Bright Voices Grant Application

For this grant writing project, I was tasked with writing a grant application for an imaginary organization and program of my creation, using a typical grant application form. In the project brief, I was provided with a prospectus for my imaginary organization, including size, finances, staff, and grant history, but the organization details and program vision were left to me. This project was completed as part of my Master’s in Arts Leadership and Management. All names and details, other than my own, have been invented for the purpose of this project. Images used on this page are stock images.

 BRIGHT VOICES | Instinct Arts

Grant Application

I. Information

Organization Name: Instinct Arts
FEIN: 99-9999999
Address: 580 W 16th St
City: Omaha
State: Nebraska
Postal Code: 68102
Phone: 402-385-1518
Website: www.instinctarts.com
Email: info@instinctarts.com

II. Organization CEO or Executive Director

First Name: Alex
Last Name: Hollmann
Title: Executive Director
Phone: 402-385-1518 ext. #1
Email: alexhollmann@instinctarts.com

III. Contact Info

(please see above information)

IV. Grant Period

Start Date: 7/1/2021
End Date: 6/30/2022

V. Request Information

A. Amount Requested
Instinct Arts is a requesting a grant in the amount of $10,000 to expand and strengthen our Bright Voices program.

B. Brief Project Overview
Bright Voices, launched in 2019, is a one-month artist residency program during which Instinct Arts commissions a new piece from a local artist about a topic relevant and timely to the Omaha community. During 2019 and 2020, Instinct Arts was able to offer a residency position to one artist; in 2021, with the help of this grant, we will expand the program to three residency positions.

Instinct Arts strives to offer these residencies to artists from historically underrepresented communities, specifically artists of color.

The three selected artists will be commissioned to conceive and devise a collaborative, topical art piece that will be presented during Instinct Art’s mainstage season. The artists will be empowered to express their unique perspectives through the piece and related events. Additionally, through outreach and marketing efforts, the program will strengthen each artist’s personal platform and visibility in the Omaha community, building career sustainability.

Through grant funds, each artist will be paid $2,800 for the month-long residency. The remaining $1,600 will be used for marketing and outreach related to the event, with special focus given to making Instinct Art’s audience more diverse and inclusive.

C. Projected Organization Expenses
For the 2021-2022 fiscal year, Instinct Art’s projected organization expenses total $345,000.

D. Actual Organization Expenses
In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Instinct Arts actual organization expenses totaled $343,000. Projected organization expenses totaled $335,000. Please see Section VII.D for explanation of this variance.

E. Project Impact
With this grant and the Bright Voices program, Instinct Arts will be permitted to further extend our platform to empower the voices of local artists from historically underrepresented communities, especially artists of color. Instinct Arts dually recognizes the need for greater representation in the Omaha arts community and the need for more paid artistic opportunities that allow greater representation to be a reality.

Bright Voices is mutually beneficial for artists and audiences; artists have access to a wide audience and greater visibility in the community, audiences are exposed to and learn from perspectives they might not otherwise engage with. Furthermore, Bright Voices facilitates the beginning of an ongoing relationship between new artists and Instinct Arts.

In addition to increasing diversity and equity amongst our artists, an equally important part of Bright Voices is efforts to make the audience of Instinct Arts more diverse and inclusive. A portion of the grant funds will be specifically used for outreach, marketing, and sustainable audience growth to historically underserved communities in Omaha.

F. Alternatives
If Instinct Arts does not receive this grant, we will continue to move forward with our Bright Voices program but in a reduced capacity. Like previous years, Bright Voices will offer one artist residency. Starting in 2020, a portion of the revenue from each Bright Voices event is allocated for the program’s future in an effort to build a financial foundation from which the program can grow.

VI. Organization Information

A. Mission
The mission of Instinct Arts is to build a vibrant community of artists and audience members alike by empowering the innovative work of artists, producing stimulating, cross-disciplinary experiences for the community, and inspiring all people to follow their artistic instincts.

B. History
In 2003, five freelance artists in the Omaha area, including an actor, a scenic designer, a cellist, a dancer, and painter, recognized the untapped creative potential of combining their diverse artistic talents. Joining together, they formed Instinct Arts as a space for artists of all disciplines to collaborate and experiment together.

The founders observed a trend in nonprofit organizations towards unhealthy, divided relationships between artists, administration, and audience, and they envisioned a new model that could be artist-centered and, and ultimately, blur the lines between artist and audience – because every person has artistic instincts in their own right. Today, Instinct Arts has grown into a thriving community of artists and audiences growing and creating together.

C. Current Programs
Instinct Arts offers a dynamic season of five artistic events that draw from a range of disciplines and mediums. These events employ an ever-growing roster of local artists. With each event, marketing and outreach spotlight the artist(s) to engage the audience in the creative process and build the artists’ platform and visibility in the community in a way that extends beyond this single event.

All programs include an educational component for audiences in relation to the event, ranging from artist talks to hands-on workshops. Annually, Instinct Arts hosts a free, one-day arts festival called Instinct Omaha that features condensed arts-related workshops, lectures, and performances. Through the festival, community members have been inspired to take private lessons from artists, and artists and business leaders have fostered new partnerships to tackle community challenges.

