Reimagining Arts Funding: What Other Options Are Out There?
The Reimagining Arts Funding Community Discussion is all about highlighting and developing other models for funding the arts outside the Government grants system. What other models are out there?
Some examples:
Crowdfunding - online platforms that host donations, sometimes (though not always) with rewards attached. Our venue host Pozible is Australia’s first major crowdfunding platform! Other local options include Creative Partnerships Australia and Chuffed, while international options popular with Australians include Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe. giveOUTday is a special 24-hour crowdfunding event for LGBTQ organisations and projects.
Patronage/subscriptions - similar to crowdfunding, except payments are made regularly either per creation or per a regular schedule. Patreon is most well-known in this space but Pozible has its own patronage platform too! Ko-Fi Gold and Substack (which hosts this newsletter) also offer subscription options.
Community fundraising events - shows, exhibitions, or other similar events that bring communities together for a shared cause. This is more commonly associated with larger non-arts matters, such as the copious amount of events for the bushfires, but many arts projects are funded this way too! Mama Alto has hosted fundraising cabarets for her album and for my show Queer Lady Magician (which ended up being a major source of funding after we got rejected from every grant). Finucane and Smith also host an annual Christmas gala that serves to raise funds for the following year’s work.
Social media-oriented fundraising - some fundraising efforts use specific social media platforms & their communities to their advantage. Project for Awesome is an annual YouTube-based 48-hour marathon featuring YouTube videos of various causes worldwide that can be voted on to win crowdfunded money (and gain awareness in general). Twitter hashtags such as #AuthorsforFireys or #TransCrowdFund raise awareness of multiple related fundraising projects, while hashtags like #VisibleWomen or #PitMad become viable marketing and funding options for many creatives. Facebook has its own fundraising platform, but there are also many Facebook groups offering peer-to-peer aid.
Philanthropy (Macro and Micro) - while philanthropy, especially in the arts, is often associated with large organisations such as the Ian Potter Cultural Trust or The Sidney Myer Fund & The Myer Foundation, there are a growing number of smaller organisations and individuals that also provide microgrants. These options are often more accessible for niche and marginalised artists who may be shut out from larger philanthropic options (which often have bureaucratic restrictions similar to Government funding). Black Rainbow offers microgrants to LGBTQIA people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, while Lesbians Incorporated provides similar microgrants to projects supporting Australian lesbians and their communities. Nadia Eghbal (who has just started working at Substack) ran an experimental microgrant program, Helium Grants, from her own income plus other donations: while she no longer runs Helium, she’s provided some resources for running your own microgrants.
Giving circles - a specific example of smaller-scale community-oriented philanthropy where a small group of people contribute money (often a set amount on a regular basis) to give out to projects based on their interests. Some Australian examples include The Channel (which also organises the Australian arm of giveOUTday), Awesome Foundation, and Impact100. The Red Rattler, a queer arts and community venue in Marrickville, was funded in a similar fashion - a group of queer artists coming together to provide funds to purchase a space.
Brand partnerships & sponsorships - this is more commonly seen with either big-budget events or online influencers, but there are some interesting partnerships developed between brands and indie artists. The aforementioned Finucane and Smith have a long relationship with Sofitel - if you check out the hotel lobby in Melbourne you will see a picture of Moira Finucane in its fashion exhibition! YUMMY have also developed very novel partnerships: a makeup line with CheekyBits and a “Meat and Greet” tasting event with Tastepoint. Regular YouTube watchers or podcast listeners will have likely seen/heard ads by SquareSpace, Audible, Mailchimp, or other regular brands, but there are also sponsorships that are much more specific, such as this van refurbishment challenge being sponsored by an auto parts company. While it can be tricky for smaller-scale to apply for sponsorship from big companies, smaller companies and groups have made their sponsorship processes more accessible - for example, Gumroad or the vlogbrothers (who also founded the aforementioned Project for Awesome and run artist merchandise site DFTBA, mentioned later).
Incubators - incubators provide space, seed funding, and mentorship for emerging small businesses. While they’re most commonly associated with tech startups (especially given the common use of Agile methodology, a project management process that originated from software development), there are some that specifically target arts businesses, such as the Auspicious Arts Incubator and State Library of Victoria’s Foundry658 program.
Education - teaching is a common side gig for many artists, and the options are wider than just university or school teaching. There are independent courses (such as Queenie van der Zandt’s Musical Theatre Intensive Weekly Masterclasses), private tutoring, or classes offered on platforms such as MasterClass, Skillshare, or the Centre for Adult Education. Specialised one-on-one mentoring, such as those offered by writer & journalist Marisa Wikramanayake and independent producer MILKE, is also common.
