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Blog December 2, 2021

Little But Fierce: How Microgrants Can Help Build Your Business

By Peggy Robles-Alvarado


As a second-generation, petite Latinx woman (who was often scolded as a child for being too loud and making space for myself) I have always heard that “Great things come in small packages.”  This was my parent’s way of justifying my need to express myself to appalled onlookers who were shocked by my will to be seen and heard despite my diminutive size. This idiom became a mantra for all I could achieve in life despite any limitations, and this is also how I was able to envision, start, and expand my business Robleswrites Productions Inc.

 

Robleswrites Productions seeks to disrupt the publishing landscape by creating literary events and publishing writers of color (with a special focus on women writers) in order to foster intergenerational communal healing, literacy, creativity, and equity for the Bronx and beyond. I started with a networking event in April of 2013 in my home borough of the Bronx with the support of microgrants from Poets and Writers Inc. and The Bronx Council on The Arts. These grants helped to secure a venue and paid for performances by four featured poets, a dancer who led a movement session, and two facilitators for generative writing workshops. These grants also helped me build a foundation of community-based work that is now the basis of my business in literary arts. I was also able to create strong ties and community partnerships that led to securing three staff members who are partially compensated through project-based microgrants. So what began with little ol’ me became an organization of we.   

 

What are microgrants?

 

Microgrants are monetary awards that can be provided to individuals or an organization with or without restrictions. Restricted microgrants can be awarded to complete a specific short-term project, address a problem within a community, or expand your business in specific ways as detailed by the grantor. This can include building a website for visibility, hiring staff, or increasing marketing efforts. It can also help solve a local problem or meet the needs of an underserved group through supportive programming. Unrestricted grants allow the grantee to use funds for anything they wish which could include a person’s well-being, education, and professional development.

 

Microgrants are unlike loans because they do not have to be repaid, though many require a final report where the impact of the grant can be expressed in narrative and/or numerical form. For example, testimonials from participants of a successful grant-funded program can be used to show social impact and how the awarded funds helped to accomplish the goal of the business. Numerical data can help prove that a funded project is in demand and can speak to the need for future funding.  

 

Since June 2021, Robleswrites Productions has served over 1,567 writers with our free or low-cost workshops, book talks, professional development sessions, and platforms to publish women writers of color. Microgrants continue to support our endeavors as we expand programming to include other underserved or marginalized groups. Although Robleswrites Productions centers its mission on women writers of color, in November 2021 - thanks to two microgrants from Communitas America and Poets and Writers Inc. - we were able to pilot a three-part writing workshop series for male-identifying writers in the hopes of receiving feedback for future development. We were also able to utilize the funds to seek legal advice in protecting our partnerships with collaborators, and to create our website robleswritesproductions.com.

 

Where, when, and how do I apply for microgrants?

 

Depending on your field of interest, a specific project, and your mission, many microgrants can be found through state and city funding. Others can be accessed through private organizations looking to support social impact projects or individual artists. Microgrants can also be site-specific, so be sure to read and adhere to all the guidelines.  To ensure success when applying, have the following items updated and ready:

 

-       A current bio that includes your contact information

-       A CV or resume demonstrating the trajectory of your work

-       Documentation of your projects

-       A mission statement for your organization and/or a personal artistic statement

-       A website, even if it’s in early stages

-       Social media handles

  

These are all living documents that should be updated frequently so if you find a microgrant you qualify for, you can apply quickly and efficiently. Many microgrant applications are offered online through Google Forms, Submittables, or other platforms, but I recommend drafting your answers to the numerous questions on a separate document for two reasons: 1) Glitches happen! If the application doesn’t save your responses or your laptop dies, your answers are saved. 2) You can revise your answers from other microgrant applications to reutilize. Oftentimes, the questions can be similar so having your responses saved can help you when applying to several grants at once. Additionally, if you failed to receive a grant you can always return to your answers to see where you can add or remove details for future applications. For the literary arts field, many microgrants are offered in the fall and are awarded in spring of the following year. Always check to see when grant cycles open and close so you can add them to your calendar.

 

Why bother applying for such small grants?

 

Microgrants can range from fifty to a few thousand dollars. You may be thinking it’s not worth applying to smaller grants but remember a grand oak tree begins as a small seed. An unrestricted $250 microgrant awarded by Arts Connect International allowed me to partially supplement fees for an editor of our online poetry journal lalibreta.online launched in April 2021. Arts Fund project-based grants from the Bronx Council on The Arts and Spaceworks ranging from $2,500 to $4,000 allowed me to create two anthologies of women writers, The Abuela Stories Project and Mujeres, The Magic, The Movement, and The Muse. Artist-focused microgrants provided by Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute allowed for wellness and self-care modalities that served to sustain my mental and physical health during the pandemic.  No matter the amount, these grants helped me and my business to thrive, and as I added them to my growing CV, other grantors noticed. 

