MUSIC INDUSTRY FACT SHEETS

© 2005 MusicNSW

GRANTS & SPONSORSHIP

The hardest thing for an artist to do is to find the money to fund a tour. How are you going to afford to go the distance and establish fans in areas that you’ve never been to? How are you going to pay for promotion, petrol, and even food? Grants can help you get on the road but they aren’t free – all it costs is a little hard work, organisation and good communication. It’s not as difficult as it sounds.

What are Grants?
A grant is monetary assistance for a specific purpose. You will need to account for how all the money is spent. It is important to remember that you don’t ever get something for nothing.

Where can they be found?
Many government bodies and/or arts organisations offer grants – so make sure you are on mailing lists for relevant local government, state government and arts organisations. Many government bodies will have an annual handbook outlining what grants are available – you should contact them to see if you can pick up a copy or have one mailed to you. They often have the handbook available for download from their website.

If you are a member of an organisation you will probably receive newsletters notifying you of information that is relevant to you – make sure you read these because you will often find they include upcoming deadlines for grants and where they can be found.

How do you apply for a grant?
Get organised – know what you are applying for and why? You will need to be able to get this across clearly in your application.

Get in contact with the person who deals with the grants and get them to help you with the process. This will ensure you are on the right track. Don’t harass them with endless queries but they will be happy to help you understand the process and what is required – so approach them once you have read all the material and made a list of queries.

Always read the application and the guidelines carefully and if you don’t understand something make a note of it so you can get the point clarified. You need to ensure you are answering the questions correctly. It is also extremely important that all questions are answered clearly – there is no point writing three pages on one question if you aren’t answering the actual question and if you aren’t giving the required information. Make sure your budgets and schedules are realistic and have been thoroughly checked. Always check and double check and make sure someone else runs their eye over the application to pick up anything you may have overlooked.

Before beginning your application be sure that you are able to define your project and that you know exactly what it is you want to achieve and how you intend to achieve it. If you are unclear it will show in the application and you will more than likely not succeed. Always make sure the application is supplied in the format outlined in the application and/or guidelines – this may include document formatting and spacing, number of copies, etc.

Check all submission requirements and if supporting material is requested make sure it is all supplied in the correct format and the correct number of copies are with the application – some bodies require multiple copies and have very specific guidelines. Ensure the supporting material is included when your application is submitted. There may be an opportunity for you to supply further material at a later date but NEVER assume you can submit additional information after the submission deadline.

Most importantly meet the deadline! Late applications won’t be reviewed so all the work you will have done will be wasted.

When the project is complete you will need to submit an acquittal report. This is a report to account for how the money was spent and outline what happened during the project. This report must be submitted – if you don’t you may not receive funding in the future.

Grant Brokers
If you feel that the whole process is way beyond you, you can always contact a grant broker. Grant brokers are people who write grants for you at a cost – either a flat fee or a commission or even a combination of the two. Some organisations, such as AIR, offer a grant brokering service, there are also individuals and businesses that offer this service – ask the person you are liaising with regarding your grant application if they know of anyone who provides this service – some arts organisations may also be able to point you in the right direction.

Sponsorship
What is sponsorship? A sponsorship is usually a cross-promotional agreement and can be an in-kind situation or a monetary one. A ‘presents deal’ with the media is another kind of sponsorship (see the Publicity & Promotion fact sheet for more information on presents deals).

Where can they be found?
Everywhere! This may seem rather broad but there really are potential sponsors everywhere. Write a list of products and/or services that you use or would like to use! This can include, instruments, equipment, clothes, shoes, even food and drink. Once you have the list, put them in order of preference and then start your research. Do they sponsor anyone else, what are their contact details and who is the person in the business that should be contacted regarding sponsorship – this may mean a phone call or an email to find out.

How do you apply for a sponsorship deal?
Put together a proposal making sure it is clear and to the point regarding what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. The proposal should be concise, professional and realistic – a maximum of two to three pages with a covering letter is a good guide.

In your proposal outline who you are and your history – you can include supporting materials such as reviews and samples of your music but don’t put in too many just include relevant materials. Explain the project – when it is and where it will be and if you are getting assistance from anywhere else. Demonstrating to a potential sponsor that you are getting financial assistance from grants or investment will show that you have the support and endorsement of others for your project. Outline what you would like them to do for you and list the benefits to them and what you can offer.

Make sure the covering letter is concise and only a summary of what is in the proposal. You don’t need to repeat yourself in the letter but you do need to indicate what the approach is about. Also indicate that you will follow up and when (five to ten working days is a good guide) and although you will be following up, the letter should contain complete and correct contact information for you. Use letterhead if you have it or create your own in your word processing program.

Be polite in all your communication and make sure you follow up your initial approach when indicated – be confident but don’t be annoying.

More Information
Arts organisations often hold seminars on grants and funding so make sure you are aware of what’s coming up near you. Check out organisation websites, like MusicNSW, Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Indent. The Music Managers Manual has a great chapter on grants and funding.

Grantslink
http://www.grantslink.gov.au/

Australia Council
http://www.ozco.gov.au

Ministry for theArts NSW
http://www.arts.nsw.gov.au

Music Managers Forum
http://www.immf.net/au

Indent
http://www.indent.net.au/home/

MusicNSW
http://www.musicnsw.com