Auxiliary skills - providing services in skills related to (but not necessarily directly involving) one’s artform. Examples are aplenty - writers that also edit and proofread, visual artists working on commercial design projects, simulated patient work for actors. A growing option is sensitivity reading, or media consulting for accuracy by people with lived experience (similar to development work in the screen industry) - some examples of people doing this work include writer and journalist Jinghua Qian and writer, speaker, and podcast producer Erin Kyan. Consulting in general is also common, especially for artists and creatives that have grown strong skills in other fields as a result of their work - for instance, YouTuber MatPat (creator of the series Game Theory, which examines the science behind video game lore) now does social media consulting for major companies.
Licensing - more common with visual artists and musicians, though I’m sure other artforms also do similar work. Organisations such as APRA AMCOS and The Copyright Agency handle royalties and licenses on a larger scale, but many options are also more directly accessible to artists: royalty-free and stock sites (such as for illustrators and sound artists), direct licensing of existing work for specific media, or custom work commissioned and licensed (the poster art for Queer Lady Magician was originally a low-cost commission from charminglysam via Tumblr; when the show was produced, I then paid a licensing fee to use the art on marketing material and merch).
Merchandise - some artists work in artforms that would naturally create items for sale (such as art prints, books, films, records, or games), but there are also many options to sell related merchandise regardless of the saleability of the original work. This isn’t just limited to bands and theatre! DFTBA and Topatoco handle merchandise for many independent online creators, while Society6 and RedBubble allow artists to upload work to be printed on many kinds of products, including apparel and household goods.
Prizes - awards and prizes, especially those geared towards specific subgenres or demographics, can be key in supporting artists and their projects. The Stella Prize is geared towards supporting financial independence for women writers through a generous cash prize. The Otherwise Award, though smaller, has been instrumental in supporting speculative fiction work exploring gender, which often face issues being funded by more mainstream avenues.
Residencies - residencies offer opportunities for artists to spend dedicated time on their work in a dedicated space - not just the common stereotype of ‘a cottage in the middle of the woods’, but also within companies, community organisations, airports, trains, boats, the Antarctic, and amidst volcanos. While some residencies require a fee from the artist, others - such as Bundanon Trust’s Prelude residency for composers - provide artist stipends and other resources.
Day jobs and side hustles - it’s more and more common nowadays for people (not just artists) to take on multiple jobs to survive, and I don’t think there should be any shame or scorn directed towards people who can’t or don’t want to subsist on art alone. These day jobs for artists can take on many forms, not just the stereotypical hospo gigs. 24 Carrots Productions director Sharmini Kumar works as a doctor and channels her earnings towards making theatre. Side Hustle School has hundreds of case studies and interviews around all kinds of side hustles taken alongside a day job - often it’s the artmaking that’s the side hustle, but sometimes the ‘side hustle’ ends up being the main money-maker.
Family and partners - there is often some derision thrown towards ‘trust fund kids’ or ‘still living in mum’s basement’, but many artists still rely on family support to get by - especially in this economic climate and doubly so if they are marginalised (such as being disabled or an immigrant). I myself am still financially supported by family out of necessity as fully stable financial independence has been a struggle, mainly due to visa issues and the resulting aftermath (the main reason I’m passionate about this topic to begin with!). The founders of The Toast have been transparent about their seed funding coming in part by the husband of one of the founders, who worked in a hedge fund. Stardew Valley is often celebrated as a successful game made by a solo developer, Eric Barone, but this was mainly made possible by being financially supported by his girlfriend while working full time on the game. Sometimes the support is indirect. as shown in Judy Brady’s satirical story I Want a Wife: #ThanksForTyping highlighted the unpaid labour of women behind famous male authors.
This is a pretty extensive list, but it’s far from being exhaustive! Do you know of any other examples of arts funding options that are not Government-based? Have you tried other avenues yourself? Do you run such an opportunity? Share your thoughts on the discussion thread for this post, the Facebook event page, or at the community discussion itself!
Pozible HQ
2/108/112 Langridge St, Collingwood VIC 3066
28 January 2020 6pm onwards
I will leave you with this essay from Candy Bowers about the importance of breaking away from old models in the arts and overhauling the system:
Many want an arts sector that is hungry and voracious and politically dialled in, a global-leaning industry that reaches for the sky. Major upheaval is a marker for major growth. It can be extremely difficult to break old patterns that no longer serve or push us higher. It’s time to look beyond cultural gatekeepers. Change is inevitable and if world politics are anything to go by, we (artists/producers/writers/dancers/directors/designers/techies/actors, yes even actors) cannot rest on our laurels waiting for our cheese to return. Fight for it, but also skill up and prepare to head out into the maze.
More updates soon! Do share this newsletter and the event with your peers and networks.