Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with funding

Taking high schoolers to Broadway?

airguitar2 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:52:46 -0800

How can I bring my low-income high school students to an off-Broadway show? I teach creative writing at a public high school in NYC where most/all of the students are low-income. We're studying drama in creative writing, and I'd like to find a way to bring them to a real play-- maybe Our Town, or Broke-ology, or A Boy And His Soul. I'm wondering: are there programs for which my students would qualify? We obviously can't afford to pay full price for tickets. Do any shows have rehearsals we might simply be able to sit in on? Are there shows that allow students to attend special performances?

Does anyone have experience doing this? Thanks!

How do you fund a startup with (virtually) no collateral?

ohyouknow — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:51:48 -0800

I need an SBA loan yesterday. My business is in startup mode, I'm already fielding new orders, but I need startup capital to get this thing off the ground. To keep this simple I won't go into great depth about my business model. The short version is that this is what I've been doing for the past 5 years very successfully, I was the one driving the business where I was at previously, and all of my former clients have been calling me for assistance. But in order to make this work I need about 35k in capital and I have no collateral. I do have excellent credit, about 30k in untapped credit, and of course my 401k... but I really don't want to touch any of these things. Each time I model out my plan I anticipate (worst case scenario) that I will be out of debt by month 4. But how do I get to month 4 without cash?

I live in San Francisco and have contacted the SBA here, but it's a long process. There is one organization that had me fill out a one page form online for an "instant SBA" and I was summarily rejected (because I don't have collateral, which I thought wasn't supposed to be an issue for an SBA, but I digress).

I know SBA applications are way up and banks are more hesitant than ever about granting them... so any guidance you could give about how to proceed would be much appreciated.

And feel free to MeMail me if you'd like to know more about the specifics. Thanks in advance!

Help me identify potential grant sources for rebuilding an elementary school's IT network

Imhotep is Invisible — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:42:58 -0800

I have been tasked with rebuilding the computer lab and administrative systems for an elementary school. One of my tasks will be to seek out and apply for grants of funds or equipment for an upgrade. What organizations should I approach? The primarily African-American Christian school located on the south side of Chicago has approximately 20 lab machines and 8 administrative machines, though the majority of the machines are out-of-date. I would be looking to obtain network hardware (firewall, switches), complete desktop systems, printers, 2 small servers, client licenses for Office and Windows, antivirus and content-filtering solutions, and (potentially off-site) backup.

I've found this ask question about how to approach a foundation and there's plenty of information about how to write a grant request but there seems to be vast volumes of potential sources and I'm not sure how to identify who would be an ideal partner.

Is this report worth the money? Who else would you recommend I/we approach?

Much obliged!

Funding for a theatre nonprofit in Sri Lanka.

By The Grace of God — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:46:44 -0800

Any good leads for corporate or foundational funders for a youth theatre project for Sri Lankan refugees and orphans? It's a registered charity looking for leads. We will be doing a funder search but specific references or good websites or forums for this would be most welcome. Charity is registered in the UK.

AHRC Funding for PhD - How to ensure it!?

0bvious — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:16:50 -0800

Applying for AHRC funding for an Art PhD. Any advice? I am very much at the end of a very long, and arduous, PhD application procedure. I am applying to do Art Practice, with heavy emphasis on practice-based research. I got the place at the university, now I need to get the funding!

I have one very good reference already finalised and am waiting to hear back from my proposed supervisor on the other (required) reference.

What are the most imperative aspects of my 500 words proposal for funding?

I realise that this subject is rather contextual, but any advice would be appreciated.

I got accepted into grad school. How to afford?

actionpact — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:32:12 -0800

I got a phone call telling me I got accepted to grad school. Trying to work out funding options before the package gets here and whether it's worth it (sorta complicated situation, details inside). Help? Okay, so I applied to one school-- the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. A bit atypical, but I applied for their Illustration as Visual Essay MFA, and I applied based on the program rather than just the degree, so hopefully that makes sense. I live in Arizona right now and work as a freelance illustrator; while of course I don't need the degree to do what I do, the program and all its networking and focus seem like they could really push my skills and help my career in the long run. I got a phone call yesterday telling me yes, I got accepted and I'll be receiving more details in the mail next week. Of course though, I'm impatient and want to get the ball rolling to find out any financial options I have.

