Art Grants FAQ
So, how does this whole art grant thing work anyway?
The Euphoria Art Grants is a online, community-driven art funding program for any and all groups or individuals that want to bring art to Euphoria. Have an idea that’s been sitting in the back of your head for a while? Or maybe some fresh inspiration hit you recently and you’d like to make art, but it’s not necessarily doable with your current resources. The Euphoria Art Grants is for you! This year, the Events Committee has allocated $5,000 to help artists make cool things!
The Euphoria Art Grants is about more than simply providing money to artists for projects. One purpose of the event is to place the privilege and responsibility of allocating community funds in the hands of the community. Funding is not decided by a committee of select individuals. Instead, any Participant can help decide which project every dollar they spend is allocated to.
Where do I start?
Start with your idea. Sketch a drawing and write in as much detail as you can as to what your creative idea is.
What does it represent?
What does it look like?
How big is it?
What colors will you use?
What special effects might it have?
How will people interact with it?
What can people learn from it?
Then, once you’ve got your idea thoroughly sketched out, you begin making a budget.
What’s this year’s theme?
2019 Theme : Radical Resilience
No matter what life throws at us - as individuals, as burners, and/or as a community - we find ways to pick ourselves up and move forward, striving to not just maintain what we have but to continue to grow and to help make the world a better place. With Euphoria having been cancelled in both 2017 and 2018, the fact that the community is coming together to give this yet another try, to build that magical place we call home, speaks to me of the resilience that we collectively have in the face of not only the specific trials Euphoria and other burns have been dealing with but also in regard to what's happening in this country and the world.
Thank you Mango, Gabi Stewart, and Ben Bjostad for our wonderful theme!
Be on the look out for Art call outs this week!
A big thank you to all who submitted this year, we had so many amazing ones and it was truly hard to decide. Learn more on the Event Info Page
What are all the important dates I need to be aware of?
Final date to submit applications: Feb 15
Online Voting Process: Feb 18–Mar 4
Fund distribution: Mar 8
How do i make a budget?
Your budget must be made using our Google Spreadsheet template. View our instructions for how to do that here. Not sure how to get started? You can view this example budget we’ve created called Project Burn the Bunny. A giant paper mache bunny that gets lit on fire during the burn as a mini-effigy. This budget is VERY basic but should provide a good starting point if you don’t really know how to get started.
Where does this whole fund boosting thing come in? How does it work?
Fund Boosting (formerly known as fundmatching) is a way for us to amplify what happens at the Art Grants event. So, here’s a quick example with some easy numbers to help illustrate how it works. Say there are three projects at the event, projects A, B, and C. At the end of the event, all projects all together collected a sum total of $1,000. Let’s also say that there is a Fund Boosting pool of $10,000 to go around.
Of that $1,000 collected at the event, say that each project collected this much:
Project A: $500 = 50% of the total $1,000 collected.
Project B: $200 = 20% of the total $1,000 collected.
Project C: $300 = 30% of the total $1,000 collected.
This means that Project A gets the $500 it collected at the event PLUS 50% of the Fund Boosting pool, which would be $5,000 for a total of $5,500. Project B would get $200 + 20% of the Fund Boosting pool, $2,000, for a total of $2,200. Project C would get $300 + $3,000 = $3,300. If a project is eligible to receive more than its maximum budget, that overage is put back into the Fund Boosting pool.
What is a minimum budget?
This budget is the amount of money you MUST collect through the Online Voting. If by the end of the Online Voting your project has not collected enough money, including Fund Boosting, to meet your Minimum Budget, then you will receive no money at all.
For the Minimum Budget, think “most basic needs.” How much money do you need to pay for the most basic and fundamental needs for your vision to be realized?
Going back to the Burn the Bunny example project...
As it’s a paper maché project, having newspaper and flour are essential to the project. Without those things, it can’t be paper mache. However, the multicolored sequins, while pretty, may not be necessary for the vision of “paper mache Bunny that’s going to burn” to be realized.
What is the maximum budget?
Your maximum budget is the amount of money you need to raise in order to fully fund your project with bells and whistles. You may be as elaborate as you like.
Are there any budget restrictions?
The following items will not be funded by Flashpoint Artists Initiative through the Euphoria Art Grants or Cross Pollination Grants in any way. No exceptions.
Tickets to the event.
Alcohol.
Projects in which little to no creation is involved.
Projects without a significant outward-facing component or projects that only allow a small portion of the community to experience them
Anything that violates local, state, or federal law. Projects that violate the laws of physics must be approved by the Safety Lead.
Anything deemed by the Euphoria Art Grants Team to be unreasonably dangerous or reckless.
The following items may appear in your budget, but with some restrictions:
Gas money*
Rent/studio space*
Other transportation*
*These may be included IF AND ONLY IF they are directly related to your project and ONLY your project. For example, if you have to rent a truck that you would otherwise not need to rent in order to get your project to the burn, then you may include gas and transportation in the budget: If you’re taking the vehicle that you would normally be taking and aren’t incurring any additional expense due to bringing your project, then you may not include transportation costs.
The same goes for rent/studio space. If you had to rent space solely for the construction of your project, then you may include that in your budget. If you already had a space and didn’t rent one out for the explicit purpose of constructing your art fundraiser project, then you may not include it in your budget.
The art fundraiser team reserves the right to reject items in your budget that are not listed in the restrictions above. With that said, we will discuss this with you beforehand and make every reasonable effort to negotiate an amicable solution. We want to do everything we can to make your vision a reality!
What are some of the most overlooked things in budget making?
the most overlooked items in a budget are very simple items. Does your project require power? If so, how do you plan on providing power to your project? Make sure you include things like generator rental, power cords, power strips, screws, nuts, bolts, power tool rental. Everything you use in your project should be listed in your budget.
Is there a limit on the number of different projects i can submit?
Yes. Two projects.
Is there a maximum amount of funding I can request?
No, there isn’t. However, with that said, be mindful of the importance of a balance with your budget size and the likelihood of meeting your goal. While projects funded by the ballot process will be capped at a maximum award of $400 (in order to allow the maximum number of art projects to be funded), individual donations are not limited in any way.
If we feel that you are asking for too much money, then we will do what we can to work with you to bring it down. Unfortunately, we can’t nail down exactly what would constitute “too much money” until we have a complete picture of what people are requesting.
Is there a minimum amount of funding I can request?
YES, the minimum amount of funding is $50
What if I do not raise enough funds to meet my minimum budget including fund boosting?
If you do not meet your qualifying budget, all funds raised for your project at the event will go back into the funding pool to be distributed to other projects.
What if qualify for more money than my maximum budget?
No artists will receive more money than what’s stated in their maximum budget.
If I work in leadership with FAI (Team Lead, Board member, event lead, etc.) am I allowed to submit a project to the fundraiser?
Yes, and this includes people helping manage the Art Fundraiser itself. However, anyone submitting a project is automatically removed from any decision-making process involving the distribution of funding.
Ready to Apply? Click here
What if I need help?
Please email us at artfundraiser@euphoriaburn.com. We are here for YOU! Any questions you have regarding budgets, fire safety plans, transportation concerns, anything at all, can be answered by us.