This chapter consists of the following sections:
Funding of multimedia projects is may be less difficult than finding money for on-going and traditional museum activities such as the organization of exhibitions, or the acquisition of special objects, etc. Multimedia still has the aura of being new, exiting, and fashionable. Of course, in a few years this will pass, but for the time being many organizations and individuals look at multimedia in this way. This has the effect that money may be obtained from sources which aim at high public exposure.
Internal and External Funding
Although in many cases funds for a multimedia project may have to be found outside the museum, the first approach should be to find at least part of the required funds internally. This stage should never be skipped for two reasons:
Sufficient or nearly sufficient funding may be found in the regular budget, perhaps because of some windfall or because museum policy may support new media projects. Plans for a project may originate in one department of the museum, e.g. the educational department; success, however, requires full organizational commitment, through museum senior management. Once committed to the project they may be extremely helpful in finding money possibly committing.
Another reason why institutional financial support should be sought is that many external funding bodies requires a proportional commitment by the organization to the project. It is common for only a percentage of the actual costs are financed by external sources.
When considering the solicitation of outside funding, it is important to consult the ICOM Code of Professional Ethics, Article 2.9, which states that commercial support and sponsorship may raise ethical issues. The museum must ensure that its standards and objectives are not compromised by a corporate or with a commercial partner. Control over the content of the application and its presentation should remain with the museum or subject experts.
What May Be Funded
Fund raising is most likely to be successful if a project is well defined and finite. Support for ongoing programs is more difficult to obtain as expressed by Charles Meyers of the J. Paul Getty Trust (ICOM News 1994, p. 112. Funding programs may involve many years of assistance and could be regarded as a lasting obligation and burden. This reluctance to finance programs is in line with the requirement that a museum itself should show commitment and thus should be capable of continuing a program once initial costs are covered by external funding. Funding bodies prefer investments rather than operational costs.
In every project separate 'fundable' parts should be identified. These include:
- hardware and software
- project staff
- data input
- feasibility study
- reproduction
- rights
A separate funding source may be found for discrete parts of a project. However, a production with six sponsors is less attractive to the sponsors than one with three: the less sponsors the more exposure.
Project Description
To obtain funds for a project or a program a clear description is necessary. Such a description has three main functions:
- It clarifies and solidifies the goals of the project. The description may be regarded also as a control mechanism for checking that all elements in a project are covered.
- It is essential for communicating the scope and content for the proposed application to potential sponsors.
- It is a controlling aid after completion of the project, helping the developers and the funding bodies to decide whether the original goals were reached.
There are two types of project descriptions:
- a short overview of the main goals and targets, with an indication of the required budget, and a time frame
- a detailed description with specific time lines, budget, break-down of activities, etc.
Project Proposal Elements
A project proposal written for fund raising purposes uses many of the elements of a Design Specification but is generally less technical. These elements include:
1.Name of the project
It helps to have a meaningful and/or attractive name and/or acronym. Research programs paid for by the European Commission bear such names as: RAMA, Van Eyck, Elise, Mobile, One. These projects are easily remembered by their names.
2. General targets and goals
A description of what the project is about, together with a rationale, clearly stating why the project is needed, and how (in general terms) these needs could be fulfilled.
3. Target audience
It is very important to specify who will use the actual product. For external sponsors it is of vital importance as it defines the exposure they are looking for.
4. Methodology of the project
Based on the general targets and goals a more specific description of activities should be presented, such as gathering of information, selection of developers, acquisition of hardware, etc.
5. System description
A description of the actual product to be made: how people will use it, how they will navigate, what information (type and content) they will see/hear, etc. Screen images are useful as illustrations.
6. Partners in the project
List all partners by name and quote their qualifications for participation and their role in the project. If not all partners are selected yet, only list qualifications needed and roles to be played.
7. Timeline
Indicate length of the project, and specify when first results can be shown. A sponsoring organization may want a review point not long after the start of a project. Furthermore, give a short overview of start and end dates of various main activities within the project.
8. Budget
In the short project description only the cost of the main items should appear, unspecified. However, in order to be able to do that one has to have already a more detailed break down of the costs. To save time, only 'guestimates' can be used plus a percentage for contingencies. Check the figures with colleagues to make sure that there is no over or under budgeting.
Some organizations omit the regular staffing costs because staff members are already in the service of the institute. However, all staffing costs should be included. In the final budget these costs may be marked as 'not to be sponsored', thus showing the willingness of the organization to contribute to the project. Of course, this is only justifiable if the work on the project is an extension of the staff members' normal work. Finally, indicate if any profits/income may be generated from the final product.
Identifying Potential Sponsors
The key to successful fundraising is identifying the "fit" between a sponsor's goals and a project's objectives. There are three types of funding/sponsoring bodies: public, private non-commercial and commercial. Public bodies include (inter)national, regional or local authorities, such as UNESCO, the European Commission, Ministries, Regional and Town Councils. In some countries responsibility for funding is delegated to more or less independent government supported foundations or services. These organizations in general will de-emphasize public exposure and emphasize more conformity with general policies and objectives. Private non-commercial organizations such as Scientific and Cultural Foundations, Research Institutes, National or Regional Lotteries will in particular emphasize conformity with their mission and in general not care about high exposure. A problem with many such organizations is that funding is sometimes restricted to national, regional or local projects. Cross-boundary projects are sometimes difficult to fund. Receiving money from foreign sources is extremely difficult in some countries as tax laws are prohibitive. Commercial organizations are more free in awarding grants, but will care about exposure. Funding after all in most cases is part of their public relations activities. Sponsors must perceive a clear benefit to participating in a project. The attractiveness and the cultural effects of the project/product may be defined in terms of the mission or goals of both the sponsoring organization and the originator/museum. The value of sponsoring a project should be articulated. Finding the right source is a time consuming and difficult task. In many countries commercial organizations are active in this field, and may assist the museum in finding a suitable sponsor. Also source books exist which list mainly public or non-commercial private funds. Another good source is your personal network, the colleagues in other museums. Choosing from likely candidates is difficult. A frequently listed organization may be a promising target but they already may be bombarded by requests such as yours, thus your chances are small. On the other hand, an infrequently listed source may be poor, difficult to work with, or completely out of line. The most successful fundraising activities are focussed efforts. Specific sources are identified that have an expressed interest in the project area. A Project Description outlines the benefits for both partners.
10. Evaluation 12. Intellectual Property Rights