 

Furthermore, the repeated experience of completing the application process became less of a burden and more of a crucial part of the work that I love to do for myself and my community. The tasks of creating budgets, succinct project descriptions, and detailing my mission statement in 250 words or less became a much-needed skill necessary to apply for larger grants that required more of my energy, time, and attention to detail.

 

Best practices when receiving microgrants!

 

Although applying for microgrants provided me with the stamina and a new skill set, oftentimes I learned from my mistakes. To avoid my numerous pitfalls, I would recommend the following:

 

-       Pay yourself in the grant! Sometimes we get so consumed with project costs and compensating others involved in our work, we forget to add our time and energy as part of the workload. Be sure to add your payment into a restricted or project-based microgrant so that once the work is done you can meet your needs.

-       Show social impact through surveys and testimonials. A concise targeted survey can help show how much change you were able to make in your community and can be used to secure further grant funding. Information, such as zip codes, can help target funds from city councils and site-specific microgrants.  People’s reactions and changes in behavior resulting from your programming can demonstrate impact when the services you’re offering may not be measured solely in numerical data. Testimonials from participants are crucial and should be collected and celebrated on social media posts and websites.

-       Seek microgrants by researching other organizations or artists that you are in conversation with. Many people like to focus on competition, but I like to center my attention on other groups that are doing similar work within my community as being potential co-conspirators. This can lead to future collaborations and sharing of resources. Look at what microgrants they have been awarded and keep it on your radar.  Share microgrant opportunities with these organizations to encourage an attitude of building with an intent of reciprocity; this is how real community-based building happens!

-       Document your process. Social impact businesses have a story to tell and who can narrate it better than the founder and CEO? Take control of the story you want your business to have by documenting your steps in the growth process. This narrative can and will be used to garnish more grant-based support. Documentation can also be used to complete a final report. Not all microgrants require a final report, but it is beneficial to be able to articulate changes, successes, and unforeseen failures. Know your business thoroughly so you can tell your story, on your own terms.

 

Recently, someone gifted me a small frame with William Shakespeare’s quote: Though she be but little she is fierce. 

 

I placed it on my desk next to a quote by Audre Lorde that reads:


Tell them about how you're never really a whole person

if you remain silent because there's always that one little

piece inside you that wants to be spoken out, and if you keep

ignoring it, it gets madder and madder and hotter and hotter.

 

Working to support writers of color through Robleswrites Productions is a testament to finding the grandeur in the smallest details with the intent of amplifying our voices. Microgrants have significantly helped us make strides, but our work is not done. We have more stories to tell, and why not be fierce while we do it?

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(Last modified: March 2023)

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Last modified: March 6, 2023

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Your interactions with companies, organizations, and/or individuals found on or through our Site, including any purchases, transactions, or other dealings, and any terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such companies, organizations, and/or individuals. You agree that we will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings. You also agree that, if there is a dispute between users of the Site, or between a user and any third party, we are under no obligation to become involved, and you agree to release us and not make any claim against the Company from any claims, demands, and damages of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such dispute and/or our Site.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, WILL THE COMPANY BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE, INCLUDING ITS MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES, OR THIRD-PARTY MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE, EVEN IF THE COMPANY IS ADVISED BEFOREHAND OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE SITE, OR ANY MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES ON THE SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THE SITE’S TERMS, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE.

BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH STATES, THE COMPANY’S LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY SUCH STATE LAW. FOR EXAMPLE, THE FOREGOING PARAGRAPH SHALL NOT APPLY TO RESIDENTS OF NEW JERSEY. WITH RESPECT TO RESIDENTS OF NEW JERSEY, WE AND OUR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS, REPRESENTATIVES, LICENSORS, service providers, and vendors SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES OR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE, UNLESS SUCH DAMAGES OR INJURIES ARE THE RESULT OF OUR FRAUDULENT OR RECKLESS ACTS OR INTENTIONAL MISCONDUCT.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company and its directors, officers, managers, employees, contractors, agents, affiliates, suppliers, representatives, licensors, service providers, and vendors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, that arise out of your use of the Site, or violation of these Terms by you, or your violation of any rights of another. We reserve the right (but not the obligation) to take over the exclusive defense of any claim for which we are entitled to indemnification under this section. In such event, you agree to provide the Company with such cooperation as is reasonably requested by the Company.

