to review your work (in studio) - an excellent way to learn from them directly.

The operative word here is hire, as these are knowledgeable professionals who can greatly increase the depth and quality of art conversation within your community.

The ethics of 'spec' in grantwriting

2008-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

For a growing arts organization, bringing on a grant writer is often an important step towards financial growth. But how do you pay for them? Organizations may be tempted to offload some of the financial risk onto the grantwriter by negotiating that a percentage of the secured grant be paid in lieu of (or in addition to) an hourly rate. However, this is regarded by most of the fundraising and philanthropic sectors as beeing unethical. Let's see why.

The crux of the issue has to do with ensuring best practices. You can think of the grant writer as the professional liaison between an organization and a funding body. Both parties have a vested interest in the grantwriter accurately depicting who the applicant is and what it is they do. Failure to do so could lead to a funding relationship that is based on false information, which could spell trouble down the line as the relationship develops. Therefore, being paid a percentage of the grant would place the incentives in the wrong place for the grantwriter, who should be compensated for their knowledge of the field and writing clarity, and not their ability to sell.

Long story short: Pay your grantwriters a fair hourly/project wage, and rest in ethical peace.

Top 10 tips for successful grantwriting

2008-01-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Spring is a busy time in the arts funding world, with submission deadlines for regional and national grants rolling by nearly every week. While the key to a successful development strategy begins well in advance of the grant-writing stage, here are a few tips that can increase your chance of successfully securing a grant.

1. Read (and read into) all grant guidelines and call program officers for clarification.
2. Know thine self (creative team, project, organization).
3. Don't look for money, but rather matches between your project and funder interests.
4. Study the projects that have previously received grants. Does your project fit into that mix?
5. Build upon successful templates from grant writers who have gone before you.
6. Develop a clear and realistic project budget. Fiscal responsibility is a key concern for organizations deciding whether to financially sponsor you or not.
7. Consider all grant compliance restrictions before applying.
8. Create a clear "audience" in your mind and write to that audience. Who are the people on the panel? What concerns would they like to see addressed in an application?
9. Proofread. Have your intern proofread. Have your mom proofread.
10. Send your application to the requested location, in the requested format, by the requested time/date.

One last tip: If you want to be extra kind to your heart valves, send your application in a day early.

Finding Studio Space

2008-01-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

Today I met with an aspiring opera composer who was looking for space to rehearse his new work. While I rattled off the usual tactics of studio shares on Craigslist, arts-council or service organization subsidized space grant programs, and partnerships with schools, we put our heads together to think of other options. Before doing so, we realized there were some prerequisites to our brainstorm.

1. What kind of space do you need (be specific about the dimensions, flooring, access, and acoustics)?
2. How much have you budgeted (don't fear if you have budgeted zero dollars, space is still possible)?
3. What space are you currently using or have previously used? Can steps be taken to explore a potential partnership with that organization?

Our brainstorm led to a quest to explore the potential of rehearsing in unused retail space, and my hope is to talk about the logistics of this pursuit with the impressive and resourceful folks at Chashama here in New York. I'll let you know what I find.