just wondering if anyone has looked at grants for there clown buisness. i know there alot of options out there but have no idea how to persue it. ive looked at alot of sites out there for buisness grants and all of them want you to buy a book of theres but none of them seem to go into it any further than that. wondering if anyone has had expeiriance in this.

I hope it is easier to get a grant for clowning. I tried to get a grant to start a small business. I was basically told there weren't grants for people like me.

well i figure if you do some charity work (which I was planning to do anyway) it might help in getting it and the fact that it is mainly for children might be a plus also. i just dont know how to even get the ball rolling on getting one

The law for grants change so fast that what may have been valid one month isn't the next. I understand it is quite an involved process to even apply for
one. We're discussing this topic on another list. They're great is you can get one.

need to get that guy on the comercials with the question marks all over his suit.he looks like a clown anyway hed fit right in .

If you do charity work you can apply for grants, check with your local DHEC. My sister is SW and one of her jobs is to help with community projects and she helped me write a grant for a local foundation and we received a 1,000 to pay for conference and new supplies. a couple of years ago, and we Agreed to do at least 3 community project ie, literacy day at the park

Here's the scoop on getting a grant...

There are 3 sources for grants
1)Private Foundations - this is like the Bill Gates foundation www.gatesfoundation.org These foundations focus primarily on other non-profit organizations
2) Corporations - These promote good will within the community
3) Government - These fund, among other things, arts and sciences.
There are also different levels of government agencies:
Federal - this is like the National Endowment for the Arts http://arts.endow.gov
State - in my state of Ohio http://www.oac.state.oh.us/
County - in my county http://www.lakevisit.com/entertainment.html
City - Our local large city Cleveland offers $320,000 every year for competitive grants to fund projects that enrich quality of life. I know a performer who receives $30,000 per year to perform in the City Parks during the summer. Another gets over $10,000 per year to fund his Children's theatre.
Each of the funding sources has its own rules you need to follow and preferences to funnel the funds. In order to get a piece of the pie you have to understand what they will fund.

Most granting organizations do not provide funds directly to individuals. In most cases, they will only provide funding for tax-exempt non-profit organizations. This is where most people figure it is not worth following up. Lots of paperwork ...

But you can associate with a local arts council and co-write for a grant.

Give me a call at 440-298-1536 and I will be happy to fill you in on lots more details on how to do this. It's too long to write here.

Hope this helps. I make it my business to know these things! :D
Esther Beris
Clown Marketing Institute
www.ClownMarketingTips.com