There are many community resources for artists interested in online learning, with several websites dedicated to creating and improving business plans, social media outreach, grant applications, and more. While the Foundation Center’s Grantspace program and Technology in the Arts offer free live webinars, Americans for the Arts, Creative Capital, and Klein Art Works provide live and recorded webinars that allow you to learn from home, the office, or the studio for between $25 and $50. Explore your long distance learning options below!
 GrantspaceLive and recorded webinars, Q&A’s, and sample proposals Grantspace is a one stop shop for information on how to apply for grants, from how to approach a foundation to proposal writing and budgeting. In addition to live webinars, Grantspace provides Q&A’s, recorded webinars, “classroom” learning meet ups, and sample proposals, often for free. The layout makes it easy to search by subject and skills needed, with an entire page dedicated to arts and culture. Before attending a Grantspace webinar, even the most tech-savvy should check out their “How Do Webinars Work?“ page in order to test the compatibility of your computer and network with Adobe Connect Pro software. Proposal Budgeting Basics, Grantseeking Basics, and Proposal Writing Basics have dates in June! |
Proposal Writing Basics
Thursday June 14, 2012
2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
Next Date: Wednesday July 18, 2012
Aimed at those new to proposal writing, this class will cover how the proposal fits into the overall grantseeking process; what to include in a standard proposal to a foundation; what funders expect to see in your proposal and attachments; and tips for communicating with funders during the grant process, along with additional resources.
Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts
Tuesday June 19, 2012
3:00pm – 4:00pm EDT
This class is an overview of the funding research process for individuals working in the arts, including visual and performing artists, creative writers, filmmakers, etc. Topics covered include: who funds individual artists; types of grants available for artists; why grantmakers support artists; and how to find grant.
Proposal Budgeting Basics
Thursday June 21, 2012
1:00pm – 2:00pm EDT
Next Date: Wednesday July 25, 2012
This session, geared to the novice grantseeker, will address budgeting questions such as: What is included under the “personnel” section and how to calculate it? What level of detail do you need to include for non-personnel expenses? How do you determine reasonable costs? What types of expenses are considered “overhead”? What other financial documents will funders want to see?
How to Approach a Foundation
Wednesday August 22, 2012
2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT
This class focuses on the many opportunities for communication between grantseekers and potential funders. It will teach you how to initiate contact with potential funders, plan calls and meetings, including site visits, and effectively communicate with funders during the grant process.
 AFTA (Americans for the Arts)Live and recorded webinars Americans for the Arts recognizes that networking and dialogue are necessary to help emerging art leaders advance. Via live and recorded webinars, AFTA brings together field experts in the areas of art, education, and business. The pARTnership series focuses on the benefits of art and business partnerships and how art is a path to community engagement. AFTA offers registration up until 1pm the day of their seminars. Webinars are free for members and $35 each for non-members, so if more than one topic appeals to you, it might be more beneficial to opt for their Colleague membership at 50 dollars a year. |
Incorporating Digital Marketing Into Your Fundraising Plan
Wednesday June 20, 2012
1:00pm-2:00pm EDT
For the artist looking to use digital marketing and advertising to fundraise more effectively, this seminar addressess different advantages of digital platforms. It focuses on how to maximize your measurable return on investment (ROI), using available metrics to figure out how to get the most for your time and money.
The Psychology of Social Media: Using Human Behavior to Drive Online Interactions
Tuesday July 10, 2012
3:00pm-4:00pm EDT
Useful to artists who want to develop their marketing language, this session explains and applies research done by social psychologists to our online interactions. Arts marketing consultant and consumer psychologist Ron Evans will explore techniques that tap into everyday human behavior to help drive engagement via social media.
 Creative CapitalLive Webinars As a non-profit dedicated to providing financial and advisory support to artists, Creative Capital hosts two professional development webinars per month for their grantees and offers registration open to the public for $25 per session. Past webinars have addressed social media marketing, real life budgeting, and art business management. Specifically designed for artists by artists, many of Creative Capital’s webinars apply across all disciplines, though some are discipline-specific. |
Applying for Grants and Residencies: Strategies for Writers
Monday, June 25, 2012
7:00pm-8:30pm EDT
This 90-minute webinar with Ethan Nosowsky, Editorial Director at McSweeney’s, covers all aspects of the grant and residency process for writers, including researching appropriate programs, putting together a competitive application, and making the most of both award and rejection letters.
 Technology in the ArtsRecorded Webinars, slide shows, and articles Technology in the Arts is a great internet resource designed to aid arts managers and artists in expanding their online presence and learning from the data they collect. Technology in the Arts offers recorded webinars, slideshow presentations, and accompanying materials on a variety of topics, from how to glean the most out of Google Analytics to a conversation about how to engage an online audience with local dance center, Jacob’s Pillow, as the case study. |
 Klein Artist WorksRecorded Webinars Klein Artist Works presents recorded webinars by well-known members of the art world, from artists to curators to dealers to collectors. Various webinars offer advice on how to make a living making art, with inside tips from those who have succeeded and the people that you need to get there. At $50 a webcast for prerecorded downloads, Klein Artist Works demonstrates the importance of value-based pricing. As artist, author, and webinar presenter Lyn Basa states, “One thing I’ve learned is that we’re our own worst enemies because we work for free too much and we give ourselves away. You have to stop doing that because it lowers the bar for all the rest of us. It’s a strange economy we live in as artists.” |
