abundance

the situation in which there is more than enough of something

alignment

the correlation between ideas, projects, artistic disciplines, or values offering the possibility of synergistic collaboration.

allocable

any costs with a specific and definite use

allowable

any acceptable costs established by the guidelines

anchor problem

a stubborn obstacle in your problem solving or ideation process which may feel unsolvable and keep you from imagining novel solutions

artist

a person engaged in creative endeavors; That’s you! (Whatever you are doing to create in the world makes you an artist.)

artist bio

a brief narrative that describes who you are as an artist, your art, why you create, as well as your artistic background; see bio

artist statement

a written expression of your current artistic goals, and motivations; see mission statement or artistic mission

artistic identity

a conception of yourself as a creative person, in relation to your art and community

artistic mission

a written expression of your current artistic goals, and motivations; see mission statement or artistic statement

audience

the people interested in your art, project, or performance

audience analysis

the process of identifying and describing people who may use or attend your project; also user analysis

bias

the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment

bio

a brief narrative that describes who you are as an artist, your art, why you create, as well as your artistic background; see artist bio

budget

an overview of all expenses and expected sources of income for a project

community

a group of people connected by a common interest, such as geographical location, identity, affinity, or interest

corporate sponsor

a business that provides funding for projects or nonprofits, often in exchange for marketing and publicity

creative agency

the feeling of control over actions and their consequences related to creative work and lifestyle

crowdfunding

the use of small amounts of money from a large number of individuals to finance a new venture; often uses social media and websites to bring people together, with the potential to increase entrepreneurship by expanding the pool of investors beyond the traditional circle of owners, relatives, and venture capitalists

curriculum vitae

a comprehensive document covering artistic projects, education, and experience; common in academia (CV)

Decision maker

a person that chooses between options, often limiting what will be offered to the users or audience

demographic

the statistical characteristics of human populations (such as age or income) used especially to identify markets

dependent event

a smaller event that is required for the major event to move forward; see minor event

fiscal sponsorship

a nonprofit organization that can receive and disburse funds on behalf of unincorporated individuals or organizations; often used for grant funds with specific nonprofit-related requirements and usually incur a fee for the service

freewrite

to write without self-censorship or judgement to allow your stream of consciousness onto the page

grant writing

the act of creating proposals with specific requirements for funding from granting organizations

heuristics

methods of thought consciously or subconsciously used to solve problems, which can vary in their effectiveness for different tasks

ideation

the process of creating new ideas

in-kind donation

a non-monetary contribution of goods and services; see in-kind support

in-kind support

any non-monetary support, such a contribution of a venue, equipment, time, labor, or supplies; see in-kind donation

individual donor

a person who provides funding to projects or nonprofits

influencer

one who exerts influence; specifically, a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media

internal deadline

a checkpoint for the major events required for a project

line item

an item listed in a budget, such as the cost of electricity

major event

an important milestone(s) for your project

market segmentation

the process of breaking down markets or groups of people into smaller groups based on shared needs or characteristics; performed to create strategies that cater more specifically to individual groups

mind map

a diagram that is developed, often in a freehand fashion, to capture ideas visually, organize them in a hierarchical manner, and discover relationships between disparate pieces within the whole

mind mapping

the process of creating a diagram to capture ideas visually, organize them in a hierarchical manner, and discover relationships between disparate pieces within the whole; often developed in a freehand fashion

minor event

a smaller event that is required for the major event to move forward; see dependent event

mission statement

a written expression of your current artistic goals, and motivations; see artist statement or artistic mission

non-allowable expense

the generally indirect expense like personal debt repayment, housing rental, or rental of studio space

nonprofit, or 501(c)(3), organization

an incorporated organization created around a mission which serves the public good; nonprofit status must be applied for through the Internal Revenue Service and requires the organization to have a board of directors; a 501(c)(3) designated organization can receive tax-deductible donations

operating support

the funding for baseline, ongoing funding needs such as administrative or creative salaries, office space, insurance, and other recurring expenses

pitch

a concise, compelling description of your project, typically delivered in situations where you are meeting new people, or requesting funding; most often in person, but can be in a video or other medium

portfolio

a selection of an artist's work (such as images, audio recordings, and videos) compiled over a period of time and used for showcasing talents

portfolio career

a working style where you combine multiple streams of income—often creating a mix of full or part-time employment, freelancing or working as a consultant

project description

a grant document which describes your project in detail, sharing what the project is, why it is important, who is involved, and how it will be accomplished; sometimes called a statement of grant purpose, executive summary, or project summary

project expenses

all costs of the project, including funds for marketing, administration, personnel, or facilities; includes planned and actual expenses

project income

the specific funding sources of the project, including grant funds, individual and personal contributions, and in-kind donations; includes planned and actual income

project management

the process to help define the goals and objectives of the project, determine when the various project components are to be completed and by whom, and create quality control checks

project support

any funding for a one-time project, with expenses that are exclusive to that project

psychographics

the market research or statistics classifying population groups according to psychological variables (such as attitudes, values, or fears) including activities, interests, and hobbies

reasonable

the proposed costs that make sense for the project

reporting requirement

the required progress report(s) to the funder while the project is in progress and at conclusion of project

résumé

a short document detailing your relevant artistic projects, education, and experience for a job or opportunity; usually 1 or 2-pages formatted with bullet points rather than prose

scarcity

a situation in which something is not easy to find or get

stakeholders

one who is involved in or affected by a course of action; an interested party that can either affect or be affected by the entity, including investors, employees, customers, and suppliers

stereotyping

the forming or using a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment

sustainable

the ability to maintain your activities over the long term; for many artists, this involves multiple income streams, and the flexibility to pivot when their situation changes

talking point

the most important idea(s) to communicate in a pitch

target audience

a group of people (attendees or users) you expect to take part in your project

timeline

a grant proposal document showing a sequential map of important events, checkpoints, and goals during the grant period from planning to execution

user analysis

the process of identifying and describing people who may use or attend your project; also audience analysis

viability

a measure of the ability to complete work as intended or to succeed

website

a collection of web pages and related content with a common domain name;
often includes photos, examples of your art, a bio, and contact information; a primary marketing and networking tool

work sample

the proof of your knowledge and skills; adds credibility when show what you have done; comprise a major portion of your portfolio; includes photos of projects, multimedia recordings, documents, etc.

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The Path to Funding Copyright © 2022 by John Hopkins University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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