GRANTS!

I wanted to take a moment to mention a source of income that most artists may not be aware of, or maybe haven't ever bothered with. The Grant!
I live in rural upstate NY and finding opportunities is hard. There isn't much culture here besides nascar and cow tipping...So when I read about grants in an artist promotion book, I was ready and willing to apply. I had nothing to lose! And positively, if you don't apply, you won't get anything. period.That's a fact.
I ended up applying for a few grants last year.... One in particular was through our tricounty arts council. They offered a $2500 individual artist grant for an artist living in these specific 3 counties in NY state for an art project that could be shared with the community. I was pretty skeptical about the whole thing, but wanted to experience the application process and try for it. Why Not?
Well I got an email late last week about the grant. I won it! So in the spring I will have $2500 for art. The point of all this is that there really is money out there for our various art adventures. It may be limited, yes, and you may have to do some legwork to present yourself, but if you have something interesting you want to try with your creativity and you need some capital, you should look into a grant. We all pay taxes! We deserve this money! and You don't have to pay it back!! You may have to list what you will spend the money on, but hey, wouldn't we all just love a $2500 trip to Dick Blicks? I have listed a link on the sidebar that is called NYFA> It is a very informative site that has all kinds of information about funding, exhibiting, grants...There is a large searchable database and although it is a NY based site, there are so many opportunities listed here from around the world. It is a great source for those who seek additional information on money and promoting yourself, not just for New Yorkers but for all artists. Check it out.