Workshop: Grant Writing with Donald Weber
LEARN HOW TO OBTAIN THE FUNDING YOU NEED AND COMPLETE THE PROJECTS THE WAY YOU WANT.
Please note that this is a one-day workshop that will run on consecutive days.
Photography projects require money. Many photographers produce work at their own financial cost. There are, however, plenty of funding sources available from different organizations. These organizations are ready to support image makers providing funding for research, creation, production, travel and living expenses.
There is a definitive technique to grant writing, learn this and strengthen your chances of reaching the top of the pile.
Donald Weber, an award winning photographer and a member of the VII Photo Agency, will show you how. He has been a successful recipient of many grants including a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Lange-Taylor Prize, The Duke & Duchess of York Prize, the Magnum Foundation’s Emergency Fund Grant and multiple Canada Council for the Arts grants in the last few years. He’s used the funding to create multiple award-winning projects, on his own terms and own time.
Synopsis:
1) The Proposal. Don will examine some award winning proposals, including his Guggenheim Fellowship, Lange-Taylor and two Canada Council grants. We will also look at other award-winning proposals, including Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and other contemporary artists. We will look at why he wrote what he did and why it was successful. We will talk about the overall structure of writing a proposal, breaking it down into simple steps.
2) The Portfolio. After the proposal, an integral part of a successful grant is the portfolio and the editing of the photographs you choose. We examine what to look for and how to make the portfolio support your proposal.
3) The CV. Many people underestimate the power of a strong CV and its impact on a successful grant. We will discuss what makes a strong CV and how to turn your ordinary CV into extraordinary.
4) The Grants. Don will show various websites and calendars that list grants and their deadlines. We will also look at websites that help you in the preparation and finding of grants that apply to what you want to do.
What attendees have said about the workshop:
“This workshop is a good investment, it paid for itself when I received my first grant a couple months later.” Brett Gundlock, photographer and member of Boreal Collective
“Don really does a good job of getting the main points across in the time allotted. The grant writing course is an obvious choice for anyone who is interested in doing independent work. Its not easy to get one of these things, but Don clearly knows how to do it and keeps no secrets.” Aaron Vincent Elkaim, a recent recipient of a Canada Council grant
“Thanks for the very inspiring workshop! I can really see now what went wrong so far, and what to do differently from now on. I’m pretty sure there will be a grant soon!” David de Jong, Photographer, Amsterdam
“If you ever take a workshop in how to get more and better grants, Donald’s is the one. He is that rare photographer who has managed to live and pursue projects for many years primarily on grants.” Bill Crandall, Photographer, Washington, DC
Former student Uwe Martin has won three separate grants totaling 16,000 Euro ($22,000) since taking the Grant Writing Workshop in Berlin.
Jared Soares received a Puffin Foundation Grant after completing the workshop in Washington, DC.
Aaron Vincent Elkaim won a $20,000 grant after taking the workshop in Toronto.
Brent Gundlock won $5,000 from the Ontario Arts Council. Peter Di Campo has won many awards and received two Pultizer Center grants totaling over $25,000 after completing the workshop.
Several other students have also received awards, prizes, been shortlisted and furthered their careers after taking the workshop, helping them preparing their proposals, edit their proposals and craft a better CV.
