March 24, 2005 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Q. We are trying to create a nonprofit arts organization for youth. At this stage, we need an administrator and clerical support. Do you have any information on how to raise funds for the salaries of executive staff members?
A. Your first step should be to look for a grant. To get started, you’ll want to look at state and federal government programs that support the arts, as well as foundations and corporations that support the arts in your area, says Julie Parson-Nesbitt, grants director at Young Chicago Authors, which provides creative-writing workshops and also performance and publication opportunities to teenagers. (To learn more about grant makers, check out The Chronicle’s Guide to Grants. You might also search the Foundation Center’s Web site.) Look for grant makers that will provide either general operating support or organizational development grants, which could be used to pay salaries, Ms. Parson-Nesbitt advises.
Keep in mind, though, that it is often hard to land a grant specifically for staffing costs — particularly for start-up charities. “Operating support is a much riskier investment for the funder than providing project support, because there is less control over the expenditure of funds by the recipient,” says Heather Hallenberg, who directs the grants program at the Fine Arts Fund, in Cincinnati. So expect plenty of scrutiny of your governance and fiscal management, she says, and be prepared to answer questions.
Also, be ready to talk specifically, and eloquently, about your future plans. Since start-ups, by definition, don’t have a significant track record, plans for the future become much more important. Spend some time honing your vision for your charity’s future, suggests Regan Grusy, development director at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, in New York. “It’s a good idea to highlight in your proposal how you hope to build your organization’s infrastructure,” she says. “Sometimes it’s hard to think past paying the electric bill, but planning ahead is really critical.”
If the grant makers that seem your most likely targets don’t offer grants for salaries, be creative, urges Ms. Grusy. For example, she suggests, seek grants for projects that include salary support in the project budget. Or try contacting a foundation program officer and making a personal pitch, suggests Ms. Parson-Nesbitt. “If they are impressed with your work, you might be able to get ‘discretionary funding,’” she says. Or, you might try raising money from individuals, who might feel more willing to provide you with salary support.
You might find that you can’t raise all the money that you need for salaries. So look for ways to keep salary costs as low as possible.
“You could contact a local university and ask about their internship programs,” suggests Ms. Parson-Nesbitt. “Often you can find a student intern who will work for college credit and job experience.” Read more about how to find and manage interns here. And don’t forget about the federal AmeriCorps program, whose members work at charities around the country. Although your organization will need to pay part of such workers’ compensation, it will be less than paying an entire salary.
