Art, in all its forms, is supported by grants.
A vast array of foundations and institutions sponsor grants for nonprofits involved in the arts. Dance troupes, arts educators and museums supplement their usually too-small budgets with awards, fellowships and grants. Eligibility may include the requirement that the nonprofit's headquarters be in a particular geographic location, or that they serve a distinct segment of the population or address specific needs.
Weyerhaeuser Foundation
The Weyerhaeuser Foundation's General Program awards grant funding for the arts, education, health and environment. They also award international programs that promote peace and enable people to help themselves. Arts projects must be national or international in scope and relate to another area of the foundation's program specialties. Weyerhaeuser is particularly interested in programs that promote international cooperation and have a cultural exchange component. Apply by sending a letter of intent no more than two pages long along with a budget outline.
Time Warner
Time Warner focuses its philanthropic giving on the arts and education in New York City. Nonprofits that broaden public access to the arts or nurture talent and show a commitment to serving a diverse population qualify for funding. Time Warner funds two initiatives in the arts. The Diverse Voices in the Arts Initiative includes the Storytelling Advancement Fund, a project that supports programs that bring writers' stories to the stage or film. The Youth Media and Creative Arts Initiative supports after-school programs in New York City that bring the arts to underserved communities.
National Film Preservation Foundation
The National Film Preservation Foundation awards grants for the preservation of film and for efforts to expose the public to rare and obscure movies. Basic Preservation grants, awarded twice a year, include cash awards and occasionally technical assistance from film studios and laboratories. Matching grants require recipients to provide one-fifth of the entire grant amount. Avant-Garde Masters grants, as the title suggests, help preserve significant American avant-garde films. The foundation awards between 50 and 60 grants each year to nonprofit and public organizations.
Herb Alpert Foundation
Herb Alpert Foundation grants focus on two areas. Funding for the arts includes arts education, support to professionals and programs with an emphasis on jazz. Programs that educate children in the arts, both in and out of school settings, qualify for arts education grants. Focus on Jazz grants are awarded to programs that provide instrument training, encourage creative expression and allow students to apply jazz principles to areas of their life other than music. Support to Professional Artists grants are given to individuals. The foundation's other core giving area, Compassion and Well-Being, awards programs that work to bring compassionate behavior to society.
