Funding for Arts Month at the Answer Desk: Support for Individuals in the Arts

Q: How do I locate foundations that provide grants to individuals in the arts?

A: To search for prospective funders that support individuals in the arts, we recommend the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants to Individuals Online, which has information on more than 6,000 foundations that fund individuals across a variety of fields, including arts and culture. The database can be accessed for free at any Foundation Center location throughout the nation, including the San Francisco library/learning center and all California Cooperating Collections. 

NYFASource (free registration required), from the New York Foundation for the Arts, is another useful tool for locating prospective funders. It includes more than 4,200 arts organizations, 2,900 award programs, 4,200 service programs, and 900 publications for individual artists across the country.

October 2008 is Funding for Arts Month at the Foundation Center. We have several programs planned specifically for individuals artists including:

• Writing an Artist Statement (Tuesday, Oct 21, 1-2:30pm)
• Business of Art (Tuesday, Oct 21, 3-4:30pm)
• Meet the Grantmakers: Funding for Individual Artists (Thursday, Oct 23, 1-3pm)
• How to Apply to the Creative Work Fund (Thursday, Oct 23, 3-5pm)

You may want to attend our regularly scheduled free class, Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts, in San Francisco, Milpitas, Berkeley or by webinar. You can also register for our online course, Grantseeking Basics for Individuals ($19.95) any time.