Secretsofthegrant

 
Secrets of the Grant
Andrew Simonet
 
 
Top Five Limiting Ideas About Grant Writing

1. If another artist gets the grant, it means the world thinks s/he is a better artist than me.
 
2. Panels are political and random; they either like you or they don’t, so the applicationdoesn’t matter.
 
3. There is a conspiracy in the art world and on panels against me/my work/the work Ilike.
 
4. If I propose a huge, under funded project and don’t pay myself, I’m more likely to getthe grant.
 
5. My work is too strange/raw/honest/political for panels to handle; I should submitwork that makes me look like a “normal,” “real” choreographer/director/ artist.
 
 
 
Overview
 
 
Separate yourself from the grant. You are not the grant, you are not your video, you are notyour resume. Your proposal will be approved or denied for a complex set of reasons, neverbecause you are not a good artist. Depersonalize the task of grant writing. Be strategic. Itmakes your writing better and eases the (inevitable) heartbreak of rejection.
 
Try to inform, not seduce. A plainly spoken articulation of what you actually want to do isbetter than puffed-up look-at-how-amazing-I-am bragging.
 
Weird is good. Artsy is good. Don’t imagine that you need to make yourself and your worklook “normal” or traditional. Go with your most visionary, distinctive work.
 
Don’t try to second-guess a panel by pandering to funding priorities. Going on about howyour work could have community impact and solve poverty and cure AIDS only helps if it’s atthe center of your project. If it’s about making art, just say so.
 
Have someone read your proposal. HAVE SOMEONE READ YOUR PROPOSAL, preferablysomeone who writes grants successfully or who has sat on panels. This is essential.
 
If you ever have the opportunity to sit on a panel, do it. It is by far the best education in grantwriting. Also, read the grants that your friends and fellow artists write, especially peoplewhose work you do not know. You will learn a lot.
 
Always try to get panel feedback afterwards (if you’re accepted or rejected). Look at who andwhat projects were funded. Some, like the NEA, have formal mechanisms. Others can becontacted informally. Take notes on the feedback. Take a deep breath (cause it’s gonna hurt).Take it seriously. This is the most useful information you can get.
 
Grant panels are filled with master artists, presenters, funders, and critics. Putting your workin front of thought leaders in your field can have huge career benefits. I encourage people toapply for competitive national grants as much as possible even if you think your chances forsuccess are slim.
 
 
 
Proposal
 
Make a “legal” argument, a case. Tie together the many threads of the application (resume,video, proposal, work sample description) into one coherent, irrefutable argument:
1) This is who I am and what I have done.2) This is what I want to do next.3) This is (precisely, specifically) how this project will get me there.
Number three is where the grant/award/fellowship/festival comes in.
 
In your proposal, make references to your video, and to your bio/resume. Use the “WorkSample Description” sheet as a tool for situating your work and making you argument.Explain how your proposal comes confidently and organically out of what you have done.Submit video that will assure the panel you are capable of your proposal. For example, submita video of group work if you are proposing a group piece. Submit a longer piece if that iswhat you are proposing. If you cannot, try to address this in your proposal. Panels willwonder: “That’s a nice 5-minute solo, but can she make a 30-minute quartet? Can she sustainand develop a piece over time?” Anticipate and address the questions that a panel might ask.Keep it short. It shouldn’t be that hard to describe. Start with a quick, pithy sentence (youneed to be able to say it one sentence), and then fill in the details.
 
Specifics are nice. A timetable (even if the grant doesn’t require it) communicatesresponsibility and planning. Ideas are a dime a dozen; follow-through and execution are key.
 
Be transparent about questions and challenges. If a work is site-specific, discuss how you willsecure and work in the site. It is good to have questions, good to have new challenges in theproject. Let the panel know that you are thinking about these challenges and how you mightaddress them.
 
Try to speak plainly of the work you do. What is it? Multimedia movement-basedperformance? Contemporary dance which integrates text and narrative? Talk about what youwork with, the ideas, materials, images, stories. Talk about what you investigate. Don’t assessthe quality of your work. Only talk about the impact of your work on audiences if you know(cite actual feedback). “Many audience members have said....” is better than “Audiences areconsistently moved by my....”
 
 
Video
Get good video of all your work. It’s a hassle and an expense, but it is crucial. If there is talkingin your piece, make sure you pick it up on the videotape.
 
Never submit slick promo videos. They are useless. Panels want to see your actual work. Letthem.
 
Have someone look at your video. Get together a trusted artist and someone on the decisionside (presenter, funder, panelist), give them several options, get their honest feedback. It’s nota question of whether the work is good. It’s a question of what reads well on video, which istotally different. TAKE THIS ADVICE! It is impossible to assess clearly one’s own work onvideo. Resubmit videos that get grants.
 
In the “Work Sample Information Sheet,” tell the panel exactly what to look for and how it tiesinto your current work and your proposed project. Imagine that they will completelymisunderstand your work and guide them explicitly to what you want the to see. This is apart of the application that many artists neglect, and it can completely change the panel’s viewof your work.
 
Put extra stuff on your video that you would like the panel to watch. Panels will sometimesfast forward or watch more than the official 5-10 minutes of video, especially if they areinterested in you. Label the additional work somehow, on the video or on the info sheet. Anderase anything on the tape that you do not want the panel to see, especially work by otherartists in, say, a shared concert.
 
 
 
Resume
 
 
Calibrate your resume. Make the smallest unit big. People who actually think they areunimportant brag. Create an air of importance and clarity. “Selected Performance.” “SelectedChoreography.” “Partial Listing.” Let the reader wonder about what you left off. Nevermention college work or college awards. One page is nice. Two is the maximum, unless it’s aC.V.
 
 
Press Clippings

Calibrate like your resume. One or two nice clippings beats a stack of tiny mentions.Photocopy them nicely, with the name of the publication big at the top.  Because web-based publishing can be seen as less prestigious, copy actual publications when you can.
 
 
 
Budget
 
 
Pay yourself for your time. All of your time, including “creative time.” Pay yourcollaborators, your dancers. Real budgets that account for all expenses at professional levelfees will actually help your proposal. Underfunded or unthoughtful budgets will make youless likely to be funded.
 
If there is in-kind donation of time and services, put it in the budget as both expense andincome. Donated time should be valued. And your budget should reflect the actual size of theproject, even if it’s not all paid for in cash.
 
If you are making a $10,000 proposal (for example, the Independence Fellowship), don’timagine a $40,000 project and then underfund it. Limit your proposal to what you can doexcellently and thoroughly.