Demystifying Grant Writing: Find Funding for Your Music Projects
Guest Post by Jill Timmons, DMA
Grant writing is something you can learn to do! It’s not a special talent, and if you have ever written a senior thesis or even the ubiquitous term paper, you already have the basic writing skills needed. What may be new to many musicians, however, is the style of persuasive writing that is required. You can easily master this skill along with how to prepare a budget, build a consortium of support, and search out the most promising sources for funding. In this short article I will give you the basics required to be a successful grant writer. I’ll touch on the “Four P’s:” Purpose, Project, Process, and Preparation! From there, you can do your own research or even enroll in a weekend grant-writing workshop! Roll up your sleeves. You can do it!
For most musicians, the idea of asking for money for their professional projects or for ongoing support can be at times daunting given the fact that there is the possibility of rejection. For some artists, it might seem overly time consuming. After all, most of us guard carefully our practice time. For those who are in the teaching trenches, there is often little discretionary time. And without clear outcomes or guarantees, grant writing can sometimes feel like we are rolling the proverbial stone up the hill. Nevertheless, we can develop our skills and proclivity for successful grant writing, and we can find ample resources to fund projects that nurture and enrich our communities. It can even be fun!
There is money out there for the arts and in fact billions of dollars in the non-profit and government sectors. In addition to the IRS requirement that private foundations spend at least 5% of their investment assets each year, the government provides foundation tax returns as a matter of public record. Also, you can find a vast repository of information on such online sources as the new Candid. In February of 2019, the Foundation Center and GuideStar merged, providing a leading source for philanthropy, grant sources, and foundation financials. Think of this search process as your “Money Safari.” You are hunting for the right funder for your project. Becoming a skilled grant writer can amount to literally money in the bank. A number of things, however, have to be in place if you are going to succeed in landing the support needed for your projects.
There are several general principles that govern all successful grant proposals. Before you begin developing your project and funding search as an individual, you will need an “Artist’s Statement.” For arts organizations seeking grant funding, usually under the non-profit status, this is the “Mission Statement.” Each of these narratives is usually around one to two hundred words and gives the reader a sense of who you are, your artistic vision, whom you help, and what you bring to your community that is distinctive—it’s your purpose. Be prepared to persuade your reader as to why anyone should care about you or your work—individual or non-profit alike.
In addition to the artist or mission statement, you will need a one-page “Project Title and Abstract.” This narrative succinctly describes your project, the need it addresses, the project’s importance and sustainability, and why you are qualified to manage it to successful fruition. Your writing style is persuasive, passionate without hyperbole, richly descriptive, and succinct. Think of Hemingway versus Proust… In one page, your potential funder has a richly nuanced understanding of your proposal. These abstracts take time and usually require numerous drafts. Every word counts and there is no wandering into the weeds. A great proposal abstract prompts the reader to dive into the project budget, along with any ancillary application materials that are required by the funder.
Altruism is a central theme in all successful grant writing. Funders want their money to go to worthwhile, community-enriching, need-based, sustainable projects. In the long run, all grant writers need to answer these questions: Why should they (the funders) care enough about your project to give you (and not someone else) money? What is the difference you are making with your project? What need are you addressing in your community? Are you in alignment with the mission of the funder? Why are you the one to do it? How many people does your project serve? What are the lasting effects of your project long after it has concluded? What assessment tools will you use to measure outcomes? How is your project sustainable? If you can answer these questions through an evidence-based narrative that provides a compelling and descriptive imperative for your project, then you are well on your way to writing a successful proposal.
Like music, grant writing is collaborative. This is your process in bringing your proposal from a great idea to one that is funded. One of the joys in our industry is making music with others, sharing it with eager audiences, educating young people in this temporal art form, and serving as a conduit to future generations. It stands to reason that most musicians are already experienced and skilled in bringing people together in complex and collaborative ventures. Just think of what goes into staging a large-scale opera!
With grant writing, the collaborative process begins by building a consortium of support before submitting a proposal. Yes, it means that you have to have some sort of concrete support in place before you ask for money. This notion, however, usually stops most newcomers to grant writing. But “support” is lurking everywhere, especially if you understand that your project is not about you per se, but instead articulates the needs of your community. Your project should clearly serve those needs and connect likely funders to initiatives with which they are excited to collaborate. It’s not about you, but without you as the grant writer, there will be no funded project.
That consortium of support that is ever present can come in a myriad of ways. There are in-kind services (for example: free printing, donated office space, etc.), individual donors, underwriters for a specific item (providing a concert grand piano for a performance), volunteers who work on your project (their time is worth money), and even partners in fundraising events (sharing the proceeds with, for instance, a local non-profit). And don’t overlook the old-fashioned bake sale/raffle/car wash/silent auction/crowd sourcing, ad infinitum. Any efforts on your part to raise money on your own show a potential funder that you care and that you are willing to do the heavy lifting. Moreover, most projects are funded by streams of support. No funder will ever provide you with 100% of the money you need for a project, with the possible exception of a family member, and that may come with other expectations!
