The Secrets to Funding Your Project

Grants and Fundraising

We’ve learned to never underestimate the power of public funding. Even niche projects can qualify if they create a positive impact. Highlight your project's value with tangible metrics and visualizations of your project so government organizations can understand the vision. Start with state grants and expand your search to federal opportunities. Grant Gopher and Instrumentl are excellent starting points.

Need help with grant writing? Consider partnering with experienced grant writers or leveraging the skills of experiential partners. Building a strong team can significantly boost your credibility.

Corporate Sponsorships

Our advice: Lead with your mission. Connect with companies on what’s inspiring about your project and the power it has to drive change. Basically, give them a cause they can get behind that’ll resonate with their audience.

Another great way to get interest is to build corporate placement into your story. If it’s a technology focused exhibit, for example, let them be the innovative visionaries with a key voice in ushering in the future. There’s an unlimited number of ways to get creative.

Community Engagement

With the proliferation of social platforms, smaller organizations can drive the conversation. Developing a marketing plan, telling a transmedia story, and saying it in a fresh way can bring eyes to your project like never before. Most likely, your work has a direct impact on audiences in your area, so it’s easier to make it personal than, say, a big brand message.

Leverage technology to lower costs

The last trick that’s always waiting in the wings: technology. If you’re working to scootch that project cost down, innovation may be the way to do it.

With the explosion in more accessible digital solutions, costs are decreasing while the possibilities are expanding. Maybe you have a big story to tell, but that doesn’t have to mean you have to rack up big costs in the process—whether it’s using AI to quickly convey your idea to potential investors, existing platforms to streamline how to execute creative, or finding a partner to build technology from the ground up.