Using Grants to Fund for Your Creativity

A TBEX North America 2025 creator grants session preview from, Dr. Nadine C. Duncan

OK, let’s be honest. Being creative can be personally fulfilling, but it isn’t always financially fulfilling. Anyone who has jumped headfirst into their creative business knows exactly what I am talking about….

Hey, TBEX fam! I’m Dr. Nadine C. Duncan, founder of The Traveling Black Women Network, and I know firsthand the challenges of funding a creative business. Whether you’re a content creator, travel blogger, or digital entrepreneur, finding financial support can feel like folding a fitted sheet, frustrating. If you’re anything like me, most days you’re ready to ball up that fitted sheet and push it in the back of the closet. But, when all is said and done, without fitted sheets, you’re liable to wake up laying on your bare mattress. Something has to hold everything together… as frustrating as it may be to manage.

That’s how I feel about funding as a creator. It took me a long time to crack the code on grant funding, and now that I have, I’m eager to share!

You’re not just a creator… You’re a small business!

If you’ve ever thought, “Grants aren’t for people like me,” think again. The truth is, grant funding isn’t just for large organizations, it’s for small businesses too. And let’s be clear, if you’re a creator, you are a small business. Yes, even if your business meetings happen in pajamas and your biggest current expense is ring lights and an Adobe subscription.

At my TBEX session on Grants for Creators, I’ll walk you through:
● How to position yourself as a business worthy of funding
● How to define your mission so grant funders see your impact
● How to write grants with clear goals and budgets
● How to save time and money using AI tools like ChatGPT

Applying for Grants isn’t Guaranteed

I’m not going to lie to you and make you think applying for grants is a guaranteed win. Grants are competitive, kind of like pitching brands. But here’s the thing: even if you don’t win a grant right away, the process forces you to treat your work like a real business. I applied for my first grant 3 times before I actually received it. Each application was a little better than the last as the questions made me consider elements of my business that I had not prioritized. In that 3rd application, I got serious about my numbers, wrote out a budget to explain how I would spend $10,000. In doing so, I finally got that “Congratulations” email.

When I look back at all three applications, I realize that was the weakest point of my application. In the first two applications, I had a long flowery explanation (you know… the creative mind is so wonderfully idealistic) of what I would do with $10,000 like I was being interviewed for The Price is Right. In that 3rd application, I cut out the fluff and wrote out a concrete breakdown.

Now you may have the budget outline down pact, but there could be another area where your message could be strengthened. This is where I’d advise leaning on AI models like ChatGPT.

Here’s what I recommend:

1. Write out your response to a question in your beautifully creative style.
2. Take your blurb and enter it into ChatGPT using this prompt or something similar:
   a. “Be an award-winning grant writer. Rewrite the following blurb to answer this question for a competitive grant application: [input grant question]. [Input the blurb you’ve already written]”
3. Review the output from ChatGPT. Make edits where necessary and then add the answer to your application.
   

Ok! Now what?

If you’re tired of bootstrapping your creative business and waiting on the next brand deal to come through, join me at TBEX for a session that will change the way you see grant funding. You’ll walk away with practical strategies, insider tips, and the confidence to go after funding that aligns with your work.

Let’s turn your creativity into a business that attracts real financial support. There’s no one better to learn from than someone who is still in the trenches but finding their way out.

Let’s brainstorm. Let’s inspire. Let’s work.

See you in Québec City!!