Arts Council Alternatives?

[Andrew Eglinton]

This is not an anti-Arts Council post. I respect ACE and the crucial role it plays in supporting and nurturing new performance practice across the country. 

Rather, this is a post inviting thoughts on alternative funding streams at the dawn of an era of substantial cuts across all sectors of life.

Times of upheaval form splits in the common fabric and allow new models to emerge, what funding alternatives are there to be had over the months and years ahead? 

Any suggestions for innovation in funding across all levels of practice would be great.

[Lucy Carolan]

So, nobody here has 30+ years professional experience of arts funding? Or are willing to admit it. Shame.

And nobody else wants to share their experiences or forward other suggestions? Also shame.

Actually, NE director of Arts&Business Adam Lopardo has shared a vast source of info about crowd sourcing funding (of all kinds), via twitter, that I hope he won't mind me passing on here on his behalf - http://crowdfunding.pbworks.com/

Going back to Andrew Eglinton's original post again (hello?), does the fact that it was originally about "supporting and nurturing new performance practice across the country" help to explain why there has been so little response to my input when I'm coming at the funding issue from a visual arts perspective? Until today, I didn't think it was important - I'd unquestioningly accepted the division of film from all other art forms, including performance, as covered by ACE, as logical and equitable. Now I'm not so sure. But though this whole ning initiative has been set up by Marcus Romer (thanks!), who is very much theatre-based I honestly thought the artsfunding debate included all arts.

And it doesn't help that so many of the Culture Forum candidates are performance arts oriented.

This forum, and the Culture Forum, will fail if they are not more inclusive.

[David Bolton]

Just a little update on the crowdfunding sites....

Currently the website for the UK-based "Sponsume" is offline. This is supposedly for "maintenance" - but we'll see.

The US-based "Kickstarter" still seems to be going strong. However, there is still no news on when they might be able to acccept non-US projects.

However, there is another US-based company called "IndieGoGo" which DOES accept projects from outside the USA. Furthermore, this site seems to be a lot more flexible over the type of funding project it accepts.

Have a look at http://www.indiegogo.com/

Most projects are films - but there are both performing arts and visual arts projects there too.

Interestingly, it seems that there was a Dutch-based crowdfunding company called Sellaband (aimed at funding - you guessed it - bands), which went bust earlier this year.
See http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/23/sellaband/

So these companies aren't necessarily going to thrive without occasional hiccoughs.

David

[David Bolton]

The Sponsume website is now back on line - and now has five "real" projects on it.

Have a look: http://www.sponsume.com/projects-search?type=All&location=All

Dave B

[Lucy Carolan]

Just heard of another crowdsource online funding space for photography/photojournalism - www.emphas.is

While it's not due to launch until sometime next year, and will be exclusively targeted to a specific medium (and even a very specific form within that medium), it's worth keeping an eye on as a potentially interesting model?

cheers, Lucy

[David Bolton]

Interesting site – thanks Lucy. And as you say, it does highlight another possible path that crowd funding might take. ie. specialised subject sites as opposed to the all encompassing ones.

Actually, it would be interesting to see the donating pattern of people who contribute funds via these sites. For instance, do people generally limit themselves to funding a specific type of project? Will someone who gives some dosh to a film-maker (or to, say, a sculptor) also consider sponsoring a new invention? If they don’t, then there may be little extra to be gained from posting your project on “variety” site like Sponsume or IndieGoGo – as compared to using a site that specialises in one particular type of project.

Moreover, if people very rarely donate to more than one project on a site – it would indicate that the sites are not actually being browsed by potential donors who are looking to throw a few quid at whichever projects take their fancy (as is one of their claims). Instead it would suggest that the sites are just being used as online collection buckets – and donors are simply drawn in by all the familiar “fundraising” activities (ie. harassing friends and relatives, hosting “events”, performing pointless stunts in return for sponsorship, etc).

Maybe the “specialist” sites, like www.emphas.is will encourage more of a “browsing available projects” culture, as at least on a site like that people are looking through projects in a subject area that definitely interests them.

[Susan Jones]

The issue "post public subsidy" hinges on the difference between having a chunk of secure grant - against a schedule of payments that supports cash-flow, strategic planning, etc, and the managability of lots of smaller amounts generated by a range of 'bespoke' negotiations with very different kinds of peple that may or may not materialise, be realiable, etc.
In our situation, where grant aid forms around 22% of turnover, research we conducted three years ago (pre recession) into how to replace the level of grant aid with a portfolio of other means unearthed a myriad of issues that impacted on everything about us - to the people we would need to employ/contract and the tactics they would need to be doing to the specificity of the products and services. It's not impossible, but it has the potential to impinge on your core values and sensibilities. Tribe etc may work for some aspects of R&D, etc. Is this good (real world), desirable (businesslike), inevitable (21st Century)? - not sure.
For some insights into how US non-profits raise money for their work (in a very different cultural climate) , look at www.nten.org

[David Bolton]

More on the "increased philanthropy" model - interesting article from Channel 4 news:
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/aposdig+de...

[Joanna Loveday]

The only other one I know of that doesn't seem to be mentioned here is 'We Did This':  http://www.wedidthis.org.uk/ The first ‘crowdfunding’ platform exclusively for UK arts organisations and their audiences.

They recently came to talk to arts organisations in Leeds at a Culture Vulture Event.

[Susan Jones]

We've just published an interview with wedidthis Director Ed Whiting as we wanted to find out what this site - which is arts specific is about and how Ed came to set it up.

 

It's on http://www.a-n.co.uk/jobs_and_opps/article/1196856 

 

How these sites will be effective in 'bring in' new supporters/financers of the arts  - whose 'strings' may be less irritating to deal with - is yet to be proved, I feel, although well worth trying!

[David Bolton]

More seem to be popping up all the time:
http://wedidthis.org.uk/
http://www.wefund.co.uk/
http://www.sponsume.com/
http://www.indiegogo.com/
http://pozible.co.uk/
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/
http://www.crowdcube.com/ (investment based)

Another interesting article on crowdfunding in the arts:
http://alicesonrobinson.com/blog/general/will-wefund-and-wedidthis-...

And example of a theatre project that recently met its crowdfunding target:
http://www.wefund.co.uk/project/games