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Securing arts funding is essential for the long-term sustainability of cultural initiatives. This course offers a thorough overview of the various income sources available to support arts organizations. Over five weeks of learning, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to:


  • Understand the fundamental pillars of arts funding – public, private, and earned income
  • Harness a wide range of fundraising options, such as corporate arts funding, government funding, philanthropy, and independent income streams like ticketing and sales
  • Navigate the grant application process effectively
  • Calculate and manage project budgets

Throughout the course, you will receive practical tools, templates, and guidance to enrich your funding know-how. In addition, we learn from each other through interactive group exercises. By the end, you will come away with a structured approach to acquiring funds for arts organizations.


This course is for anyone in the arts seeking foundational knowledge or to refine existing expertise, whether you run an independent art space or work within a large museum. No prior knowledge is necessary, however, experience in working in or with arts organizations is helpful.


Image: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Video conferences on Mondays, from 7pm to 9pm Berlin Time CEST. Recordings available in case you miss a live session!

Week 1: Introduction (May 6)

Introduction to arts funding

Funders, fundees, and audiences as actors in arts funding

Week 2: Public Funding (May 13)

Why does the state fund the arts?

Who funds the arts – the example of Germany

How does public funding work?

Week 3: Private Funding (May 27)

Corporate arts funding - understanding and acquiring sponsorships

Civic arts funding - approaching foundations

Individual arts funding - gaining philanthropic support

Week 4: Earned Income (June 3)

Sources of income in the arts

Primary Income (Ticketing & Pricing)

Secondary income (Shop, Café, (digital) Services)

Week 5: Grant Applications and Project Budgets (June 10)

The application process - what to expect and how to apply

The project budget - calculating, preparing and managing


We will use Zoom for the live video conferences, please check Zoom's technical requirements here.


Live captioning will be available during the video conference.

Tom Koch

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