This gear guide series is a collaboration between Fractured Atlas and our partner KitSplit — check out their blog here! Shara is a public radio producer and podcaster based out of Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Marketplace, NPR’s Latino USA, KCRW, and more. She is currently producing two podcasts:” What’s Wrong With Me” featuring Time columnist Joel Stein, and Slate/Panoply’s #GirlbossRadio hosted by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso. She also hosts a bi-monthly podcast called Homemade News.

Unsurprisingly, there aren’t a ton of grant deadlines in the month of December. In fact, you’re probably spending a lot of your efforts trying to gin up end-of-year giving from individual donors — and keep fighting that good fight. But now might also be the perfect opportunity to do a quick check-in on your arts practice or arts organization to evaluate your readiness for grant opportunities in the new year. For those of you who’ve never applied for a grant before (and even for many of you who have) here are five juicy tidbits to stew on about as you determine your preparedness for the upcoming grants season.

It’s no secret that entrepreneurs and CEOs suffer from higher than average rates of anxiety and depression. No doubt part of that stems from the stress and loneliness of the job. But there may be another factor at play, namely our relentless focus on the future.

Robert W. Deutsch Arts & Technology Policy Fellow Courtney Duffy is part of the Fractured Atlas team that is spearheading the 2016 Arts Entrepreneurship Awards. You can find her on Twitter @cduffy90. Join the conversation at #ArtsEntreAwards.

Our Robert W. Deutsch Arts & Technology Policy Fellow continues the #CopyrightwithCourtney blog series with a third filmmaking-centric post. Be sure to read the previous segments, parts one and two. You can find all the Copyright with Courtney posts here. Connect with her on Twitter @cduffy90 and join the conversation using #CopyrightwithCourtney.

Fractured Atlas’s free service SpaceFinder helps thousands of artists find space to rehearse and perform. Today, SpaceFinder launches a new custom directory, built for and with disabled dance artists in New York City, to highlight inclusive rehearsal and performance spaces.

VR is invading every industry, but the arts in particular present an excellent opportunity for communicating personal vision. Whether you want to put someone inside a painting, send them into space, or envelop them in a music video, the sensation of ‘presence’ afforded by VR means that your audience is certain to walk away with an unforgettable experience.

As we approach the end of the calendar year, there are several ways you can and should prepare for your end-of-year donor solicitations. A thoughtful end-of-year strategy can boost your donations while building a relationship with your donors — even through a busy fundraising time. I’m here to offer four simple ways to set yourself up for a successful end-of-year strategy.

by Tim Cynova, Deputy Director at Fractured Atlas Recently I estimated that with all of our hiring at Fractured Atlas more than 7,500 resumes have come across my desk since 2009. It’s certainly not Google or Facebook numbers by any stretch, but a significant number nonetheless.

[This article was originally published on the Fractured Atlas blog, January 6, 2015] This past holiday season I found myself increasingly asking the question — WWZD? What Would Zappos Do? Why is the venue usher being so unreasonable to that couple and ruining the concert for everyone? WWZD? Why does it seem like that ticket agent is auditioning for the role of The Grinch? WWZD? Why is that person yelling at customers to separate into multiple lines when there is no signage indicating that that’s what the store prefers? WWZD?