I just completed my third supporting grant application since January.  And perhaps I was feeling especially confident as I stamped and sealed the first and second, because it just occurred to me during this last process that if these grants don’t come through, I will not be able to afford to produce the work I’ve already begun to make.  I will get by somehow, as I always do, but my budget for costumes would no doubt take the first hit. As a young artist new to the scene, this wouldn’t have affected me.  However, available funds are now scarcer and the applicant pool is more competitive. And if those reports from the NEA and The Chronicle are correct, you can relate. And so I’ve buckled down.  I’m determined to find those hard-to-find sources available to those of us who don’t dwell in major cities.  During my quest for information and piece of mind, I’ve come across some sources that I believe would be helpful for artistic directors, emerging choreographers, and independent artists alike.  I have taken a day off work, am sitting in a local Internet café, and am drinking refill after refill in an effort to sort through the list of sites.  I’ve included just a few here.  I hope this is helpful to some of you.  And keep your fingers crossed: my dancers need new kneepads.Best of luck! Beth

• http://www.womenarts.org/swan/fundraising/fundraising.htm This SWAN site also offers helpful fundraising hints, complete with sample letter template!
• www.foundationcenter.org     This site is enormous, and it will take some time to sort through, but it’s worth it.
• www.artslynx.org     This site also offers employment links.