Theatre Production Guide: Fundraising

Crowdfunding

National and State Resources
Seattle, King County, and Washington

Portland and Oregon

 

Crowdfunding

 

Crowdfunding is making an appeal to many people to back your project. Sometimes backers may be content with a small gift (a project t-shirt, for example); at other times they want to invest and claim a portion of any profits. When you think about it, crowdfunding really isn't new. Ancient (pre-internet) practices included "taking up a collection" paying for projects "by subscription" and money raised by a "public appeal." In 1713, Alexander Pope recruited 750 subscribers to back his translation of 15,000 lines of ancient Greek poetry into English. Backers got a mention in the acknowledgements plus a copy of the finished work.

What has changed is that any one project can reach a wide group of interested backers located anywhere in the world.

According to the best estimates, crowdfunding sites are channeling over $34 billion a year to artists of every sort and also people faced with sudden and unexpected expenses. Estimates are it will grow to a $300 billion worldwide industry by 2025. There are 191 US-based crowdfunding platforms and about half of all fundraising efforts reach their goals. With so much cash—and passions at stake—practice due diligence and read the fine print very carefully.

The basic strategy is: refine and focus your project and fundraising goals, research relevant platforms, pick one, create you page, then spend lots time on social media spreading the word and shipping rewards.

Here are the major details to be on the lookout for:

1. Fundraising Tools
To fund your project you need to get your appeal in front of people likely to support it. Some questions: How robust are the platform's Twitter and Facebook applications? Can you directly send appeals from the platform via email? Is there a community of users forum on the platform where you can pose questions and learn about the experiences of other users? How good is the platform's library of resources? Are there tools, blogs, and tips for strengthening your appeal?

2. Customer Support
Behind every platform are teams of support staff and owners. Do they list a phone number or only email support? When you call, do you get a person or recording? Is there a chat window open when you are looking around the site? How well does the site maintain a reputation of integrity by ejecting scammers?

3. Crowdfunding Platform Fees
Most platforms charge fees. Types of fees to check for include flat fees for posting an appeal, and percentage fees subtracted from funds raised plus credit card processing fees (often twice what the credit card charges). It helps to understand the fees so you can explain them to potential donors. The industry range is from 7 to 12 percent.

 

4. Getting the Money

Setting a goal for your fundraising efforts is likely based on the detailed budget you have for the project. How much you actually will be able to raise is a guess. Does the platform require raising 100% of your goal to get any of your donations? This could be important, and if you go with a platform with this rule, you may want to set a lower goal. There shouldn't be penalty for raising more than you listed.


5. Ease of Use
As part of your research look over campaigns on a site. Does the typical layout make sense? Is it easy to make a donation? Do the pages look professional and inviting? Later, when seriously considering going with a site weigh the ease of setting up your page, making edits, and updating your content. If you can't use it it's not the site for your project.

Sample Crowdfunding Sites for Theater

GoFundMe
gofundme.com

With GoFundMe, the money you collect goes directly to you. There are no deadlines or limits. GoFundMe currently limits fees to standard credit card charges plus a small fixed amount per donation.

 

Indiegogo
indiegogo.com

Indiegogo is an international crowdfunding website founded in 2008. The site was one of the first sites to offer crowd funding and grew from the needs of the founders to fund a play, a theatre company, and research for a cure for a rare disease.

There are more than 9 million backers representing 235 countries and territories who support diverse projects from around the world. Projects are not evaluated or otherwise curated.

Kickstarter
kickstarter.com/allin1

Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality. In 2015, Kickstarter became a Benefit Corporation. Benefit Corporations are for-profit companies that are obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders.

Patreon
patreon.com

Founded in 2013, Patreon allows creatives to get regular payments by running a subscription membership business for their fans. Fans pay you a subscription amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive experiences & behind-the-scenes content. You create the terms that work for your project or stream of work. On average, Patreon patrons pay more every month than people pay for other popular subscription services.

Patreon allows creators to establish an ongoing and predictable monthly revenue source. Patreon also helps fans connect in a new way with the creators they love most. Through Patreon, millions of dollars every month is distributed to the tens of thousands of creators who have Patreon pages, whether they are creating podcasts, music, fiction, game streams, online videos, photography, visual art, and more.

Rally.org
rally.org

Rally.org helps people fundraise online and build social awareness.

Ulule
European & International

ulule.com

Ulule enables creative, innovative and community-minded projects to test their idea, build a community and make it grow. Ulule claims to be the leading European crowdfunding website, with more than 20,000 successfully financed projects, more than 1.8 million members worldwide and a campaign success rate close to 70 %. Ulule offers personalized coaching to each and every project owner, before, during, and after his or her campaign.

Ulule is certified as a B Corporation, which means it is a for-profit company that meets standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

National and State Grantmakers

 

Foundation Center
Main Office: Northeast - New York
32 Old Slip, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005-3500

(212) 620-4230

foundationcenter.org/
foundationcenter.org/products/foundation-directory-online
oundationcenter.org/ask-us/find-us

Foundation Center gathers and analyzes data, shares it worldwide, and empowers people to understand and increase philanthropy’s ability to improve the world. Its mission is to strengthen the social sector by advancing knowledge about philanthropy in the U.S. and around the world.

