Facilitators: Deborah B. Lewis, Dr. Olivia Raynor

The session participants discussed the following question:

How can artists with disabilities and arts organizations which are disability-specific best access these funds?

• Through Grants
  • Define your specific mission and clarify your purpose
  • Seek out (and provide) training on grant research and grant writing
  • Organize specific workshops targeted for specific arts disciplines
  • Be true to your mission and to yourself
  • Apply for non-profit grants from organizations that are related to your disability or discipline
  • Hire or work with a funding expert and/or grant writer
• Through Partnerships
  • Create programs that are integrated (disabled and non-disabled working together)
  • Collaborate
  • Network with everyone: politicians, churches, "grass-roots" groups, state and national organizations
  • Form partnerships with other organizations in order to forge new ground (this can be an organization that works with disability issues or an organization that has no experience with these issues)
  • Establish an artist cooperative
  • Secure funding from non-profit organizations
  • Produce arts exhibitions and performances, set up studios or stores for selling products
  • Contact state and municipal arts councils and integrate into various boards and councils
  • Link disability organizations with non-disabled artists who are already connected to funding sources
• Through Access and Education
  • Channel corporate media money to disabled artists (media exposure highlights both the artists and the sponsoring corporations)
  • Increase visibility of people with disabilities within the community
  • Educate foundations and other funding sources of the value of disabled cultures ("market" disabled culture as a part of cultural diversity)
  • Persuade federal agencies to recognize and adopt employment standards and practices from an arts model and perspective as compared to the traditional corporate model and perspective
  • Increase the corporate image to the public
  • Educate artists on how to present materials and structure portfolio
• Through Education of Granters
  • Make applications and guidelines user-friendly for everyone
  • Approach disability as you would a race or gender issue - as one of diversity
  • Within publications, foundations should include a statement that they do not discriminate
  • Invite funders for site visits in order to better see how your organization or program functions
  • Use state arts commissions to support and promote the individual artist (exposure leads to a greater acceptance and understanding)
• Through Research
  • Write as best as you can your aesthetic, goals, needs, and outcome
  • Always talk with foundation staff - they are there to help, and clarification and definitions are often needed
  • Research through local and national foundations and funding organizations
  • Use museum personnel as a resource
  • Research and identify local, state and federal arts funding sources
  • Contact state municipal arts councils
• Conclusions / Final Thoughts
  • There is a need for education - those who are funding need to understand issues and concerns of disabled people and how to make applications accessible to all.
  • There is a need for a central clearinghouse of all available information.
  • Grant workshops can be helpful.
  • Try to get yourself nominated to a state art council panel.
  • No funding will support you fully, so you need another way to survive.
  • If you don’t receive a grant, find out why and keep applying.
  • Find a sponsor, ask questions, and do what you have to do to get what you need.
  • Do your research and apply for the correct grants - if, for example, you are not a national organization, you do not want to apply for the same grant as the New York City Ballet.