How to write your first grant as an Independent Artist or Arts Organization

You might encounter terminology or stipulations that are confusing or that seem counterintuitive. Our hope is that this article helps you on your grant writing journey and gives you tips to tackle your first grant. 

When you find a grant that seems to be a good fit for your art or your arts organization, the first step is to look at some basic logistics. 

1. Due Date - If it is within 5 days, it might be better to put the grant on your radar for next year (link to grant tracking article) 
2. Eligibility - On the program page (Ex: https://www.phoenix.gov/arts/grants-program/ps), look for key eligibility requirements so you know when to do a deep dive. Look for keywords and phrases such as:some text
   1. 501(c) Status 
   2. State Governments and Units of Local Government
   3. Must have had $X in revenue in the past 18 months 
3. Grant Purpose - On the program page, make sure you understand the purpose of the grant. What does this grant mean by “Festival” or “Performance” or “Art”
4. Grant Amount and Match - Find the answer to these questions: some text
   1. What is the minimum and maximum grant award amount 
   2. What is the Match % or Amount 
   3. Is the Match cash only or is there an in-kind option 
5. Award Period - Make sure that the activity you are requesting funds for falls within the award period 

What is a Match?? Some grants require the artist or organization to provide funding in addition to the grant. A Cash Match might mean cash only in this sense:  

Grant ask amount: $5,000

Cash Match Required: 10% of grant ask 

Cash Match in Dollars: $500

This doesn’t mean you are going to hand anyone cold, hard cash. This means you need to provide $500 to go toward the grant project. This might be money you have on hand, it might be from a donor, or even another grant you have been awarded (sometimes this isn’t allowed, check your guidelines). Sometimes matching funds can include in-kind donations (EX: a business will let you use their space for free) or even volunteer hours. It will really depend on the grant guidelines. 

What is an Award Period? Grants are usually particular about WHAT they fund but they are also particular about WHEN they fund. It is very standard for grants to fund projects that occur after awards have been announced. Check your guidelines because sometimes they can retroactively fund events or even have flexible timelines! 

Speaking of grant guidelines, if the logistics above look good, now you do a deep dive into those grant guidelines. 

Reading Grant Guidelines

1. Always read grant guidelines IN FULL. 
2. Take notes on the guideline PDF, print a copy, or keep a separate document for comments, notes, questions. Take your questions to grant webinars or directly to the program manager. Most of them are nice and want to help you, even if your question feels silly. If many people are asking the same question, it might be a cue for them to update or clarify their guidelines. 
3. In the guidelines, make note of everything you need to obtain from OTHER PEOPLE. Even if you aren’t 100% sure exactly what you will need, give these people a heads up. some text
   1. Anyone who might provide Support letters 
   2. Anyone who might provide Financial reports 
   3. Anyone who will act as a Signing Authority
4. Look for ANY detail that might make your organization or your project ineligible, or might be a signal to apply at a later date. 
5. Competitiveness - is there a list of previously awarded projects or orgs? Is your project similar to what has been awarded or do you stick out like a flamingo on a cloudy day. Don’t let this discourage you - ask the program manager if your project is appropriate for this grant. 

Writing the Grant

Now it's time to WRITE. Follow this internet-friendly numbered list to help you effectively write your first grant. 

1. Copy all grant questions into a document (ex Google Docs). some text
   1. This includes word counts 
   2. Put essential reminders at the top - Due Date, Program page link, etc. 
2. Knockout ALL easy questions some text
   1. Mission statement 
   2. Key stakeholders 
   3. Staff bios 
   4. Project date(s) 
3. Save summaries for last - this will ensure they match your grant language. Consistency is key! The judges are human and will notice. 
4. When appropriate, use exact language from the grant guidelines in your answers. This will make it clear to the judge that you read the guidelines AND it will keep you in line with the grant goals 
5. DO NOT use acronyms. Pretend the reader knows nothing about your field - because they might not. A grant panel got hung up on SEO (search engine optimization) in one of our grants.   
6. Outline answers first - do not worry about formal answers until you have gathered all information you need to actually answer the question. Use bullet points to help your outline your answers  
7. Just because you have 500 words does not mean you have to use them all. Word count can be a clue as to how important a question is, but if you can clearly explain yourself in 400 words, don’t give them fluff. 
8. Chat GPT - Yes you can use it… IF some text
   1. You EDIT ITS RESPONSE - language and formatting 
   2. You need to make a section shorter “I need this paragraph stated in 300 words…” 
   3. You are tired and need ideas - AI LIES. Do not use “facts” found in Chat GPT, use it as a launching pad for ideas or ways to phrase something. 
9. Always have another person read your grant in full, preferably after you have copied all of your final answers into the grant portal. 

For general writing tips, keep the tone of the application in mind when writing. Some organizations will be more “formal” than others. The main thing is to be clear, reiterate your project is within the scope of the grant, and that you sound genuine. Grant panelists are human, after all. 

And now you wait. While you wait, you can start keeping organized records of your submitted grants. You can do this in our grant tracker (LINK) and in an online filing system of your choosing. 

Record Keeping 

1. Organize by grant program. This can be in Google Docs or in your Project Management System. This system will allow you to compare year after year without too much digging.  some text
   1. EX: State Arts Agency Project Grant some text
      1. FY 2025 State Arts Agency Project Grant 
      2. FY 2026 State Arts Agency Project Grant 
2. Label all documents with the program name and fiscal year. Over time, you do not want 5 years worth of the same grant mixed together 
3. Download the submission package when available, make a PDF of confirmation emails, etc. Make it easy for you to manage the grant after award!! 

Grant writing is scary but a little due diligence and organization will go a long way.