*This event is part of ART AND MONEY, a limited learning series for independent artists, creatives and small business owners. ART AND MONEY is presented within Open Learning, Future Front’s ongoing program on creativity, craft and community-care.
Grants 101 with DORF Gallery
On April 16, join us at DORF’s new gallery for a candid conversation on applying to (and learning from) grants. We’ll talk successful case studies and strategies for staying organized. Bring grants you want to work on or language you’re trying to workshop, too!
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WHAT TO EXPECT
A candid conversation on finding the right language for grants with DORF Gallery founder and artist Sara Vanderbeek, writer and social impact consultant Brittany Heckard, the Future Front team and more
A deep-dive into fiscal sponsor relationships and basic grants budgeting with artist, documentarian and photographer Liz Moskowitz
Real time to work on your own grant narratives and/or budgets, using resources and activities from Future Front, poet and cultural organizer KB Brookins, the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Funding and more
A time for questions and community notes (including yours!)
*This event is part of ART AND MONEY, a limited learning series for independent artists, creatives and small business owners. You can learn more about other ART AND MONEY events this season at futurefronttexas.org/comethrough.
HOW TO ATTEND
This event is open to the public and sliding scale ($1+), thanks to Future Front’s donors, members and sponsors, as well as support from ArtsHERE.
REGISTER AND DONATE AT CHECKOUT BELOW:
*If you are a Future Front member, please provide your name at the door for entry or head to members.futurefronttexas.org or futurefrontmembership.squarespace.com to access member rates for event tickets, applications & other perks at anytime.
ABOUT THIS SESSION’S SPEAKERS
Sara Vanderbeek (she/her) is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, curator, and advocate for sustainability and affordability in arts spaces and infrastructure, based in Austin, TX. Her artwork explores themes of place, motherhood, mental health, and trauma, and has shown in exhibitions at The Contemporary Austin, Bentonville Film Festival, Tiger Strikes Asteroid Los Angeles, and Co-Lab Projects.
Vanderbeek is the Founding Executive Director & Curator of DORF, an experimental contemporary art gallery dedicated to supporting regional artists, amplifying marginalized voices and fostering meaningful dialogues. Recently, DORF relocated to a new space in the Zilker Point building, thanks to a partnership between municipal and private entities, enabling the gallery to operate with rent at just $1 per year.
As a consultant, Vanderbeek has created and shaped prominent public art collections, including for Texas Municipal Retirement System and University Health, with a focus on investing in Texas-based artists to strengthen local and regional economic development. She was a founding member and board president of ICOSA Collective and is an active facilitator for Mid-America Arts Alliance professional development programming.
Her artwork is held in numerous collections internationally, and her work has received grants from the City of Austin, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Christie’s Auction House, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Vanderbeek holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Anne-Marie McKaskle (she/her) is a Cultural Funding Specialist Senior for the City of Austin’s Department of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment, Cultural Arts Division. She has nearly 20 years experience in grants and non-profit administration. In her role at the Cultural Arts Division, she assists with the management of over 200 cultural contracts totaling over $17 million dollars annually in cultural funding.
Brittany Heckard (she/her) is a writer and rider for all things good. From "good witch" lobbyist at the Texas Capitol to Founder of Fervent Social Impact, she's helped silence harmful legislation, raise over $85k for local grassroots and creative organizations, and lead creative strategy and public affairs outreach for Fortune 500s, startups, and nonprofits. While lobbying, she helped increase state funding for cultural arts districts and legal aid funding for virtual court kiosks. As a corporate girlie, she's worked in the public affairs and corporate social responsibility space to write winning RFPs for broadband access to coordinate sponsorship opportunities between mission-aligned nonprofits for tech startups.
With Fervent, she helps with grants and strategic consulting for small businesses and creatives around the city looking for assistance in telling their story in an impactful and personal way. She has a passion for storytelling and helping people gain access to funds to further their creative journeys. As a creative, she loves the art of writing, and also works with Torch Literary Arts as the Communications Associate to amplify Black women writers around the world. It also helps her stay accountable as a screenwriter. For fun? She's somewhere screenwriting/storytelling, enjoying live music, or sleeping.