Few issues:

1) While I know SVA does have some merit based fellowships, they don't have a heck of a lot of options besides loans. Everyone I've talked to has mostly loved the program but have admitted it's expensive. (For the record, it's about $30,000 for '09-10, and I believe tuition will go up a bit the next year.)
2) Unlike a lot of my friends, I went to school in-state and while I did have debts, it's around $17k versus the $80-100k they had. So for two years incurring maybe $60-65k of debt... I don't know. I hear that it's the good kind of debt though?
3) Due to my ~~laziness~~ frustrations with doing my taxes, I only submitted my FAFSA on the 6th of this month. The SAR says my EFC is $1961. (While my career has been growing, I'm still not well off yet) Which as far as I know means I have a lot of financial need. I don't know if that'll make much of an impact or what?
4) I just looked on the school website and found out that the optimal filing deadline for the FAFSA was February 1. Unfortunately, the website and catalog don't always match up so I wasn't aware and the site is not the best laid out. Which means I'm potentially screwed if there's no funding.
5) I do know one of my professors (she decided to send me an open copy for my file) wrote a glowing letter and specifically suggested if they had scholarships that they consider me for it. I don't know if professors usually do that, but it seemed really nice anyhow...
6) Since I'm self-employed I can't do tuition reimbursement or anything. I do have a part time job that offers college scholarships but it's only for undergrad.
7) There just aren't a heck of a lot of arts fellowships that I can find. But maybe I don't know where to look? I have checked out Fastweb and their brethren, but I never find much. I do know that Threadless has a scholarship, which I think I'm going to try for (SVA does match outside scholarships by 25%, so)...

So I'm wondering hivemind: what can I do in the meantime? I know next week I'll receive more details, but I'm trying to get the jump on alternate funding. Is there something I'm not thinking of?

And I'm also wondering your opinions re: the debt vs. value of going. I know it's a lot of money and while it's not going to get me one job that can justify it, the building upon my skills and the networking with a lot of industry people in New York could turn into a lot of jobs and different avenues of projects down the road. (For those who don't know, it's more of a practical vs. theory-based MFA) It seems like a good thing for me. So to me it seems worth it to invest in my future for two years (and then unless I did find some kind of steady employ there, I'd probably leave). But I can't tell if I'm nuts.

Thanks! I know this is a little more complicated than your standard grad school AskMe thread (I did read a ton of them too, so sorry if it retreads a common question), but hopefully it makes sense. I can respond to questions as needed.

fear of commitment (to graduate funding)

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:36:55 -0800

Graduate funding: I got it but don't want to accept it yet because I'm waiting on word from better graduate funding. How do I deal with this? I got accepted to my top choice for grad school in international relations! Excellent news. I also have been offered an awesome scholarship that covers tuition and pays a stipend. Even better!

However, the scholarship is not directly from my department and requires me to take some extra classes only tangentially related to my primary academic interests and to "work in the security field, with a government agency at the federal, state or local level for each year of scholarship." This is okay, but committing to working for the government kind of freaks me out.

My department makes their final funding decisions by April 1, and I have applied for a fellowship that offers a larger stipend, pays for more credit hours, and has requirements more related to my primary interests (intensive language and area studies). So, better overall. I really want it.

The first scholarship needs me to sign a service contract and, wrote that they "would like confirmation by email that you will be accepting this scholarship, and we will then forward the contract to you." I don't want it to seem like I don't want this scholarship but I would like to indicate that I need to wait until April 1 before giving a definitive yes. I don't really want to be a jerk and say yes and then just hold on to the unsigned contract until I know.

Also, I am worried that because I am being offered this scholarship, my department will see this and potentially not rank me as highly for the fellowship as they would were I unfunded. Is this a realistic concern? And, if so, what can I do?

Apologies for length. Anonymous because I assume that grad schools google.

Questions about Grad App Questions

davidstandaford — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:32:38 -0800

A few questions that I'm running into while submitting my graduate school applications about fellowships, diversity statements, other schools I am applying to, and accepting admission without funding. I'm applying for PhD programs in Political Science, and have about 7 programs left, and I've run into the same thing on a number of applications and I'm not sure how to handle it.

1) Most applications have a place where I can note any fellowships that I have applied for. I hadn't identified any to apply to (although I haven't looked very hard) and I'm wondering if it hurts me that I'm not applying for any outside sources of funding? Will it help my chances at the remaining schools if I apply to some fellowships?