Suspension and Termination of Access

You agree that, in our sole discretion, we may suspend or terminate your use of the Site, or any part of the Site, at any time, for any reason, without notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or any third-party for any suspension or termination of your use of the Site. In the event that we suspend or terminate your access to and/or use of the Site, you will continue to be bound by the Terms that were in effect as of the date of your suspension or termination.

Notice of Modification/Changes at Will

The Site is provided as a service to the Site’s visitors. We reserve the right to delete, modify or supplement the content of the Site, or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site, or any portion thereof, with or without notice at any time. We reserve the right to terminate operation of the Site entirely at any time for any reason without prior notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any deletion, modification, supplementation, suspension or discontinuance of the Site or any portion thereof.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part in any jurisdiction, that provision shall be ineffective in that jurisdiction without affecting the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions of these Terms.

Dispute Resolution by Binding Arbitration

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY AS IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS.

  1. Agreement to Arbitrate. This Dispute Resolution by Binding Arbitration section is referred to in these Terms as the “Arbitration Agreement.” You and the Company agree that any and all disputes or claims that have arisen or may arise between you and us, whether arising out of or relating to this Terms of Use (including any alleged breach thereof), the Site, or any aspect of the relationship or transactions between us, will be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration before a neutral arbitrator, rather than in a court by a judge or jury, in accordance with the terms of this Arbitration Agreement, except that you or we may (but are not required to) assert individual claims in small claims court, if such claims are within the scope of such court’s jurisdiction (as explained further below). Further, this Arbitration Agreement does not preclude you from bringing issues to the attention of federal, state, or local agencies, and such agencies can, if the law allows, seek relief against us on your behalf. You agree that, by accepting these Terms, you and we are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement.
  2. Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief. YOU AND WE AGREE THAT EACH OF US MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION OR PROCEEDING. UNLESS BOTH YOU AND WE (WHERE EITHER OR BOTH ARE A PARTY TO AN ASSERTED CLAIM) AGREE OTHERWISE, THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE OR JOIN MORE THAN ONE PERSON’S OR PARTY’S CLAIMS AND MAY NOT OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF A CONSOLIDATED, REPRESENTATIVE, OR CLASS PROCEEDING. THE ARBITRATOR MAY AWARD RELIEF (INCLUDING MONETARY, INJUNCTIVE, AND DECLARATORY RELIEF) ONLY IN FAVOR OF THE INDIVIDUAL PARTY SEEKING RELIEF AND ONLY TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO PROVIDE RELIEF NECESSITATED BY THAT PARTY’S INDIVIDUAL CLAIM(S), EXCEPT THAT YOU MAY PURSUE A CLAIM FOR AND THE ARBITRATOR MAY AWARD PUBLIC INJUNCTIVE RELIEF UNDER APPLICABLE LAW TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED FOR THE ENFORCEABILITY OF THIS PROVISION.
  3. Pre-Arbitration Dispute Resolution. We are always interested in resolving disputes amicably and efficiently if there is an opportunity to do so informally. Before an arbitration (or suit in small claims court, if available) is commenced, you or we agree to attempt to avoid the costs of formal dispute resolution by giving each other a full and fair opportunity to address and resolve a dispute informally. Both parties recognize this is an important requirement, and that breach of this requirement would be a material breach of these Terms. To provide this opportunity, before commencing any arbitration (or suit in small claims court, if available), each party agrees to send to the other party a written notice of dispute (“Notice”). The Notice to the Company shall be sent to 461 West 126th Street, New York, New York 10027 with a copy to privacy@communitasamerica.org. The Notice to you shall be sent to the last email address we have on file (each, a “Notice Address”). The Notice must (i) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute in sufficient detail to evaluate the merits of the claiming party’s claim and for the other party to determine if an amicable resolution is possible and (ii) set forth the specific relief sought, including the amount of money (if any) that is demanded and the means by which the demanding party calculated the claimed amount. Both parties agree that they will attempt to resolve a dispute through an informal negotiation within sixty (60) calendar days from the date the Notice is received. If the claim is not resolved within sixty (60) calendar days after the Notice is received, you or we may commence an arbitration proceeding. Each party agrees that state and federal courts in New York, New York, may enter injunctive relief to enforce the pre-filing requirements of this paragraph, including an injunction to stay an arbitration that has been commenced in violation of this paragraph.
  4. Arbitration Procedures. The Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16, including its procedural provisions, fully applies. Arbitration will be conducted by a neutral arbitrator in accordance with the American Arbitration Association’s (“AAA”) Consumer Arbitration Rules in effect at the time that such arbitration is initiated (collectively, the “AAA Rules”), as modified by this Arbitration Agreement. For information on the AAA, please visit its website, http://www.adr.org. Information about the AAA Rules and fees for consumer disputes can be found at the AAA’s consumer arbitration page, http://www.adr.org/consumer. If there is any inconsistency between any term of the AAA Rules and any term of this Arbitration Agreement, the applicable terms of this Arbitration Agreement will control unless the arbitrator determines that the application of the inconsistent Arbitration Agreement terms would not result in a fundamentally fair arbitration. The arbitrator must also follow the provisions of these Terms as a court would. Except as set forth above, all issues are for the arbitrator to decide, including, but not limited to, threshold issues relating to the scope, enforceability, and arbitrability of this Arbitration Agreement and issues relating to (a) whether the terms of these Terms (or any aspect thereof) are enforceable, unconscionable, or illusory and (b) any defense to arbitration, including waiver, delay, laches, or estoppel. Although arbitration proceedings are usually simpler and more streamlined than trials and other judicial proceedings, the arbitrator can award the same damages and relief on an individual basis that a court can award to an individual under these Terms and applicable law. While an arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief, the arbitrator may do so only with respect to the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by the individual party’s claim.  The arbitrator’s decision and judgment thereon will not have a precedent or collateral estoppel effect on any other claim or dispute.  Decisions by the arbitrator are enforceable in court and may be overturned by a court only for very limited reasons.