Liz Moskowitz (she/her) is a photographer and filmmaker. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York she has lived in Austin, Texas for 20 years. Much of her work stems from a compassionate attempt to understand and honor the dignity and nuances of people, places, and issues. She approaches each individual and community that she photographs with intentionality and an open-mind. Her photo projects oftentimes include direct quotes from participants as a way to make the photographic process more collaborative and inclusive. Broadly speaking, topics her work has explored include access to mental health services in rural areas, criminal justice reform, efforts to mitigate climate change, and the cultural consequences of urban development.
She is a member of Women Photograph and the recipient of grants from The Dallas Museum of Art, the Henry Luce Foundation, Austin Film Society, Preservation Austin, the Summerlee Foundation, and the City of Austin. Her short documentary films have been screened at SXSW Faces of Austin, AFS ShortCase, Woodstock Film Festival, AFI Fest, Dallas International Film Festival, Sedona International Film Festival, and broadcast throughout Texas as part of the PBS “Frame of Mind” series. Several of her photos were acquired by the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University. She holds a BA in Photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
plan your visit
LOCATION — In 2024, DORF relocted to Zilker Point, joining neighbors Zach Theatre, Dougherty Arts Center, and The Long Center to expand the Downtown Austin arts district. After securing a $1/year, 10-year lease through a partnership with the City of Austin, they also negotiated an ordinance that guarantees future arts nonprofits rent-free access to the space in perpetuity. DORF’s new space includes a gallery, rooftop garden, outdoor plaza, and a permanent sculpture by Jessica Bell.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES — ASL interpreters can be provided upon request. Si necesita traducción al español para participar en este evento, envíenos un correo electrónico a hello@futurefronttexas.org.
IMPORTANT COMMUNITY NOTES + GUIDELINES —
All Future Front staff, volunteers and guests will be required to practice mutual respect, as well as demonstrate an alignment with Future Front’s guidelines and values: futurefronttexas.org/values.
All Future Front sessions are currently held online, outdoors or in open-air spaces where quality air flow is possible, ADA compliance is prioritized and assisted mobility devices can be utilized.
All Future Front sessions follow capacity limits to reduce crowding of any kind.
At Future Front events, all guests are expected to follow Austin-local health and safety guidelines for gatherings, as well as practice consideration with the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and any other legal, mind-altering substances.
Tobacco use and electronic smoking device use are not permitted at any time within Future Front properties and event spaces at least 15 ft from entrances, exits, operational windows, or ventilation system intake vents.
Littering of tobacco-related products on the grounds or parking lots is also prohibited.
GOT QUESTIONS? Shoot us a note at hello@futurefronttexas.org. We're happy to help and will get back to you!
BEHIND THIS SESSION
DORf
DORF was founded with a mission to build a village of artists, advocates, and innovators. DORF’s values of openness, intention, expression, and community have guided its programming, which includes exhibitions that tackle social justice, amplify marginalized voices, and foster meaningful dialogues.
Location: In 2024, DORF relocted to Zilker Point, joining neighbors Zach Theatre, Dougherty Arts Center, and The Long Center to expand the Downtown Austin arts district. After securing a $1/year, 10-year lease through a partnership with the City of Austin, they also negotiated an ordinance that guarantees future arts nonprofits rent-free access to the space in perpetuity. DORF’s new space includes a gallery, rooftop garden, outdoor plaza, and a permanent sculpture by Jessica Bell.
artshere
ArtsHERE is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations.
Homegrown in Austin, Future Front is an award-winning cultural space and public exhibition series—with women and LGBTQ+ creatives at the front.
As a 501c3 arts and culture nonprofit, we produce two annual community-led exhibitions, The Front Market and The Front Festival, platforming independent artists and creatives across disciplines in Texas. Beyond our flagship exhibitions, we host seasonal shows and workshops at our creative space in East Austin, welcoming 20,000+ visitors per year.
Through these programs and a diverse network of partnerships, we invite the public (including you) to dream of a future where local art and creativity thrive in Texas—where we see ourselves and our cultures reflected in our communities.
FUTURE FRONT IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY The City of Austin Economic Development Department, ArtsHERE, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Texas Commission on the Arts, The LINE Hotel Austin, Pease Park Conservancy, the Red River Cultural District, Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation, Topo Chico, as well as Future Front’s donors and members.