2) Some schools allow for an optional diversity statement. As a generic white/upper middle class student of two people with post-bachelor degrees, I don't have a very compelling diversity/adversity statement. Although I'm a good writer and could probably craft something good, it doesn't feel to me like I have exactly what they want and my statement might not compare well to others, so I'm wondering about whether I would be better off writing the best one I can or not submitting one at all.

3) Most programs ask me about which other schools I am applying to. Does anyone know what they use this for and how it might hurt or help my chances at any one individual school?

4) Finally, for programs that don't fully fund all students, some ask me whether I would accept admission with partial or no funding. Ideally, I would want full funding, but to be accepted anyway even if they couldn't offer financial support, but I don't want to mark yes that I would accept admission without funding because then it would allow them to admit me without funding, even if they were willing to admit me with funding. Any idea on how best to deal with this?

How to get a nonprofit off the ground?

desjardins — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:12:39 -0800

We have a great idea for a nonprofit organization. However, we have zero experience founding or maintaining one. Where should we start? The general idea is to produce a documentary featuring well-known experts on a particular subject and have local showings, with local speakers. These speakers will outline specific actions that audience members can take to further the cause.

1. How do we get the credibility to contact well-known experts?
2. How do we raise the funds to cover costs (videography, travel, etc.)?

We possess a range of skills and talents (technology, marketing, design, sales, organization); we just don't have the right connections or a solid idea of where to start.

This is in the US - initially in Chicago, hoping to expand nationwide. And no, none of us are former hedge fund managers. ;)

How do I find the source of donations to Religious groups?

Orb2069 — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:58:45 -0800

How do I find out who's paying the bill for The Call to use Qualcomm stadium? I mean, I've traced the event from The Call to, The International House Of Prayer University to Lou Engle, but I'm just getting lost in the maze. Are any of these organizations required to declare their funding sources - And if so, is there any way for a private citizen to find out?

What happens when you're the last nonprofit gal standing?

vindyloo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:51:31 -0800

NonprofitChaosFilter: The grants fell through, and I'm the last full-timer in an office of 2. What's the most ethical thing to do when I'm the last employee left, there's no money left, and I've become the director's right-hand gal? I'm working for a nonprofit that's just barely able to patch itself together. Nine months ago, I started off as the communications manager, but as of today I'm covering everything from booking plane tickets to washing dishes. Should I tell my boss that I'm unhappy in the midst of chaos, or just wait it out until I find a better job?

The first week I was hired, our office manager quit due to funding issues (her hours having been cut back to 8 per week--whee!). She was replaced by a part-time intern who, although quite a scholar, has no real background in office management. Another volunteer is covering payroll and accounting, and this person barely returns phone calls. Creditors are calling. The office is a wreck. We're chasing after grants to keep the boat afloat. To say morale is low is an understatement.

The executive director is a very hard-headed innovator who has kept the organization afloat for over 15 years. He's known for his creative drive, his sense of humor, his generosity, and his mercurial temper-- he flies off the handle, makes snap decisions, and defies the board (AKA his friends) in the name of keeping the organization (all 2 of us, ha!) alive. Today, it's just me and him in a small office. Every day, it's a new financial crisis--lots o' screaming on a regular basis (not directed toward me, just toward funders/grantors/creditors), coupled with episodes of crying and swearing. I'm 33 years old, and this is not working for me.

I took the job because the organization is involved in multimedia community work that I was very inspired by, and that I was very interested in learning more about. However, the environment has deteriorated to the degree that it's impossible for me to learn much more than scattershot last-minute grant-writing and creatively-strung-together curse words. I'm burned out and ready to move on.

The director is leaning on me a lot these days, and now that I'm the lone staffer, the expectations and demands are very high. Despite his propensity to anger, I honestly like the guy--he's got a hilarious sense of humor and he has been very generous and caring to me during this time (paying for lunches, including me in social events, remembering birthdays, etc.). Is there anything to be gained by being honest with him about how the dicey and chaotic financial situation is affecting me, or should I wait until I find another job, and then break the news? (I've been searching for work since this started to unfold ...)

