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SC Arts Commission Grants Programs

 

What is the Artists' Ventures Initiative?

 

Purpose

To encourage and enable the creation of new artist-driven, arts-based business ventures that will provide career satisfaction and sustainability for South Carolina artists.

 

South Carolina artists (individuals and collaboratives) may apply for up to $5,000 in order to launch a new venture or significantly alter an existing venture.

 

Because this is a highly competitive process, artists considering this grant application should contact Katie Fox (803-734-8767), Artists' Ventures program coordinator.

 

Grant Eligibility Requirements

Open to artists (individuals and collaboratives) with a strong plan to launch a new arts-based business venture or significantly alter an existing venture. Funding will be awarded to the artist identified as the primary applicant, not to the business entity. This grant award will constitute taxable income for the artist and should be reported to the federal and state governments.

 

Applicant must be:

• A professional-caliber working artist or group of artists working in collaboration
• A legal resident of the U.S. and S.C. with a permanent residence in the state for at least one year prior to the application and throughout the grant period.

 

Additional Requirements of this Grant

Applicants whose proposals are funded in this initiative will commit to becoming part of a virtual business incubator, which will require the following:

1. Attendance at no fewer than three incubator meetings designed to further the professional development of participating artist entrepreneurs. These meetings will take place during the Spring of 2010, Fall of 2010, and Winter of 2011.
2. Submission of quarterly progress reports (narrative and financial statements) over the course of the first 18 months of the grant.
3. Funded projects may also be selected to be showcased at upcoming arts conferences.

 

Match

1:2 (applicant:S.C. Arts Commission). 100% of the applicant's match must be cash. No in-kind or creative time is allowed as part of applicant's match.

 

Deadlines for the Two-Part Grant Process

1. Part One: Letter of Intent to Apply - Deadline: November 20, 2009
   The South Carolina Arts Commission will review letters of intent and related materials and extend an invitation to selected applicants to develop the proposed venture into a full grant proposal. Letters and support materials must be postmarked on or before November 20, or hand-delivered to the South Carolina Arts Commission offices before 5:00 pm, November 20. Letter of Intent Guidelines >>>
   
   
2. Part Two: Full Grant Application - Deadline: February 1, 2010
   After the review of the letters of intent and support materials has been completed, selected applicants will be invited (in December) to proceed to Part Two with a full grant application. Only those applicants who have been invited will be considered. Applications must be postmarked on or before February 1, or hand-delivered to the South Carolina Arts Commission offices before 5:00 pm, February 1. Guidelines for the Full Grant Application >>>

 

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Part One: Letter of Intent - Due November 20, 2009

Your letter of intent contains four sections

1. Cover page
2. A summary of your business plan
3. A product sample
4. Professional resumes for all primary artists involved in the venture

 

Section One: Cover Page

• Complete the Cover Page Document (PDF).
  (How to Use PDFs >>>)

 

Section Two: A Summary of your Business Plan

In no more than three pages (1 inch margins, single-spaced, 12 point type), the summary must address the following:

• The business' mission statement
• A description of the business' operations (its work and the processes in place that accomplish that work)
• The business' marketing strategy (where and how you sell your product or services, as well as a description of the market research that has led to these choices)
• A clear explanation of how requested funding will be utilized. Financial statements are not necessary at this point.

 

Section Three: An appropriate work sample.

Please note: those invited to submit a full application may be asked for additional work samples.

• For visual arts based businesses – 10 high-resolution images submitted on CD.
• For music based businesses – a 5 minute, high quality recording of principal performers, submitted on CD. Please do not submit a video recording.
• For theatre and dance based businesses – a 5 minute, high quality video recording, preferably submitted on DVD. Please be sure the DVD will play in a standard DVD player as well as in a computer's DVD drive.
• All others, please contact Katie Fox (803-734-8767) for guidance concerning work samples.

 

Section Four: Professional resumes for all primary artists involved in the venture.

• Please include both artistic and entrepreneurial experience.

 

Please mail or deliver your Letter of Intent by November 20 to:

S.C. Artists' Ventures Initiative

South Carolina Arts Commission

1800 Gervais Street

Columbia, S.C. 29201

 

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Part 2: Full Application – Due February 1, 2010

Although individual applicants may be asked for additional information, all applicants for the February deadline will be asked to submit:

• a Grant Application for Organizations form (PDF)
  (How to Use PDFs >>>),
• a complete business plan,
• work samples, and
• additional resumes.
• Applicants must also attend an interview with the Artists' Ventures selection committee.

Additional information will be sent to those invited to apply.

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