Creative Capital

OUR APPROACH

Creative Capital’s pioneering approach to grantmaking integrates financial and advisory support to help artists realize their projects and build individual capacity to sustain their careers well beyond the grant cycle. Working in long-term partnership with artists, the Creative Capital model of support is built on the core principle that time and advisory services are as crucial to artistic success as funding. Over the course of a funded project, Creative Capital provides each artist with a flexible program of multi-faceted, sequential support, partnering with them to determine how funding and services can best work in concert to progress toward their goals. Creative Capital’s grants offer support of up to $50,000 in award monies and career development services valued at $37,000, a total commitment of up to $87,000 for each project.

This versatile system adapts venture capital concepts to suit the fluid trajectory of the creative process, focusing on four key areas: support for the project, support for the individual, support for the community, and engaging the public.

Support for the Project

Support for the project over time, through money and counsel Throughout the life of the project, the Creative Capital team meets regularly with grantees to maximize support in the development, production and presentation phases of the project. Grantees set goals and chart progress in one-on-one sessions with staff, and set the stage for premieres in stakeholder meetings with project presenters.

Funding is provided at benchmark moments for each project, including initial funding, support to build the artist’s personal and professional capacity, follow-up support for project production, funding for the project’s premiere, and support for the project’s expansion beyond its premiere presentation.

Support for the Individual

Growing the capacity of the individual artist, through career development workshops and ongoing counsel.

SCreative Capital confronts the realities of working artists in increasingly challenging times by offering career-building tools to enhance capacity for creative and professional interdependence. Professional Development Program workshops provide grantees with the necessary tools for success, including instruction in strategic planning, fundraising, public relations and marketing, and the internet.

Grantees also have access to one-on-one coaching sessions with consultants experienced in a range of topics, including strategic and financial planning and verbal communications. Creative Capital also offers its grantees pro bono legal services to address issues from intellectual property rights and copyright to patents and contracts.

Support for the Community

Fostering relationships between grantees as well as with arts professionals, through Artist Retreats and one-on-one consultations

Recognizing the importance of investing in the cultural community, Creative Capital brings together more than 250 artists, consultants and arts professionals for the exchange of ideas and expertise at its Artist Retreat. A critical component of the Creative Capital model of support, the Artist Retreat leads to new partnerships and opportunities for its grantees while nurturing the community of funded artists. The five-day Retreat has become an important gathering for the field, providing an engaging forum for discussion and a valuable platform for artists to showcase their work. Creative Capital’s far-reaching network of arts professionals, artists and experts in the cultural community provide a chain of opportunity that often extends well beyond the grant cycle

Public Engagement

Engaging the public, through regular outreach to bring projects to as wide and diverse an audience as possible

With a growing community of more than 40,000 friends and supporters, Creative Capital offers its grantees a range of promotional opportunities to maximize a project’s impact and reach, including press releases and mailings. Sign up for project updates and Creative Capital’s quarterly newsletter.

The Creative Capital website also provides an important online venue for artists to showcase their work and document a project’s progress, featuring individual grantee and project profiles, original content and work samples.