I work hard for the money

doctor.dan — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:18:18 -0800

Just started a PhD in cognitive neuroscience/imaging genetics and looking for some way to fund my research. I'm doing a PhD at a major Australian research university and need quite a bit of money in terms of research funding to pay for the experiments that I want to run (fMRI is quite pricey, about $450 per subject for the cheaper scanner and $650 for the stronger scanner).

I get about $5000 in research funding every year and can use some money from my supervisor's grant, but all up the funding is only enough to run one good fMRI study. I'd love to be able to run more than one.

Are there any grants/funding sources I can apply to get my mitts on some more research funding, or should I give up and focus on doing my research? Also, I have a scholarship that covers my living costs (barely), so I'm not looking to increase that.

How to get corporate sponsors?

Perihelion — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:02:10 -0800

In a nutshell: I'm an artist who got trapped in a day job and I no longer have enough available time to create new work. I'd like to raise money from corporate sponsors to help fund a 10 month period where I would paint some new work and then have it exhibited at my local museum. I am not interested in applying for grants because I already know it would be a waste of time for the type art I do. I guess what I need is guidance, tips, or at least a success story to give me some encouragement. Thanks.

Interesting Non-Academic Fellowships

divabat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:27:38 -0800

What are some interesting non-academic fellowships out there? Some examples of what I mean:

Sauve Scholars
Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellows
Ashoka
Echoing Green
TED Conference Fellows
YouthActionNet Global Fellowship
YSEI Fellows

So essentially they give you money and support for your projects, or for attending an event of theirs, but the focus isn't on academia and is generally open to a wider selection of people (compared to traditional fellowships that are geared towards academics). What other terms do they use to describe themselves?

(the examples I used up there are largely youth-oriented, but other focus areas are more than welcome.)

Teach me how to fund art organization!

actionpact — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:05:45 -0800

I have an idea for a community art organization. Help me figure out where to look to fund it! For a year or two I've been toying with the idea of building a community printmaking center in the future. Basically a small center where people could pay a small fee to join as members and do relief or screenprinting, and perhaps work in some community lessons for people if there was interest. I'm currently not living where I'd want to host it (would probably go for Portland, OR, but I'm in AZ) so I know this would be a long project in the making, but I'd like to start learning about how feasible this thing is. I'm not rich so I can't really finance it myself, but I was thinking that perhaps I could find a way to fund it via grants or other government funding.

So basically I just want to know, where should I start researching this? I am completely in the dark about how to raise money or get a project like this underway. Are there good books or websites on the topic? Would this count as a non-profit? An arts organization? What little I've found so far in regards to organization funding seems to go towards pre-existing ones. Any legalities I should be aware of?

If it's vague, just let me know and I'll try to add details. This is a goal that I really would love to make happen in my future, so any suggestions/ideas no matter how offbeat will be great! Thanks so much!

Support for website redevelopment - it's too expensive!

divabat — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:31:26 -0800

My education website is in major need of an overhaul. However, I can't afford to pay developers the cost price for it. How can I get funding or assistance for this project? My education blog (linked in my profile) has outgrown its current WP.COM home. It's become a major resource of information for like-minded young people, and I want to harness this capacity further.

I found ExpressionEngine to be the perfect backend for the redeveloped site, and originally I went through EE's Pro Network to find someone who could help me get this site up pro bono. I found one developer, but after a while he found a full-time job and couldn't continue anymore.

I'm just one young person running this site alone; even EE's $99 for a non-profit license is just at the border of what I can afford. I've asked around for help from peers, but the skills of those who piped up are nowhere near what the site needs. I also don't qualify for free webdesign from companies who do non-profit websites because I'm not a registered non-profit. Most of my readers don't have access to PayPal or credit cards so they can't exactly donate to the cause.

Are there any organizations out there that help cases like mine? Where else could I look for support and assistance?

There are a few grants here that I could apply for, but I don't know the exact dollar value for a website redevelopment. How much should I quote in my proposals? Which orgs would be good for this? (The website's mainly geared towards Malaysians, which is CRAP when it comes to grants and funding; however, living in Australia, I can tap into resources here.)

Is it OK for me to look around for developers/designers whose skills and styles are suitable, and ask for assistance? What's the protocol in this case?

There aren't any strict deadlines, though I do have some set requirements for the website.

I really don't want to be one of those sketchy companies that undercut designers/developers and/or ask for spec work; however, I really can't afford what they deserve on my own, and could use some help to give my website the support it needs.

