WELCOME
Welcome to nextSteps, a new Pentacle initiative offering free administrative support to artists, such as access to back-office resources and research data, downloadable templates, and instant one-on-one assistance through Live Chat!
Resources
Below is our growing list of useful resources, tutorials, and guides. Don’t see something you’re looking for? Fill out this form to request additional resources…we add new resources every week!
Arts Relief
- Financial Resources for Artists Impacted by COVID-19
- Financial Urgent Care
- Arts Action Fund: Updated Covid Resources Table (including PPP, SVOG, EIDL)
- Lawyer’s Alliance of NY:
- SBA:
- Shuttered Venue Operators Grant(SVOG) Program
- SVOG FAQ (4/23/21)
- SVOG Application User Guide(4/23/21)
- SVOG Application Checklist (4/23/21)
- SVOG Post-Application FAQ(5/26/21)
- SVOG Application from the Office of Management & Budget (4/22/21) *Please note: not released officially from the SBA
- Shuttered Venue Operators Grant(SVOG) webinar (3/30/21)
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Direct Forgiveness Portal
- Grant Station: COVID-19 Related Funding
- APAP+: Dr. Anthony Fauci – Public Health & the Re-opening of the Performing Arts
- Actors Fund: Emergency Financial Assistance
- Harkness Center Offers Arts Relief, Including Free Injury Prevention Assessments and Virtual Telemedicine Visits
- The Dance Union: NYC Dancer’s Relief Fund
- Fractured Atlas: Monthly Upcoming Grant Deadlines and Opportunities
- Investing during COVID-19
- Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act Adds Key Features to Existing PPP
- SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan
- Payment Protection Program for Contractors & Sole Proprietors
- Payment Protection Program for Businesses
- DCLA NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Arts Educator Emergency Relief Fund program Announcement
501(c)3 Non Profit
- What is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit?
- What is the difference between a Non-Profit and a For Profit?
- 5 Ways That You Can Benefit From Fiscal Sponsorship
- New York City Fiscal Sponsors
- GuideStar: Up-to-date Nonprofit Data
- Help! I need new Board Members!
- Questions to Ask Potential Board Members
- How to Keep Your Board Members Inspired
- What is a C Corp?
- What is a S Corp, and how does it differ from other corporate structures?
- What is a LLC?
- Empowering Dance Artists through Fair Hiring Practices
- Actors Fund & FreeWill: Create a Will or Trust in 20 minutes
- Lawyers Alliance of NY: Earned Safe and Sick Time Act
- NYFA: The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color 2021
- Tech Soup: Free Microsoft Excel Training for Nonprofits
Fundraising for the Performing Arts
- What is a Year-End Appeal?
- What is GivingTuesday?
- Tips for Writing your First Grant Letter of Inquiry (LOI)
- Finding the Right Grant Funders for You: Essential Tips
- Grant Writing for Individual Artists: Writing a Project Description
- Grant Writing for Individual Artists: Writing an Artistic Statement
- Grant Writing for Individual Artists: Creating Your Grant Proposal Toolkit
- National Council of Nonprofits: Fundraising Resources
- Exponent Philanthropy:
- Network for Good: 3 Strategies to Make Your Virtual Fundraising Sustainable
- Dance Business Weekly: What It Takes to Run a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign
- Harbor Compliance: Online Fundraising Compliance
- NYSCA Support for Artist Webinars
- Grant Opportunities:
Virtual Performance
- Using Zoom for Virtual Performances
- How to use YouTube Premiere for Virtual Performance Streaming
- CultureHub: LiveLab
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts: The Case Act – A New Way for Artists to Protect their Copyrights ($)
- Americans for the Arts: 10 Trends that Will Impact Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy in 2021
- Arts Midwest 2020-21 Annual Report
- TechSoup: Nonprofit Tech Marketplace
- Dance/USA: Documenting Your Experience During Covid-19
- Promoting Your Program: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing An Event Description
- NYC Studio Space: What’s Open Now
- Dance Business Weekly: Yes, You Can-And Should-Monetize Your Digital Performances
- Wallace: How post-performance survey data can help arts organizations learn more about their audiences
- Dance/USA: Choreographic Repository
- The Wallace Foundation: How Some Arts Organizations are Using Data to Understand their Audiences
- Stanford Law School:
- Preparing for Next Season: Re-Engage Audience and Recover Revenue
- Events:
Accounting
- Financial Urgent Care
- New York City Fiscal Sponsors
- What is Fiscal Sponsorship?
- 5 Ways That You Can Benefit From Fiscal Sponsorship
- Bookkeeping vs. Accounting
- What is a Chart of Accounts?
- Checklist for Processing 1099’s and W2s
- Worker Classification and Your Taxes: Why Does it Matter?
- 5 Questions to Ask Your Auditor
- What is the Definition of Accrual Basis Accounting?
- What is the Definition of Cash Basis Accounting?
- Investing during COVID-19
- Financial Resources for Artists Impacted by COVID-19
- Unemployment Benefits for Freelancers
- Payment Protection Program for Contractors & Sole Proprietors
- Payment Protection Program for Businesses
- The Wallace Foundation:
- ArtsPool: Fiscal Controls Policy
- When should I get a Fiscal Sponsor? – Fractured Atlas
Social Media
- Five Tips for Increasing Social Media Engagement
- What is Branding, and how does it relate to marketing your artistic work?
- SEO: how to increase organic traffic to your website
- How to Increase Advertising Traffic through Paid Search
- Creating Your Artist Website: Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts
- Essential Tips for Promoting Your Art on Social Media
- WordStream: 7 Budget-Wasting Facebook Ad Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
- Network for Good: How to Make a Big Impact on Social Media as a Small Nonprofit
- Capacity Interactive:
- 2021 Social Content Calendar for Arts Marketers
- Social Media Ad Dimensions
- What Arts Organizations Need to Know about TikTok
- SEO for Youtube: Optimizing Tips for Youtube search bar
- The Future of Measuring Website Performance : A GA4 Preview
- Web Analytics are changing – Are You Ready for GA4 and Cookieless Future?
- Promoting Your Program: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Writing An Event Description
- Retaining Accessibility in the Marketing World after Lockdown
- How to use Hashtags in 2021: A Quick and Simple guide for every network
- How Your Pandemic-driven Innovations can Strengthen your Brand and Vice Versa
- What does it mean for an Artist to Have a Brand?
Volunteers & Interns
- 7/6 & 8/3 The Actors Fund: How to Job Search During a Pandemic, Part 1
- 7/13 & 8/10 The Actors Fund: How to Job Search During a Pandemic, Part 2
- 5 Questions to Ask When Hiring an Intern
- Job Posting Sites for Arts Administrators
- 1099 & W-2 Checklist
- Lawyers Alliance for NY: Running an Internship during the Covid-19 Crisis
- Fractured Atlas: The Problem Isn’t Zoom, It’s Meetings
Latest Blog Posts
Preparing for Tax Day
Preparing for Tax DayAn interview with Davalois Fearon In preparation for Tax Day, we talked with Davalois Fearon about her experience working with Pentacle, and how it has helped her with her taxes and gain overall financial health, especially through Fiscal...
Planning A Fundraising Event
Planning A Fundraising EventEvent fundraising can be a great way to raise funds There are a number of ways to fundraise money for an organization or cause. One of the most collaborative ways to fundraise is by hosting an event. There are many steps to consider when...
Development & Fundraising for Artists
Development & Fundraising for Artists How to Obtain Individual and Institutional Donations Development & fundraising through individual and institutional donations. Everyone needs money, and if you are an artist, nonprofit, or dance organization, a good chunk...