How to Choose the Right Art Grants & Awards (The One Question Most Artists Ignore)

Applying for awards and funding can feel like a minefield but answering one crucial question will deliver a lot of clarity when it comes to choosing which awards to apply for and how to make a great application for the right ones.

An important distinction to make before we explore this more, the answer to this question is not to be mistaken for the question on whether you are eligible to apply. That’s an essential but separate consideration.

The one question that changes everything

Does the award align with my goals for my practice?

The Three Possible Answers (And What To Do Next)

NO.

If the answer is no, don’t apply. Many artists make the mistake of applying for funding and awards just because it’s possible. This is a waste of your precious time and energy.

I Don’t Know.

If the answer is I don’t know, STOP. What’s most important here is to find out what you don’t know If it’s that you don’t know what your goals are, you MUST get straight on this before considering any award or fund. If it’s that you don’t know how the award can align with your goals, you MUST define this before you begin making the application.

Yes.

This leads me nicely to if the answer is yes. The next step in this case is to decide how you are going to apply the award to your goals and how you will express this in your application.

How Does This Apply To The Agility Award

So what does this actually look like when it comes to making an application. Let’s take the Agility Award as a timely example…

The Agility Award is scored in three categories:

Eligibility – This is not just about if you meet the eligibility criteria, it is also about how well your proposal meets the aims and needs of the award. Your goals will dictate your actions which will demonstrate how you can respond to this.

Artistic Merit – On the surface of it this looks like its assessing how good your art is. While that’s part of it, the bigger picture is how you can demonstrate your professionalism as an artist, not just with your previous experience but how your proposal reflects your professional practice. Here again, a clear plan to progress towards your goals gives you the blueprint to prove this.

Feasibility – This is the big one, and where the goals question really does the hard work. To score well here the proposal needs to clearly show a realistic plan to execute the actions you will carry out for the budget and withing the time scale you have set. From this, you can see how crucial it is to frame your application within the scope of the goals you have for your practice.

Why Your Goals Are the Foundation of a Strong Application

From this, you can see how crucial it is to frame your application within the scope of the goals you have for your practice. It’s about YOU. The things you want to achieve with your practice, they way you want to grow and develop it and how this award can contribute. Will you be applying for the Agility Award this year? Remember, you can include mentoring in your budget. If you’re considering it, let’s have a chat!

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