When grad school funding doesn't materialize

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:26:57 -0800

I'm a grad student who was promised some funding this year that has yet to materialize. What can I do? I was promised this funding in writing ("should you become my student, I will provide an additional $8000 in funding for your second year"). The second year started 8 months ago. I reminded my advisor then, and he said he had forgotten about it but would scrape the money together for me, but it might be a little while.

Now he says he has found the money but can't figure out a way to get it to me. I have a government scholarship, and my advisor's grant comes from the same government funding agency. Since I am already funded by this agency, I cannot receive any additional money from his grant.

I have a good relationship with my advisor. I am certain he did not mislead me or anything like that; like many profs he is simply busy. I have a feeling that I will not see this money unless I really lean on him, especially since I am hoping to finish in August; but what can I say except "make it happen"? That's not very helpful. He does seem to be genuinely stuck. I guess I could also go to his boss, but I don't want to make things difficult for him; his tenure review is coming up soon and I don't want to damage his reputation.

I don't really need this money; I am getting by just fine. But I have had to live pretty frugally these past 8 months and hell, it's $8000. If it were less money I would let it drop, but this would be huge for me. What should I do?

(anonymous to protect my advisor's privacy)

MFA in the UK

occidental — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:04:00 -0800

How can I find funding for a MFA at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland? I was recently accepted into the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland for a MFA in Painting. I have been unsuccessful in finding fellowships, scholarships, or grants to aid me in my studies there. Although ECA recently became eligible for US Stafford Loans which could cover most tuition, I would like to reduce any further debt, already being $25,000 deep. Does anyone know of grants, fellowships, or scholarships for post-graduate studies in Art for American Students studying in Scotland? I have searched the British Council Site. Specific links would be appreciated. Or, if anyone has experience with the financial aid office at ECA, I would be very receptive.

Acquire me! I'll take you to dinner first!

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 11:38:36 -0800

What happens when a little company is interested in getting purchased by a big one? (Take two.) (Sorry if you happened to spot the first question. I used bad html and broke it.)

In the exact reverse of this previous AskMe, I need some advice about acquisitions and venture capital. I am a senior executive at a small young company (less than 200 employees) that is a leader in the niche tech field of doodad design. I run the unit that handles all our North American doodad efforts.

For several solid business reasons, the founder/president has always been open to selling this unit, although not extremely motivated (there are other sexier units of the company that he likes to be more involved with). But there has been a change in the market: last fall, quietly, a big multi-national technology conglomerate with no previous doodad business picked up a similarly sized small doodad company (an indirect competitor of ours; their doodads don't serve the same customer base that ours do, but it wouldn't take long to add that functionality via development). Since then, several competitors of the conglomerate have been discreetly sniffing around us.

I have convinced the president that right now is a good time to accelerate the acquisition effort. He has given me the green light to go forth and seek a potential buyer. After much research, I have created a short list of companies that I think will have interest. I believe that our NA doodad unit offers everything that improves shareholder value as a bolt-on acquisition (including exceptional market share and brand awareness, synergy, cutting-edge technology, human resources that are tops in the field, and high return on the economies of scale) and very little that decreases shareholder value (we have no debt, it would be a relatively cheap acquisition, and so on).

So... what next? How would a huge global entity expect to be approached in this case? And to whom? I literally have the clearance to call up [some top person at a conglomerate on my list] and say, "So, do you have a few million lying around?" (I kid; I know that wouldn't be the tactic.) But what is the best tactic? What's the best way to get my foot in that door? What should I expect in a get-to-know-you process? What will they expect to see in the pitch? I understand pitching the broader strokes: valuation, projected revenue, being able to demonstrate our market activity, and so on... but is it presumptuous to plan for how I foresee the unit functioning as part of a new entity? Or does a global conglomerate not really care about the suggestions of Tim Smith, Doodad VP? I'm not worried about the legal and financial due diligence part, since once a solid lead came into the picture, my president would bring an outside team in to handle that part of the process.

Also, I have seen that in several similar deals in my industry over the last few years, the two parties came together via a consulting firm, some group that advises specifically on this kind of dea. Do we really have to consider using an intermediary? (I've been offered a finder's fee by the founder if I can bring in a legitimate buyer candidate and the deal goes through, but I wouldn't want to have to share it with a broker.)