The majority of Instinct Arts events are presented in our 1500-seat Hoover Memorial Hall. The Hall’s lobby doubles as a gallery and event space.

The 2019-2020 Instinct Arts season included:

• The premiere of a new piece by Prairie Sounds, an experimental chamber ensemble

• Omaha Oligarchy, a new modern dance piece by Celeste Baker

• The River Runs Dark, an immersive theatre piece created in collaboration with Omaha City Theatre

• Instinct Omaha Festival

• The first annual Bright Voices performance

D. Partnerships
For the past seven seasons, Instinct Arts has partnered with Omaha City Theatre to produce a contemporary piece of theatre. Through collaboration, our organizations can mount shows with larger casts, deliver higher production values, and commission longer pieces of work from artists.

E. Total Population Served
During our 2019-2020 season, Instinct Arts reached 7,500 audience members and engaged 60 artists.

VII. Finances

A. Budget Overview
The 2020-2021 budget for Instinct Arts totals $345,000. This is a $10,000 increase from the 2019-2020 budget. Due to increased ticket sales and private donations this past year, Instinct Arts increased the number of hours for our Artistic Director, allowing her greater capacity for community outreach and audience development projects.

B. Expenses
The breakdown of projected 2020-2021 expenses is:

• $60,000 in administrative costs

• $4,000 in fundraising costs

• $281,000 in program costs, including but not limited to artist stipends, supplies and equipment rental, and marketing

C. Revenue
The breakdown of 2019-2020 revenue is:

• 25% ticket sales

• 40% private donations

• 30% grants

• 5% corporate sponsorship

D. Variances
Instinct Arts ended the 2019-2020 financial year with a deficit of $8,000. Projected expenses totaled $335,000, but actual expenses totaled $343,000. This deficit resulted from the cancellation of our winter program due to inclement weather. The organization pulled from cash reserves to refund tickets and did not suffer lasting financial burden.

VIII. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

A. Key Staff
Instinct Arts has 1 full-time employee, our Executive Director, and 1 part-time employee, our Artistic Director.

Alex Hollmann, our Executive Director was a freelance theatre artist before earning his Masters in Arts Leadership and Management from Wichita State University. Before joining Instinct Arts, he worked on the marketing team at the Ralston Symphony and was the General Manager of Omaha Community Arts. (Note: These are not my real credits, but imaginary credits were required for this project.)

Tiessa Mills, our Artistic Director, worked as a freelance vocalist in the Kansas City, MO area for seven years before becoming the Associate Artistic Director of Kansas Opera Arts

Each season we work with 50-75 freelance artists, depending on the programming.

Additionally, Instinct Arts is privileged to work with approx. 100 volunteers each season. All volunteers go through an application and onboarding process. Volunteers help with a variety of tasks, including but not limited to: box office, ushering, concessions, facilitating workshops, event staff, set and costume construction, marketing, and advocacy.

B. Board of Directors
Rebekah Peterson, President, White, she/her/hers
Aliyah Frederick, Secretary, Black, she/her/hers
Deborah Swalley, Treasurer, Native American, she/her/hers
Jeff Jones, White, he/him/his
David Frerichs, Asian American, he/him/his
Christian Saldivar, Latinx, he/him/his
Melanie Garcia, Latinx, she/her/hers
Toni Richards, Black, they/them
Margaret Johnson, White, she/her/hers

C. Population Served
During the 2019-2020 season, the audience of Instinct Arts programming was disproportionately white, totaling 80%. Additionally, 75% of the audience was age 60 and older, 14% age 40-59, and 11% age 39 and younger.

While these audience statistics are comparable to other Omaha arts organizations, Instinct Arts recognizes the data is neither satisfactory nor aligned with our mission of inspiring all people to follow their artistic instincts. Instinct Arts is committed to advancing greater diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization to better reflect the Omaha community.

D. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In our efforts to cultivate better diversity, equity, and inclusion, Instinct Arts has reexamined both our personnel and programming.

At the beginning of the 2020 season, Audrey Smith and Matthew Jacobson, both of whom have served on our Board of Directors for ten years and identify as white, cis-gender individuals, graciously stepped down to welcome two new members. We are pleased to welcome:

• Melanie Garcia, who identifies as Latinx, is a lawyer at Omaha Law Firm, and uses the pronouns she/her/hers.

• Toni Richards, who identifies as Black, is a social worker, and uses pronouns they/them.

In 2019, Bright Voices was founded with the purpose to engage and hire artists from historically underrepresented communities to create new, topical work. With this grant, Instinct Arts will expand and strengthen this program to ensure its continued success.

Beyond this, beginning with the 2021-2022 season, Instinct Arts will strive for a minimum of 50% of the artists we hire to be people of color. The organization is currently in the process of evaluating our hiring policies and devising plans to make this hiring goal a reality.

Additionally, Instinct Arts is currently reimagining our marketing strategy in order to reach a wide audience that is more reflective of the Omaha community. New tactics will include advertising with media outlets and businesses owned by people of color, partnering with local universities to welcome their diverse student bodies to our events, and expanding and modifying our outreach activities to be more accessible.

IX. Attachments