I’m always on the prowl for new grants, fellowships and residencies. Grant money allows me to buy office supplies, books, pay for postage, daycare and to travel. In past six years, for example, my research has taken me to Paris, Toulouse, rural Lorraine, Vilnius, Jerusalem, California, Ohio, and New York. A couple weeks ago, I learned that I won my second Canada Council grant (hurray!), so the research trip to Siberia is looking like more of a reality every day.
A few tips when looking for grant money:
Think topically. I received a lot of funding for my second book from Holocaust research institutes.
Think regionally. Every province and territory in Canada, just about every US state, and some cities have artist grants for residents.
Think about who you are. There are grants for young women, older women, LGBT individuals, people of colour, and so on. There might be one for you.
Don’t reject small grants. It all adds up. The research for my second book was funded primarily by small grants that laid the groundwork for bigger grants later. More recently, The Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund paid for a few months of daycare, so I could finish my manuscript.
Don’t be afraid to ask. Apply, apply, apply. The worst a granting agency can say is no.
Happy hunting!
Granting agencies that have supported my work include (Links to each appear at the margin under the heading “Grants and Fellowships”):
- The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Yad Vashem International Institute for Holocaust Studies
- The Holocaust Educational Foundation
- The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
- Le Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec
- The Canada Council for the Arts
- The Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund
- The Banff Centre for the Arts
[Photo: monkeyc.net]