With your consortium and collaborative partners secured, next comes your preparation. In addition to a flawless proposal narrative, you will need to have in place a detailed budget. Who is your fiscal agent (the entity that receives grant funding)? Are you applying as an individual or as a non-profit? These decisions sculpt the choices you will make in where you apply for funding. A superb budget provides concrete evidence of what you have already put in place through your consortium of support. Your budget is realistic, sensible, and defensible. Foundations will be scrutinizing every detail of your budget to make sure that their award goes to the right place. Through a well-articulated budget, you provide tangible evidence that there are already, through your funding consortium, professionals financially supporting your project. Money attracts money. In a way, your project becomes vetted by the support of other financial entities. Proof of the support you have already landed, plus a realistic detailed budget, is your gateway into creating a winning grant proposal.
Whatever your project may entail, remember that it is an act of collaboration not only with your consortium partners but with your funders as well. All funders need visionaries to fulfill their philanthropic mission. Through that mission they seek to enrich their communities, and in the larger scale, the nation. You are joining with others to bring a project to fruition, one that serves the needs of society. The most effective projects are those in which all project partners benefit from the collaboration. Think of your proposal as a kind of equilateral triangle that represents a need. You already have two of the three angles covered: 1) the consortium of support that you have developed for your project, and 2) you have the requisite skills and knowhow to solve the need. The remaining third angle is about acquiring the funding to complete your project. This is your funder. As a skilled grant writer you will be keenly aware of how you bring diverse contributors to your efforts, demonstrating how it will benefit all. In all successful grant proposals, the sum is truly greater than the parts.
Once you develop a well-honed proposal with all the detailed supporting evidence, that proposal can be submitted to many funders. Finding the right funder, however, means doing your homework—more preparation. Most grant proposals are turned down because the applicant did not pay close attention to the interests, scope, and mission of the foundation. You can find all this information and more online. You can also narrow the focus of your research through a number of geographic, demographic, and economic markers. And most foundations prefer to fund projects in their local community or geographic region, enriching the lives of those they serve. Keep in mind that there are also local, state, and federal government granting agencies that may want to assist you with funding.
Remember, there is money available (and a lot of it!) for worthy projects that address the critical needs of communities, non-profit organizations, schools, and arts institutions. It’s about the four P’s: Purpose, Project, Process, and Preparation . It’s about doing your homework, being meticulous in all documents, providing vetted support for your initiatives, aligning with your own mission and that of the funder, and speaking clearly and eloquently to the needs of your community.
Don’t be afraid to ask for money. You have nothing to lose. And with each application you submit, you have the opportunity to hone your skills. The worst that will happen is that you will be turned down. And if you are turned down, call the foundation and find out why. How might you improve your proposal? Then resubmit. Be bold and ask whether or not you could submit a draft of your proposal to see if it is in line with the foundation’s mission. Consider an in-person meeting to discuss the efficacy of your project vis-à-vis the foundation’s current initiatives. If you don’t ask, you have no chance of receiving funding. Grant writing is something you can learn to do. And as you become successful in finding funding you might even have fun along the way!*
* Excerpts reprinted from The Musician’s Journey: Crafting Your Career Vision and Plan by Jill Timmons with permission from Oxford University Press© 2013 Oxford University Press, and from the Oregon Musician, Winter (March 6, 2017).
Jill Timmons performs internationally as both a solo pianist and ensemble artist and has offered performances and educational residencies on three continents (www.artsmentor.com). She has been a featured artist on National Public Radio, has performed under the auspices of the National Endowment for the Arts, and has recorded on the Laurel, Centaur, and Capstone labels. Ken Burns chose music from her Amy Beach recording, with Laura Klugherz, for the soundtrack to his PBS documentary, The War. As an NEA fellow, she recorded the complete works for solo piano by American composer, William Bergsma. An award-winning author, Timmons has written on topics that include entrepreneurship, and volunteerism within the arts and humanities. She is a recipient of the Wilk International Literary Prize from the University of Southern California. In 2013, Oxford University Press published her groundbreaking career guidebook: The Musician’s Journey: Crafting Your Career Vision and Plan. A second edition of this publication will be forthcoming in early 2023. Timmons holds the DMA degree from the University of Washington and her masters from Boston University. Since 2012, Timmons has served as the Artist/Teacher Affiliate with Classic Pianos in their seven locations throughout the US, and as a consultant to the Yamaha Corporation of America. Currently, she is a Visiting Fellow in the School of Music at Yale University. Away from the piano, you will find her hiking, cooking, or instigating a new music project! For more information, visit her website, Artsmentor.
“She is a sensitive musician…Her playing is graceful, lyrical, detailed and intimate.”
Tim Page, The New York Times
“Timmons soars with the eagles. She plays with vitality and élan.”
Fanfare Magazine