Dianne Debicella, Senior Program Director for Fiscal Sponsorship, Fractured Atlas
Fractured Atlas supports 3000 arts projects across the country each year. The organization, which provides fiscal sponsorship and support services to artists and organizations has more than 25,000 members and averages more than 500 new members each month.
According to Senior Program Director of Fiscal Sponsorship, Dianne Debicella, “we get involved at all different stages. Some are brand new entities, and others are established organizations looking to raise money via donations. Overall, we’re the largest arts sponsorship organization in terms of the numbers of entities we serve, and we’re very proud of having served as a springboard for the arts for over 10 years.
The organization receives more than one hundred applications a month. Prospects need to be artistic entities, whose work is not for commercial purposes – so, not-for-profits that can demonstrate that what they’re doing has a public benefit. Some are to benefit a small community and others for a broader purpose, including those looking to use art in the cause of social good.
“Fiscally sponsored projects have to pursue their own funding,” says Debicella. “We don’t provide funds, rather we act as an intermediary so that they can qualify for 501c3 status without having to set up their own administration and incur the expense of administering a non-profit. This is important because, unless an organization has a sizable budget on the order of $500,000 or more, it can be prohibitive to become a 501c3 on their own both with cost and the administrative burden of forming a Board of Directors and structure to get underway”.
Fractured Atlas’ goal is to provide organizations and individuals the opportunity to get a strong, viable start, and then the artists or organizations may stay long- or short-term, depending on their needs. This enables them to focus on their art and audience development while having access to information and guidance as well as insurance for areas including health care, workers’ compensation, production and event venues, and art damage or loss.
Members also get access to Fractured Atlas’ Artfl.y software, which they can use to manage tickets, donations and contacts; Fractured U, which provides business education for artists; and services Spaces and Archipeligo which provide regional information on arts spaces, and data on arts organizations and arts resources that can provide artists and organizations with resources and support. Other Fractured Atlas services include arts consulting, arts advocacy on a local and national basis, and offering members special rates on arts-related goods and services.
Announcements on the Fractured Atlas site include calls for entries looking for directors, choreographers, puppeteers, poets, and people to produce documentary work, all of which can be helpful to artists looking to broaden their scope and contacts.
In all, it provides critical support to help launch and sustain new and exciting ventures throughout the arts world. “We’re in a challenging period for the arts these days,” Debicella says. “There’s been a decline in foundation support over the past four to five years, so it’s become even more important to help artists get started and enable them to find the help they need. One of the things we do is to advise on how best t seek that”.
Individuals and organizations interested in becoming part of Fractured Atlas should register at the website, www.fracturedatlas.org. Then you’ll become eligible to submit a fiscal sponsorship application to be considered by their Board, which meets once a month to review new applications.
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