It’s not often recognized in popular culture but there are significant non-employment opportunities for an entertainment agent’s clients: Funding! Individual artists can find support within foundations, endowments, Federal, State, and local government.
These institutionalized angels can provide the means for part-time, full-time, and transitional work for a client to perform their craft individually. This alternative approach can be an asset for agents whose clients perform as-yet unembraced niche-acts, perform in low-activity markets, are working toward enough public recognition to strike a good deal, or otherwise have reason to perform outside a given institution such as Television, Movies, or the Music Industry.
Obtaining this funding isn’t necessarily easy, so an agent can add value to their client by identifying funding opportunities and providing assistance in the application process. For a look at a local Washington, D.C. resource head here.
Here’s a taste of the kind of funding available (reproduced from a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities publication):
Grant, Deadline
- Festivals DC, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 7:00PM
- Artist Fellowship Program, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 7:00PM
- City Arts Project, Friday, June 19, 2009, 7:00PM
- Grants-in-Aid, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 7:00PM
- East of the River, Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 7:00PM
- DC UPSTART, Friday, June 26, 2009, 7:00PM
- Cultural Facilities Program, Friday, June 26, 2009, 7:00PM
- Arts Education Project, Monday, June 29, 2009, 7:00PM
- Public Art Building Communities(Phase 1), Thursday, July 9, 2009, 7:00PM
- Folk and Traditional Arts Mini-Grant, Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 7:00PM (#1)
- Artists in School, Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 7:00PM (#1)
- Arts Teacher Fellowship, Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 7:00PM(#1)
- Hip Hop Community Arts, Thursday, September 10, 2009, 7:00PM
- Capital Region Touring Program, Thursday, September 10, 2009, 7:00PM
- Young Artist Program, Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 7:00PM
- Elders Learning Through the Arts, Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 7:00PM
- Small Projects Program, Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 7:00PM (#1)
- Folk and Traditional Arts Mini-Grant, Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 7:00PM
- Artists in School, Wednesday, November 18, 2009 (#2), 7:00PM
- Arts Teacher Fellowship, Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 7:00PM (#2)
- Small Projects Program, Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 7:00PM (#2)
- Folk and Traditional Arts Mini-Grant, Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 7:00PM (#3)
- Small Projects Program, Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 7:00PM (#3)
For those following, I may later roll this into “Representing D.C.” as an extended piece, which would cover such fun aspects as im- … wait for it… -plementation, implementation! If you are interested in that sooner rather than later, please indicate your interest in a comment below.
Despite tough economic times, it's possible these kind of opportunities will be on-the-rise based on renewed attention and thanks to my new neighbors: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Streaming-Now-The-…
More from DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) is a one-time grant available to arts organizations for up to $25,000. The grant will provide salary support for critical staff members and past artists within the organization to maintain or expand their positions. http://dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/cwp/view,a,3,q,644031…