Audience Development Grants

Placer County arts organizations gathered for an Audience Development workshop conducted by Louise Stevens of Arts Market, Inc.  The workshop, sponsored by the Placer Community Foundation, was driven by a local demographic analysis citing a 27.7% growth in population by 2017, the majority of which are projected to be new, younger families choosing to move to Placer County for a better quality of life.  With the arts as a proven contributor to quality of life, arts organizations are faced with the challenge of making these new people aware of the programs they offer, with limited marketing budgets.

In 2010 and 2011 Placer Community Foundation will make grants to support audience development strategies for nonprofit arts organizations residing along the western slope of Placer County. It is anticipated that such efforts will help increase public involvement in local arts, while working to ensure the long-term sustainability of arts organizations themselves.

General Eligibility

• All arts-related activities funded through the audience development program must take place in Placer County and be made available to Placer County residents.
• Applicant organizations must be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization.
• Offices of the applicant organizations are located along the western slope of Placer County (i.e., from Dutch Flat to Roseville).
• Applicant can demonstrate that grant funding will contribute to the promotion of arts-related activities in Placer County.
• Applicant must complete an application form and, if funded, submit an audience tracking dashboard on a semi-annual basis.
• Priority will be given to grantees that can demonstrate continued participation in the Joint Marketing Program headed by PlacerArts.
• Audience development grants cannot be used for projects currently funded or eligible for funding by any other Placer Community Foundation grants or funding opportunities.

Awards

Grants may range from $100 to $1,000 per application.  Funding is intended to support programs or projects occurring between December 2010 and December 2011. Given the limited funding available, matching grants are encouraged but not required.

Examples of Funding

Audience development grants fund marketing strategies that work to engage and track new and continued audiences and promote the community programs and services offered by the arts organization. Examples of possible projects include:

• Community based events aimed to promote the arts organization to the general public.
• Marketing materials such as brochures, programs or posters.
• Audience/customer incentive programs.
• Collaborative marketing projects that involve two or more arts organizations.

Application Process

To ensure that the proposal meets with the objectives of this grant program, all eligible nonprofit arts organizations are asked to contact the Placer Community Foundation directly before submitting an application form.

Are you passionate about a vibrant arts sector in Placer County? Find out how you can support Audience Development in the arts or Placer Endowment for the Arts.