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INTRO:
Photography projects require money. Many photographers produce work at their own financial cost. There are,
however, plenty of funding sources available from different organizations. These organizations are ready to support
image makers providing funding for research, creation, production, travel and living expenses.
There is a definitive technique to grant writing, learn this and strengthen your chances of reaching the top of the
pile.
/ INTERVIEW WITH DONALD WEBER:
“When I first started applying for alternate forms of funding, I wanted to beef up my CV, so I was looking for awards
that offered a wide range of benefits – a winner’s exhibition or a book or catalogue, perhaps a little cash, or just
the title of “first prize” – all very important when you’re applying for the larger grants or to Government-funded arts
councils. Crafting a CV is vital. You need to give your work validation and credibility.
In the beginning it took a long time to apply for each grant or award but, now that I’ve figured out the methods and
my work has been edited, it’s quicker. I always have about four ideas in my head and writing for grants is good a
way to get those ideas fleshed out in detail and on paper. I write a proposal for myself first, just to get it out, then
fine-tune it to the specific application – there may be certain themes or passages I re-use, but each application
is tailored. It’s not hard to do if you’ve got a strong, well-considered basic idea and, now that I’ve got a few years
behind me as a photographer, I’ve figured out what I want to say. I like to go by instinct, and try not to fuss too
much about it. You’re not going to win everything, so you just have to be true and honest. I’ve learned to enjoy it,
though early on it was a struggle.
Each project is different, but I like to stress my career arc: the things I’m interested in, perhaps why this work should
be done and be done only by me, and stressing a sense of urgency. I am a more literary photographer then factual,
so I try to combine my proposals with anecdotes and personal experiences, perhaps including people I’ve met on
my travels, passages from books I’ve read, or quotes from historical figures or people who live where I intend to
shoot. Rarely do I use third-person quotes, such as “The New York Times says...”, as I find it takes the personal out
of the proposal.
I think my Guggenheim Fellowship proposal was successful because it was straight and to the point, but was also
lyrical and had a sense that this was the only story I could tell, or wanted to tell. That personal touch made the pro-
ject feel even more valued. I sat down and wrote it one night in a fit of fury, something I am prone to do. Basically, it
was an email to a friend who is a writer, and he replied right away saying, “There’s your proposal.” That’s essentially
what I handed in, an email with cleaned-up spelling and grammar, but the immediacy, the rage, the knowledge
and the heart all came out. I couldn’t type fast enough to get everything out on the page. It’s probably one of my