Applying for funding…where do you start, and are you eligible? Most artists working in the public sector and with arts centres and galleries will be familiar with it: grant applications. But other creatives, who are launching a business, not a charity, are not always thinking this way. Sure, there are crowdfunding campaigns you can run, but have you thought about local government grants as well? Indeed, there often is funding available for all sorts of projects, startups and other initiatives. Here is how to write a funding application for creative projects and businesses.
A funding application for creative projects
You may want to create an enormous wacky art installation, like my client Eleanor in Bristol.
Or, like my client Vicky, start up a business as an archivist for retired British actors and other VIPs.
Or you want to launch a platform for local craft food and drinks businesses, like my client Mel in Vermont, US.
These types of projects and businesses are often eligible for public grants, because they have cultural or economic value for the country or local area. Does your business fit into that box?
But also startups in other industries often have access to all kinds of funding. I have had quite a few clients over the past few years who were able to work with me because their received money for professional development.
Just do a Google search for grants in your local area, and see what pops up. You may find grants for coaching/mentoring, research, and even costs of material.
The #1 block that holds people back
What holds people back in applying, though, is that they see writing funding applications as a MASSIVE chore, which will will not get them any money in the end, or just a whole heap of paperwork and a sore head.
But it isn’t that hard, promise. And hey…you may get your hands on a nice pile of cash.
Writing grant applications is nothing more than marketing yourself to your ‘ideal client‘, in this case the funder.
Trust me, I once was a grants advisor, and I know what I’m talking about! I have helped many creatives improve their applications and get funding for their wacky projects. And I have also seen many applicants make the most common mistake when writing a grant application: turning it into a ego project, and not something for the greater good, for the benefit of others, or to contribute positively to the local area.
Boy, did many applicants make a right mess of it, just because they didn’t know how to explain what they did, and why anyone should really care.
Make it about them, not about you
So step away for a sec from your own wonderful idea, and ask yourself this:
What are the funder’s needs?
How do you fill those needs with your proposal? How can you tick their boxes? Don’t focus only on yourself and the – in your eyes – amazing project (mistake #1 creatives make!!)… instead focus on what’s in it for THE FUNDER, or how it is aligned with the (local) government’s policy.
In short: writing a grant application requires you to have a powerful ELEVATOR PITCH, that grabs them, hooks them and excites them.
It is exactly the same as writing your Authentic Message, one of the three pillars of my Passion to Profit coaching programme.
Need a grant? Want to get your dream business off the ground?
Whether it is clients you need, or funding, give me a call.
Together we can write a winning plan.