One issue in fundraising is fiscal sponsorship. Some funding organizations (foundations) will not give money to you as an individual but will make a contribution to the project though a non-profit, tax deductible (501c3) institution, your fiscal sponsor. Women Make Movies is one, the one I've worked with in the past is Southern Documentary Fund. There are others. Generally you apply to them, show that you have a valid project and a realistic fundraising plan; if they approve your project then donations to your project go directly to the fiscal sponsor, they hold it for you and pay disbursements as you turn in your receipts and stick to the script (so to speak). The fiscal sponsor charges a fee for this, roughly 5-10%. Another advantage to fiscal sponsorship is that individual donations are tax deductible. Mary didn't give YOU $100 for your project (not tax deductible), she gave it to your fiscal sponsor, and it is a tax deductible contribution for her. A good fiscal sponsor might also be able to help you with your grant applications, etc. - if you have a professional grant writer that is great, but the bottom line is that well written grants are infinitely more likely to get funded. If you want to make the kinds of films you have to raise money for, you have to learn how to do this part of it, or partner with someone who knows.
Kickstarter and the like do not require fiscal sponsorship, and most fiscal sponsors do not want to get involved with Kickstarter(s) - they really are DIY. But your plan to make the first chapter Is a good one, and a common approach - we invest what we can to make the work-in-progress reel, then we show that as a fundraiser for the big project. Tom Durham NC From: frameworks-boun...@jonasmekasfilms.com [mailto:frameworks-boun...@jonasmekasfilms.com] On Behalf Of Caryn Cline Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 9:26 AM To: Experimental Film Discussion List Subject: [Frameworks] fundraising Dear Frameworkers, My earlier question about USA Projects (to which Gene Youngblood kindly responded) prompts another, more general one: what about fundraising? I typically make short films and mostly fund them myself, but I'm now involved in a bigger, collaborative project. The writer/producer and I (the producer/director) have enough money to make the first, least expensive "chapter" of a triptych of short films. We plan to make the first part this summer and then use it to raise money for the second two parts of the project (the total budget is about 20K) . We believe that the best time to engage in fundraising is after we have this first piece finished, when we have something concrete to show, and our potential donors have something to look at and judge. The grant-writing and funding cycle seems beyond us for many reasons, not least of which are the time and energy it takes to look for funding and develop proposals when you are trying to also make the work. I fear the more direct "Kickstarter"-style campaign is so ubiquitous these days that potential funders are experiencing burnout. I'm old enough that some of my potential donors aren't frequent users of social media, so my co-producer and I are also thinking of sending out e-mails or even letters to them. I would love to hear about any experiences those of you who frequent this list have with fundraising, and the pros and cons of using social media sites, e-mail, snail mail, and asking for money from friends, family, colleagues. I hope these questions will be beneficial to others on this list. Thank you and best wishes, CC -- Caryn Cline Filmmaker and Teacher New York City and Seattle, WA vimeo.com/carynyc<http://vimeo.com/carynyc>
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