Shaking the Money Tree, 3rd Edition. Morrie Warshawski

the major sources include:

      • National Endowment for the Arts

      • National Endowment for the Humanities

      • Corporation for Public Broadcasting

      • Public Broadcasting Service

      • Miscellaneous government agencies (e.g. Forestry, IRS)

      On the State level there are typically:

      • State Arts Agencies

      • State Humanities Councils

      • State Tourism Boards

      On the Local level there are very few agencies that give support, but you can look for:

      • Local City or Regional Arts Council

      • Local/Regional Commerce and Growth Associations

      • City Tourism Board

      Information on Government sources can be found through:

      • Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Available in most libraries.

      • Directly from the agencies themselves. All publish their own guidelines and application forms and can be found on the Web.

      • Foundation Center Libraries. Located in most metropolitan centers, these libraries are a great font of information. (See detailed note in next section).

      • Internet. Every Federal agency, and many state and local agencies, maintain their own Web sites replete with information and, often, downloadable application forms.

       How to Approach Government Agencies

      Very simply: Get the guidelines, determine if you and the agency are a good match, request the application form and fill out as appropriate, and contact a program officer before sending in materials to cover any questions you might have.

PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS

      Upside: In the last two decades private foundations experienced an explosion in the size of their endowments and the numbers in their ranks. Foundations with a variety of interests can be found throughout the U.S. Grants are almost always in the thousands of dollars, and foundations are very easy to research.

      Downside: It takes a long time to finally see a dollar from a foundation, and often years of work setting the stage for an ask — six to eighteen months is not unusual. Some foundations meet only once or twice a year, so it is important to be very mindful of deadlines. Paperwork is usually extensive (introductory letter, full grant proposal, follow-up reports, and accounting). Competition for foundation support is always very stiff, and increases when the economy is in a slump.

       How Do I Do the Research?

      ♦ Foundation Center Libraries. These are the first and best places to go. The Foundation Center Libraries contain many books that list foundations, their areas of interest, application procedures and grants they have given in the past, as well as basic books on how to write grants. The Foundation Center maintains cooperating center branches in every major city in the U.S. For the one closest to you call: 1 [phone] or visit their Web site at www.fdncenter.org.

      Their five main branches are as follows:

      • New York City, 79 Fifth Avenue, [phone]

      • San Francisco, 312 Sutter Street, [phone]

      • Washington, D.C., 1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., [phone]

      • Cleveland, 1422 Euclid, Suite 1356, [phone]

      • Atlanta, Suite 150, Hurt Bldg., 50 Hurt Plaza, [phone]

      ♦ Local Public Library. Most public libraries have all the basic texts. Two main texts are: The Foundation Directory and the National Data Book of Foundations.

      ♦ Foundations themselves. Once you have targeted a foundation, always request a copy of their latest annual report and guidelines for grant applications.

      ♦ The Internet. Most foundations maintain their own Web sites; you can discover a wealth of information right there. Often they list an e-mail contact for correspondence. More and more foundations are accepting electronic applications. Check out the Council on Foundation’s Website (www.cof.org), which contains a wealth of information on its two thousand-plus members. Also, see the Bibliography for a list of Internet sources for doing research.

      ♦ Fast Forward and Record. Yes, watch PBS for any programs that are similar to yours (or rent them), then record the end credits that list all the funders! These are probably the same national and local foundations that will have an interest in your project.

      ♦ Professional Journals. Both in your topic area and in film/ video. Watch for other projects and see where their funding is coming from.

      ♦ Network. Start going to as many places as you can where other filmmakers and people in your topic interest gather — parties, cafes, conferences, workshops. These gatherings offer great opportunities for up-to-date information on funding patterns.

       How to Approach Foundations

      After doing all the research possible and discovering everything there is to know about the foundation (and about your project), try to make an in-person meeting or at least a phone call with the appropriate program officer. If at all possible, avoid having to write an initial letter of inquiry before that personal contact — letters of inquiry make it too easy to be rejected. After that, complete whatever paperwork the foundation requests, which usually takes the form of a full written grant proposal.

CORPORATIONS

      Upside: Corporations have many doors to walk through including:

      • corporate foundation office

      • the CEO or CFO office

      • advertising and marketing departments

      • community relations, public relations

      • human resources

      • employee-designated contributions

      This is a good environment for entrepreneurial filmmakers. Contributions can be made rather quickly. Contributions can come in the form of money, goods, and/or services.

      Downside: It is very hard to do research on corporate funding (at least for corporations without official foundations). Corporations are much more interested in “strategic investments” than in pure donations, so the filmmaker’s project usually has to provide an advertising, public relations, or promotion benefit to the company. It helps tremendously to have a personal connection, or someone who will provide entrée.

       How Do I Do the Research?

      ♦ Foundation Records. If a corporation has its own foundation, then you can follow the instructions for private foundations above.

      ♦ Newspapers. The other best source for information is the business section of your local newspaper (and national publications like the Wall Street Journal). The newspaper provides great leads on the current fiscal condition of companies. Do not approach a corporation, for instance, at the end of a very bad earnings quarter.

      ♦ The Directory of International Corporate Giving in America — available in most libraries.

      ♦ Standard and Poor’s — Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives.

      ♦ Magazines: Fortune (see their annual “Fortune 500 List” issue, also available on their