Robert Stephenson
Grantist is your solution for turning artistic visions into funded realities. We empower artists to achieve their full potential by providing a comprehensive, subscription bases, platform that streamlines the completions of grant applications and fosters a thriving professional creative community.
What was done
- Market research
- User Research
- Opportunity
- Road Map
- Concept Mockup
Overview
The Significant Contributions of Artists
Independent visual artists play a vital role in society. Their work enriches our lives by fostering cultural expression, stimulating economic growth, and fostering a sense of community.
Difficulties in Securing Funding
Despite their undeniable contributions, independent visual artists face significant hurdles when securing consistent funding. This is despite a substantial pool of grant money available - over $2.81 billion allocated to public and private US arts organizations in 2023 alone (source: Public Funding for the Arts 2023 — The Reader (giarts.org)).
However, data from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) indicates that:
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Less than 30% of artists who apply for grants receive funding.
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Often, the same artists receive grants year after year.
The Struggles of Unsuccessful Applicants
Further examination of the 70% of applicants who are not awarded grants reveals a population with unmet needs. While grants have annual cycles allowing artists to reapply, a lack of success might raise questions:
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What are the reasons behind repeated application failures?
While publicly available quantitative data on artist business practices is limited, anecdotal evidence from professional artists earning at least $40,000 annually suggests some interesting points:
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Uncertain Impact of Administrative Expenses: Artists invest in accounting software, advertising, and legal services, but the effectiveness of these expenses remains unclear.
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Project Management Gap: Opportunities like residencies and grants require project management skills that less than 15% of artists possess.
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Income Diversification Challenges: Diversifying income streams is crucial for artists, but how effectively are they managing this aspect?
Hypothesis: Empowering Artists with Tools for Success
Artists could benefit immensely from tools that provide a competitive advantage in securing funding opportunities. Considering an estimated 10-15% of artist income is spent on administration and operations (A&O), a sizable addressable market exists.
The market offers grant and project opportunities, alongside a pool of talented artists ready to contribute. However, a key challenge lies in the grant application process itself.
The Opaque Grant Application Process
Limited Transparency and Support Hinder Success
The grant application process can be opaque, lacking clear communication channels and online transparency. This, coupled with limited administrative resources, time, and experience amongst artists, leads to many unrealized opportunities. The root cause lies not in a lack of talent, but rather a lack of knowledge and supportive systems.
A Solution: Grantist - Empowering Artists Through Innovation
A comprehensive solution tailored specifically for artists is the answer. Grantist, an innovative platform, leverages current technology and incorporates AI trained on successful grant proposals.
Grantist Fills the Gap:
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Grantist empowers artists with systems, knowledge, and a supportive community.
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Grantist equips artists to manage the administrative tasks necessary for securing public and private grants.
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Grantist assists artists in building diverse and consistent income streams.
User Research
To gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities Grantist needs to provide artists, we conducted interviews with a sample group of five artists. These interviews revealed valuable insights into the challenges artists face in securing grant funding and the specific support they require.
Big Takeaways
1. Market Scan - Artists face significant challenges in navigating the grant application process
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2. User Needs - Artists need a comprehensive platform that streamlines grant applications, provides access to resources, and fosters a supportive community.​​
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Identifying Opportunities
The Grant Landscape: A Complex Challenge
While over $2.8 billion+ in grant funding is available for artists, accessing these funds can be daunting. The grant application process often lacks transparency, making it difficult for artists to learn from past experiences.
Key Challenges for Artists:
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Administrative Hurdles: Artists frequently struggle with limited time, resources, and experience in grant management.
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Lack of Transparency: The grant application process can be opaque, making it difficult to understand requirements and navigate the system.
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Limited Access to Expertise: Artists may lack access to professional copyediting, grant writing guidance, and project management support.
Grantist: A Comprehensive Solution
Grantist addresses these challenges by providing artists with a comprehensive suite of tools and resources. Leveraging AI technology and expert knowledge, Grantist empowers artists to:
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Streamline Grant Applications: Create professional, compelling grant proposals with AI-assisted text generation and customizable templates.