FWIW, I believe that we are in the best position to get acquired, as opposed to obtaining (what would be) stage 3 or mezzanine funding. But, I also know very little about the VC world and what the trends in the market are right now, so I could be wrong: is mezzanine funding the way to go here? The founders are going to want to divest of the unit completely, not just get a cash injection in order to then have to futz with it even more; this would necessitate restructuring the management of the unit (which wouldn't really be a bad thing). Am I right in my understanding that a VC firm won't want to bother with an outfit that isn't already fully contained, that needs to fill some management holes?

Also, I am very nervous about the possibility that I am opening the door to being out of a job. There's really no way to absolutely guarantee that I stay employed if we get purchased, is there?

I'm sure there are additional questions that I should be asking that I don't know to ask. Any thoughts, resources, experiences are welcome. Btw, I'm also looking for a mentor to help me navigate this (frankly overwhelming but exciting) opportunity so if you can suggest anyone, I'm all ears. Email me at acquisitionaskme@gmail.com if you need more info.

How to pay for Grad school?

limon — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:59:32 -0800

Best book or online resource for funding Grad School? I keep hearing about how you can fund your studies through external sources, but all I see are scholarships that are either impossibly selective (for example, the Rhodes Scholarship) or fairly meager (under $1000). I don't mean to scoff at a thousand dollars, but I'd have to win twenty or thirty of these scholarships to pay for a year of school.

My situation: I got accepted into a doctoral program at a prestigious school. I haven't gotten an official acceptance letter yet, just a quick congratulatory note from the chair of the program. I therefore don't know what funding is going to look like, but said chair has mentioned the program is not in a position to fund their students throughout their students, and that the students are primarily externally supported. I can't afford to pay my own way. Before I give up, I'd like to know where I should look for funds.

I've got a meeting with venture capital people on Friday, help!

signalnine — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:37:15 -0800

A while ago, I started this open-source project called StupidFilter. Things are proceeding well, albeit a bit more slowly than my initial rather optimistic estimates. Recently, a local venture capital firm contacted me about the project and I've got a meeting with them on Friday. Now, I've got a business plan, and I think it's a pretty good one, but I'm not sure what they'll be expecting or looking for. Anyone have experience with getting a tech startup off the ground with VC funding? Like I say, I've think I've got the business model down, and I'd rather not discuss those details at this juncture, as this has been a pretty high-profile project so far. Basically, what I'm looking for is general advice, relevant anecdotes and the like. I'm a young, fairly talented technologist with good business sense, but I've never dealt with investment capital before and I feel like I'm getting a little out of my depth here. Thanks in advance!

I know it will be worth it at the end...but how do I pay for it now?

Asherah — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:23:20 -0800

What steps would you recommend to prepare for financing expensive education costs? I am returning to school to gain another BS/MS at Johns Hopkins in September 2008. The approximate cost of the first two years (BS portion) including living expenses will be $80,000. As a second degree student, I have several questions as to what steps are recommended to begin considering financing options. I will not be receiving the custom financial aid package from JHU until late April, so unfortunately I will not know what I will be receiving from the school in the form of scholarships/grants, nor will I be aware of what Federal loan aid will be offered to me, if any. I have already submitted my FAFSA online.

I have read conflicting information regarding Stafford loans (or other Federal loans) being available for those students returning for a second Bachelors, is such aid available? (I was granted $11,000 from a previous Stafford loan during my original undergrad.)

Also, in terms of private lenders, which I understand will likely make up the bulk of my loan balance, do you have any experiences with specific lenders, or recommendations for reputable lenders. I have an excellent, well-established credit history so I suspect that I will not need a co-signer.

Finally, I will be using a list prepared by my specific program to apply for scholarships of various dollar amounts, so I am prepared to work as hard as I can in the next 6 months to get as much free money as possible!

Any advice navigating this would be much appreciated! I can't yet feel fully secure in my excitement to begin my program until I realize that it can be paid for, reasonably!

Please note that I realize I am attempting to finance an expensive education, and I would appreciate refraining from comments that suggest that I go to a less expensive school, thanks.

