Two upcoming workshops are designed to help individual artists and groups access grant funding for creative projects in the Taupō district.
The practical workshops, being presented by Creative Taupō chair Tony Sullivan, will cover where to find funding, how to write a compelling application, what supporting information funders are looking for, and tips to improve a group or individual’s chances of success.
The workshops are being held in advance of a September funding round for the Creative Communities Scheme (CCS) in the Taupō region, says Sullivan.
“But there's other places… and other streams of funding as well. So we go through the seven different streams of funding that are available to groups.”
A good idea is for groups to collaborate on a project, she says.
“It just helps a little bit, one with the planning when you're sharing that burden a wee bit rather than having to do it all yourself. But also, it can help when you're reporting because reporting's a really big part of getting that funding.
“Getting the funding is one thing and… something that you're going to need to do is report back on that funding. So, gathering numbers, any promotional work that you did, gathering feedback from your participants, all of those things. Those are things to think about when you're out there and thinking of something creative.”
Whether corporate or local body most funders now require such a report, Sullivan says, and set a time limit on when money must be used by.
“Every fund's different, but with our CCS fund, that's going to be opening in September… you need to use that money within the year and report back within that year. So you do have 12 months for your project from that date.”
Amounts applied for can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand.
Creatives should also remember they can apply to more than one place for funding.
“Just let them know that you're doing that, but sometimes there's not all the funding that's available, so you'll get given maybe a portion of what you've applied for…
“And… that's part of this workshop – what are the other options that are available to you to ensure that you can get these projects off the ground.”
Projects could be in the visual or performing arts, pottery or sculpture, anything creative, says Sullivan.
“We've got some great artists here in Taupō, in all of those genres and all of those areas of the arts, and we really want to see a lot more happening in Taupō, and we love to be able to promote what's going on as well.”
The first of the two free workshops is in Mangakino on Thursday, August 13 at Mangakino School from 6.30pm, while the second is at Centrestage Playhouse in Taupō on Tuesday, August 18 at 7pm.