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Gain Insights: Access a wealth of grant information, including past awardees, application requirements, and success strategies.
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Build Capacity: Develop essential administrative skills through workshops and mentorship programs.
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Connect with a Community: Network with other artists, share experiences, and find support.
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Easy to use UI
Cost
What are the cost?
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By addressing these critical pain points, Grantist offers artists a competitive advantage and increases their chances of securing funding.
Revenue Model
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Tiered subscription
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Grantist Vision
Road Map
Grantist: Empowering Artists through Technology
Grantist is a comprehensive platform designed to revolutionize the way artists navigate the grant application process. By leveraging AI technology, providing essential resources, and fostering a supportive community, Grantist empowers artists to secure funding and build sustainable careers.
Our Vision: To create a world where artists can thrive by unlocking their full potential and accessing the resources they need to succeed.
The roadmap will have quarterly development goals, and address:​​
Q1 - 2024
Proprietary AI text generation specifically trained on winning grant applications.
Utilizing proprietary AI algorithms trained on a vast dataset of successful grant proposals, Grantist provides intelligent text generation, customizable templates, and real-time feedback to assist artists in crafting compelling applications. For instance, if an artist is struggling to articulate the key elements of their project narrative, Grantist can provide structure and guidance. By suggesting potential story structures and highlighting important facts and themes, the AI helps the artist create a compelling narrative that aligns with grant administrator expectations and best practices.
Q2 - 2024
Suite a Customized design templates
The suite offers customizable design templates that streamline the creation of visually compelling narratives. Users can effortlessly drag and drop visual elements, add annotations, and organize content to construct structured and engaging visual stories. This intuitive interface empowers users to efficiently communicate complex ideas through a dynamic and interactive format.
Q3 - 2024
Custom Access to Arts grant database
By creating detailed user profiles, the platform intelligently matches grant opportunities to individual artists based on their specific qualifications, project types, and funding needs. This personalized approach streamlines the grant search process, allowing artists to focus on crafting compelling applications rather than spending countless hours sifting through irrelevant listings.
Q4 - 2024
Grant Transparency
The platform serves as a centralized hub for grant information, offering transparency through features such as showcasing past awardees, providing contact information for grantmakers, and offering other insights to demystify the grant application process.
Q1 - 2025
Professional Community
Artists can network, exchange ideas, and find potential collaborators. The platform also offers mentorship opportunities and access to industry experts, creating a supportive environment for artistic growth and development.
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Mood Board
& Mockup
Product Mockup
We developed a product mood board and subsequent concept mockup featuring a streamlined user interface designed to appeal to artists and creatives. The UI navigation is modeled after a grid-based, icon-driven application, presenting navigation options in a simplified and easily customizable manner. We use bright, active colors to distinguish our application from standard project management tools and create an artistic, inviting atmosphere. This visual differentiation sets an artistic tone and reinforces the application's focus on creativity and expression.
Highlights &
Key Takeaways
Despite their undeniable contributions, independent visual artists face significant obstacles when securing consistent funding. While a substantial pool of grant money exists (over $2.81 billion in the US alone!), the application process itself can be opaque and challenging. Limited transparency, administrative burdens, and a lack of support systems often leave talented artists without the resources they deserve.
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Grantist offers a solution
This innovative platform leverages AI technology and expert knowledge to empower artists. By providing clear information, streamlining tasks, and fostering a supportive community, Grantist equips artists to overcome application hurdles and access the funding they need.
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Key Takeaways:
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Significant funding exists for artists but accessing it can be difficult.
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Competitive landscape - Competition are consultants and other apps. The consultants can become customers, and the other apps aren't user friendly and expensive.
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Monetization - Tiered subscription, but $0 subscription to promote user critical mass, and possibly sell adds and data. Ultimately, the application will be affordable.
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FundingA key takeaway is that this application would appeal to granting authorities and agencies who serve artist. A grant to build the application in partnership with granting agencies, along with enterprise membership would make the application financially accessible to artist of all income levels.
By empowering artists through Grantist, we can cultivate a thriving artistic landscape and ensure that talent is nurtured.