Supporting Individual Artists

Grants for individual artists unfortunately are few and far between and access to those is usually restricted because of the application/nomination process and/or geographical requirements.

The current issue of the GIAreader (a publication of Grantmakers in the Arts) includes a very interesting article on this subject by Claire Peeps, president of the Durfee Foundation - "Supporting Individual Artists: Ten Years, Ten Lessons". Since 2000, the Durfee Foundation's ARC (Artists' Resource for Completion) program has provided 475 small grants (up to $3,500 each) for artists living in Los Angeles. The article focuses on 10 lessons the foundation has learned about the grantmaking process. They include:

1. Artists would rather receive a grant by application than by nomination - "...artists are their own agents, in most senses of the word, so an artist's desire to make the case on his or her own behalf is logical."
   .
2. Artists don't want to be categorized by discipline or career level - "Taken with artists' preference for open application processes, it seems like we funders have some work to do, from a customer service perspective."
   .
3. Small grants are like stepping stones - "Artists need small grants to get from one place to another, at all levels of their careers."
   .
4. Ease of application and quick turnaround are highly valued - "The Durfee ARC application is short and relatively simple...Even so, it surprised us to learn that it takes artists, on average, three to five hours to complete it..."
   .
5. Funding is needed at all levels of artistic development - "Over the years, we've contemplated whether the ARC program should serve only emerging artist...Based on the results of the survey, we've rejected the idea."
   .
6. Artists support artists - "Nearly half of the artists surveyed used a substantial portion of their grant (46%) to hire other artists as collaborators."
   .
7. Grants encourage artistic risk-taking - "63% of ARC recipients said that the small grant enabled them to take risks that they wouldn't have otherwise."
   .
8. Local giving builds community and keeps it current - "While only artists living in Los Angeles can apply for a Durfee grant, their presenting opportunities can be anywhere in the world...On a related front, 83% of artists surveyed reported that a sense of community is an important factor in keeping them in Los Angeles."
   .
9. Artists make great panelists - "...one accomplished artist [said]...reading the applications was extremely illuminating on several fronts: it gave me a better sense of some of the work going on in L.A.; it highlighted what is effective and less effective in a proposal; it further sensitized me to the difficulties of making and showing work; it helped me to more clearly articulae my perspectives and opions...I also found it useful and fascinating to learn about the process of thinking and selection specific to a foundation..."
   

   NOTE: From personal experience, I can second those thoughts. I have been very fortunate to be asked to serve on major ($50,000 grant) and minor ($5,000 grant) panels including United States Artists, Bush Foundation and Mississippi Arts Commission. Being a panelist is truly an eye-opening experience - its also very hard but immensely satisfying work.

10. Optimism matters - "Artists make more art and better art if they feel optimistic, because they're more likely to take risks.".

A direct link to the full article is available. I encourage you to read it in full.

http://www.giarts.org/article/supporting-individual-artists-ten-years-ten-lessons