Sharing Fund Raising Info

[Gary Chambers]

RE: Information on fund raising sources for theatre productions
 
I Requested:
 
>Information on central sources of the names of funding
>agencies, foundations and individuals.
 
You Requested:
 
>When you have compiled the information would you consider
>sharing the wealth Gary?
 
Now I Reply:
 
Mr. Raymond Louter:
 
                   Thanks for your inquiry.
 
            I don't know about sharing the wealth Raymond.
I guess we all have to compete for a share of whatever pie exists,
although I am seriously considering the possibility of sharing some
information as to where the wealth rests.
 
            The query that I put to the CANDRAMA group gained one
response with real information in it.  It came from someone called
Wendell at gs03wcs at PANTHER.GSU.EDU.  (I've been trying to get a letter
of thanks back to Wendell, but can't get the E-mail through, so I'll
say thanks to Wendell right now.)
 
INTERUPT-- Just went on line to send this E-mail and see that
there are more replies with info from within Canada.  But the
above paragraph was true when I wrote it.  Thanks all.  I'll
read the new replies offline.
 
            The information Wendell sent was mainly of use in the USA,
so unless one is touring a show into the States, it would have
no real application for Canadians.  The fact that Wendell was able
to name some publications, newsletters etc. that supply
this information in the USA, however, make me wonder if it isn't time
something similar was established in Canada.  And CANDRAMA seems a
logical and inexpensive place to post or retrieve such information.
 
            If my present fund raising project goes ahead (I'll know
in a few days, I hope) then I'll be doing a lot of research into
creating a list of funding sources.  The exact extent or nature of
the information I will gather remains in question at this point.
There are also the obvious concerns of normal business security and
ethics to be considered.  All that aside, however, it seems to me that
by sharing some fund raising information, the arts community as a
whole could benefit.
 
           With the growth in the strength of Klein and
Davis style economic policies, the future of public funding is
questionable.  There are also many (including myself) who are
critical of the way some public funds have been alloted in the past.
I'm sure some level of public funding will continue, but who knows
to what extent, and under what qualifying circumstances?
 
            As the funding climate gets cooler, a more co-operative
effort by the arts community to access private funds, may be in
order.  Taking the hassle out of identifying prime sources of these
funds, may be a logical first step toward that co-operative effort.
 
            As I conduct research into these sources, I will
discuss with my colleagues at Theatreworks, the possibility of
helping to create this kind of information exchange.  And I will
keep yourself and other subscribers to CANDRAMA in mind, as the
logical group with whom to share the information.
 
Gary Chambers
Theatreworks
Lethbridge
 
 
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Gary Chambers            e-mail: GCHAMBERS at upanet.uleth.ca
Public Access Internet
The University of Lethbridge