Foundation Directory Online makes it easy to turn foundations into funders. It’s the only resource you need to search for the foundations most likely to give you grants and manage your prospects through to funding. Here you can find information about more than 100,000 grantmakers. Using the FDO requires a subscription.

However, the FC’s Funding Information Network distributes this important information to communities across the country and around the world. The program consists of hundreds of community-based organizations that house and provide—free of charge to the public—a suite of our trainings and databases to their local communities.

FIN Locations in Idaho

FIN Locations in Montana

FIN Locations in Oregon

FIN Locations in Washington

 

Seattle,King County and Washington


Municipal Research and Services Center Arts Commissions and Cultural Programs mrsc.org/Home.aspx

The Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) is a nonprofit organization that helps local governments across Washington State better serve their citizens by providing legal and policy guidance on any topic.

MRSC provides a sampling of arts commissions and cultural programs in Washington State.

[Note: The Actors Handbook added a few county and city arts commissions added not listed by the MRSC.]

Overview: Arts and culture contribute to a community’s vitality and economic development. Many Washington communities have developed local arts commissions and cultural programs. Sometimes these programs are found within the parks and recreation department, and, in other cases, they may be independent offices. In addition to arts commissions, these include public art programs such as a percentage for art works, arts and cultural plans, art in public parks, municipal arts collections, and the establishment of arts, entertainment, and cultural districts.

Cities

 

Counties

  • Arts of Clark County (includes Vancouver) – Arts of Clark County encourages cultural and artistic opportunities that are an integral part of our community and contribute to the area’s unique character, identity and image as a desirable place in which to live, work, and visit.
  • King County 4Culture – Public development authority providing cultural services for King County, including the arts, heritage, preservation, and public art (See additional listing for 4Culture)
  • Kitsap County Arts Board – Administers the county's 1% for Art program


Arts and Cultural Districts
In addition to the districts below, several other cities including Bellevue, Burien, Mukilteo, and Seattle have been considering the establishment of arts or cultural districts.

4Culture
101 Prefontaine Place South
Seattle WA 98104

(206) 296.7580
hello@4culture.org

Web: 4culture.org
Web: 4culture.org/grants-artist-calls/other-listings
Facebook: 4Culture
Twitter: 4Culture
Instagram: kc4culture

4Culture is a support agency for the arts in King County. 4Culture offers opportunities for all kinds of cultural funding and support in King County, with deadlines rolling out throughout the year.
It also offers project consulting services.  (See also Film Production Guide: Business & Legal, Support Services)

Seattle Office of Arts and Culture
PO Box 94748
Seattle, WA 98124-4748

(206) 684-7171
arts.culture@seattle.gov

seattle.gov/arts

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) manages the city's public art program, cultural partnerships grant programs, LANGSTON (formerly the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute), and The Creative Advantage initiative. Its work fosters a city driven by creativity that provides the opportunity for everyone to engage in diverse arts and cultural experiences. In alignment with the City's Race and Social Justice Initiative, it works to eliminate institutional racism in its programs, policies and practices.

The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs maintains a website of listings for grants, arts jobs, arts news and educational and networking events. (See also Film Production Guide: Support Services)

Washington State Arts Alliance Foundation
6114 12th Ave NE
Seattle WA 98115

206) 437-3784
info@washingtonstateartsalliance.org

washingtonstateartsalliance.org

Washington State Arts Alliance, the statewide arts advocacy organization, works to promote public funding, legislation, and policy favorable to the arts. Washington State Arts Alliance Foundation works to increase knowledge, understanding, appreciation and practice of the arts through communication and education. A dedicated board runs the Arts Alliance and Foundation, and works with arts advocates around the state.

Washington State Arts Commission
Mailing Address:
PO Box 42675
Olympia, WA 98504-2675

Location:
711 Capitol Way S., Suite 600
Olympia, WA 98501

(360) 753-3860

info@arts.wa.gov

arts.wa.gov
arts.wa.gov/grants
facebook.com/WashingtonArts

ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission, a state government agency established in 1961. ArtsWA offers grants aimed at conserving and developing the state’s arts resources. ArtsWA programs and funding opportunities include grants to K-12 education, partners, special projects, and organizations.

ArtsWA is committed to values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and creative expression. It believes in diverse forms of artistic expression, and in access to arts and arts education for all individuals in our state.

Portland and Oregon

Oregon Cultural Trust
775 Summer Street NE, Suite 200
Salem, Oregon 97301

(503) 986-0088
cultural.trust@oregon.gov

culturaltrust.org

The Oregon Cultural Trust supports the arts in the State of Oregon.

The Oregon Cultural Trust champions and invests in the statewide cultural exchange and creative expression that make Oregon uniquely Oregon. OCT awards grants to individual artists and organizations and offers webinars on how to write an effective grant.

Regional Arts & Culture Council
108 NW 9th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR 97209-3318

(503) 823-5111
info@racc.org

racc.org
racc.org/resources/listings/opportunity/funding
facebook.com/RegionalArts

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) receives funding from a variety of public and private partners to serve artists, arts organizations, schools and residents throughout Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties.

RACC awards grants to individual artists and organizations; manages a grant search engine for regional, national and international grants; manages a call-board for jobs and auditions; hosts an online resource directory of research publications, businesses and organizations that support the arts, available workspace and housing, and upcoming workshops and lectures; and lobbies on behalf of the arts in the State of Oregon and Washington D.C.

* See also Film Production Guide: Fundraising