It’s not that we don’t know what the problems are with institutions like nonprofits, companies, museums, and more. The longer we are involved with them, it’s not hard to see which ones are too white and which have too much power concentrated at the top. It’s easy to see which institutions function based on burnout and underpaying entry-level employees, employ toxic communication strategies and leave staff with no room for growth.

So you’ve decided that you want to find a fiscal sponsor, congratulations!

Crowdfunding is, as a field, crowded. According to Fundera in February 2020, crowdfunding generates $17.2 billion in North America. Crowdfunding grew 33.7% in 2019 and there were almost 6.5 million campaigns. With so many crowdfunding campaigns out there, it’s clear that many people are finding success. But it also means that it can be hard to make your project stand out against all of the other crowdfunding campaigns competing for attention and donations.

When Sindy I. Castro and Madeline Calandrillo were studying Applied Theatre together, they got to see first-hand how affirming multilingual, participatory theatre was for the children they worked with. So, they started a theatre group to create more of that work. Based in New York City, Jugando N Play creates interactive, multilingual theatre experiences for young people. They want to use their work to help audiences imagine a better, more inclusive future and to bring joy to both their audiences and themselves.

The core mission of Fractured Atlas is to support artists. We do this through our programs, through our member support systems, and through our writing. We publish articles about the big questions on artists’ minds like finances and finding time to make art. We also share funding opportunities. We also give you the nitty-gritty. Here are some of the best articles about tips, tools, and tricks for artists that we published in 2020.

As this year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the writing we’ve shared and the conversations we’ve had on the blog. We’ve shared resources that we’ve read and our own journey towards becoming a more anti-racist organization through strategies like caucusing over the years. This year, BLM protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder sparked a new urgency to these conversations and wider interest in having them (especially in the arts).

Fractured Atlas exists in a unique place in the arts ecosystem. We work with artists and arts organizations, communicate frequently with colleagues across the arts, nonprofit and creative fields, and seek out other organizations who are experimenting with creating more equitable workplaces.

The Fractured Atlas team thinks and writes a lot about working; how we work, how we see others structuring their workplaces, how we think the nature of work can and should change in changing times. Often, this comes through Work. Shouldn’t. Suck. Two of the pieces of workplace culture that we have focused on a lot over the years are remote working and anti-racism in the workplace.

Our mission as an organization is to support artists so that you can make the work that is inspiring and resonant to you and your community. One of the primary ways we help you do that is by helping artists fundraise.

In addition to the multitude of tips and tools we share with artists, we also tackle some of the bigger questions on the minds of artists and people working in the arts. What are the emotional contours of living as an artist? What does the future of the arts look like? How can you be an artist when the whole world is burning?