Crafting Project Proposals for Small Grants, Residencies, & Other Opportunities

Instructor: Liz Sales | Dates: Thursdays, July 10 & 17 | Time: 6 - 8 PM ET | Tuition: $230 (Members) $270 (Non-Members) | Requirements: N/A

Staring at a blank page before a deadline can be daunting. This online class helps photographers and other visual artists of all levels overcome writer’s block and craft compelling project proposals. Across two focused sessions, learn how to write clear, persuasive proposals for small grants, residencies, exhibitions, and other opportunities that require a written proposal. In addition to these two group sessions, students may meet with the instructor for a 30-minute one-on-one meeting, focused on refining their draft.

Students will learn:

• What specific jurors, funders, and community partners need to know about your project, and how its goals support their priorities,

• How to brainstorm in order to cultivate ideas, develop insights, connect the dots, and articulate your vision,

• How to translate technical or niche methods so readers can easily grasp your idea,

• How to frame a project within current cultural, social, or historical conversations, noting where it builds on—or breaks from—established ideas,

• Strategies to build a flexible proposal that can be adapted to future opportunities.

The class includes real‑world examples, short writing exercises, and personalized feedback. Participants will leave with a working draft and practical tools to keep their writing clear and purposeful.

Liz Sales is an artist, writer, and educator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the founder of I Write Artist Statements—a writing service for artists’ statements, résumés, project proposals, press releases, and whatever else an artist might need to make their practice viable. She has been a faculty member at the International Center of Photography, the City University of New York, the Penumbra Foundation, and the University of Connecticut. She writes for Mercuria Magazine, LensCulture, and Foam Magazine. Sales is the author of This Folder May Contain Clippings and Other Ephemeral Material (Conveyor Editions) and I Write Artist Statements (Daylight). iwriteartiststatements.com