How to apply for grants
Applying for a grant is not only a chance to share your work and have it be seen—it’s also a great exercise to put into words what it is that you’re seeking to create. Over the past five years, and in my current role as Director of Artist Initiatives with Creative Capital, I’ve worked with artists and arts organizations to realize many projects and programs across a variety of disciplines and in many different contexts. I’ve also had the pleasure of sitting on panels as an evaluator, and have read countless grant applications in the process. Through these experiences I’ve learned a great deal about the needs of individual artists, and about the distinct ways that artists learn to articulate their practices as they pursue funding opportunities.
Written by Marianna Schaffer with illustrations by Molly Fairhurst
As Director of Artist Initiatives at Creative Capital, Marianna Schaffer serves a key role in cultivating and creating relationships, strategies, outreach, and programs to serve the needs of artists. She has spent over a decade as a leader in the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors in support of American artists and arts institutions dedicated to positive social change. After working as a member of David Rockefeller’s philanthropic team for 11 years, Marianna served as a Program Officer at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. There, she helped to empower individual artists and small arts organizations working across the country at the intersection of arts and social justice, primarily through pioneering initiatives such as the Artist as Activist Fellowship and SEED program. She has a Master of International Education from New York University, a B.A. in Social & Global Studies from Antioch College, and is an active member of her Harlem community.