How to fund small film?

snsranch — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:36:36 -0800

Having asked this already, and having followed some of that really great advice, I've found that I'm only 50% Hollywood compliant. So I want to do my own film, here in San Diego. Any advice for getting funding for a couple of cameras and some sound? I've been developing some chops but I'm done with the mini-dv. It's time to step it up a bit and produce something that can be shown in a theater.

A worthwhile idea hitting an expensive wall...a philanthropic idea in trouble

omnigut — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 16:01:39 -0800

I am currently involved in setting up a website, and it is proving to be a Herculean task. However, thanks to an instilled sense of guilt and a desire to feel worthful, for a change, I have decided to give back to those that may not be as lucky, as rich, or as pretty as me, namely New York’s starving (or just struggling) artists. My goal, through this website, is to give them a helping hand for free, but obviously need some sort of funding and business plan to move forwards with. I have no experience with any of this. Please help! My main concerns, not having ever done this before, are worrying about how to get funding/donations, whether I need to turn it into an NPO, and whether I should be worried about business-minded people stealing my idea, commercializing it, and basically shoving me out of the way. The following are a list of problems for the immediate future. I have listed them all here because of AskMetafilter’s one-week policy on posting new threads. Making the site:
1) I have a half-working site using Joomla. What still needs to be changed on it is above Joomla’s ability to provide, and my ability to write code (which is basically no ability). This means I need a computer person to work it for me, but…

Security issues:
2) ...I am worried that the idea for my site might be stolen. I want to make a site with little or no advertising on it, and where everybody involved is getting some benefit out of it, thus keeping the content coming in, changing it, and keeping it exciting. However, I have a potentially profitable idea, and I’m worried it’ll be stolen, and set up much faster and better than I can. The idea itself is for a sort of free online stage (music, videos, writing, pictures) linked with a magazine written by students, based in New York City. Do I patent the idea? Trademark? Hope that I just do it better than anyone else who likes the idea and tries to steal it? Can I trust computer guys? And if I do need to get a patent, how do I get around the ten thousand dollars it’ll cost to get one? And if I need that kind of money…

Funding:
3) My budget is low, in the “few thousand” region. I have friends I could borrow money off, and could get a loan, but I’m not looking to spend much. However, I would like more money, and as it’s in NYC, and to do with struggling artists, I thought it might be easy to get some sort of funding from a foundation interested in promoting art here. However, I’m not a non-profit organization, I’m a guy with an idea for a website…how do I go about continuing the process?
4) I am a student at the New School, and have friends who teach at NYU, as well as some other good contacts. The site is geared to help struggling artists, street artists, and students. I am sure I can get support from peers in putting content onto the site, but I’m not sure how to get money off the universities themselves. Anyone have college funding experience?
5) I’m fairly sure that MUNY (Music Under New York) would also like this idea, but don’t know how to propose the idea to them either. Anyone know anything about the atmosphere in MUNY offices?
6) Anybody know foundations or people looking to send money to help out art in NYC? There must be lots…

If you have answers to any of these questions, I would love to hear anything you can offer. I have quite a lot of time on my hands, and am going to take a couple of classes next semester in which I can work on this idea for credit. I’m even hoping that my peers will want to help produce content for the site for free, as it’ll get their writing “out there.” I’m energetic, driven, and excited about this whole thing, it’s just so much work. I must already have spent a thousand dollars and around three hundred hours, and have little to show for it so far. I have also done some research on each of the above points (and have a lot of ideas from other posts on this site), but would really appreciate some more help. I cannot afford membership to the Independent Sector (I don’t think, unless I’m misunderstanding their webpage), the Foundations Library seems expensive and confusing, the foundation directory I could afford, but am not totally sure it’s what I want, and I’m finding it difficult to navigate the IRS website. Thank you Metafilter!

How to get education funds earmarked?

cashman — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 07:31:51 -0800

Can a defunct trust fund donate tax-free to a university student's dissertation? I have a question regarding tax-free donations made to a state university.

My friend's parents were previously running a private trust fund. The trust is now defunct (since 2002) and there is about $4000 left in the trust account. The money has to be donated to a tax-free entity. My friend is a graduate student at a state university embarking on her dissertation and would like that money to be donated to the university and used to purchase her dissertation equipment and compensate her participants.

Since her university does not provide counsel on tax issues, I was wondering if this type of donation is allowed. Could the funds be earmarked for her dissertation? (She obviously has no desire to break any tax laws so any help is greatly appreciated).