    Any arbitration hearings will take place in New York, New York, at another mutually agreeable location or, if both parties agree, by telephone or video conference. Whether the arbitration will be conducted solely on the basis of documents submitted to the arbitrator or by a hearing will be determined in accordance with the AAA Rules. Regardless of the manner in which the arbitration is conducted, the arbitrator will issue a reasoned written decision sufficient to explain the essential findings and conclusions on which the award is based.
  5. Small Claims Court. Subject to applicable jurisdictional requirements, either party may elect to pursue a dispute in a local small claims court rather than through arbitration so long as the matter remains in small claims court and proceeds only on an individual basis. If a party has already submitted an arbitration demand to the AAA, the other party may, in its sole discretion, inform the AAA that it chooses to have the dispute heard in small claims court.  At that time, the AAA will close the arbitration and the dispute will be heard in the appropriate small claims court, with no fees due from the arbitration respondent.
  6. Appeals. Arbitration awards are enforceable like any court order, but are subject to very limited review by a court.
  7. Cost of Arbitration. Payment of all filing, administration, and arbitrator fees (collectively, the “Arbitration Fees”) will be governed by the AAA Rules, unless otherwise provided in this Arbitration Agreement. If the arbitrator determines for any reason that you should not be required to pay your portion of the Arbitration Fees, we will pay your portion of such fees, subject to allocation in the arbitrator’s award. In addition, if you demonstrate to the arbitrator that the costs of arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of litigation, we will pay as much of the Arbitration Fees as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the arbitration from being cost-prohibitive. Any payment of attorneys’ fees will be governed by the AAA Rules.
  8. Confidentiality. Each of the parties shall maintain the strictly confidential nature of the arbitration, including all aspects of the arbitration proceeding, and any ruling, decision, or award by the arbitrator, and shall not (without the prior written consent of the other party) disclose to any third party the fact, existence, content, award, or other result of the arbitration, except as may be necessary to enforce, enter, or challenge such award in a court of competent jurisdiction or as otherwise required by law.
  9. Opt Out. You may reject this Arbitration Agreement, in which case only a court may be used to resolve any dispute.  To reject this provision, you must send us an opt-out notice (the “Opt Out”) within thirty (30) days after you first access the Site.  The Opt Out must be sent to the Company’s Notice Address.  The Opt Out must include your name, phone number and email address(es), including, where applicable, the email address(es) you used to sign up and use the Site.  This is the only way of opting out of this Arbitration Agreement.  Opting out will not affect any other aspect of these Terms, and will have no effect on any other or future agreements you may reach to arbitrate with us.
  10. Severability. If a court or the arbitrator decides that any term or provision of this Arbitration Agreement (other than the Section 2) above titled “Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief” is invalid or unenforceable, the parties agree to replace such term or provision with a term or provision that is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of the invalid or unenforceable term or provision, and this Arbitration Agreement will be enforceable as so modified. If a court or the arbitrator decides that any of the provisions of Section 2 above titled “Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief” are invalid or unenforceable, then the entirety of this Arbitration Agreement will be null and void, unless such provisions are deemed to be invalid or unenforceable solely with respect to claims for public injunctive relief. The remainder of these Terms will continue to apply.
  11. Future Changes to Arbitration Agreement. Notwithstanding any provision in these Terms to the contrary, we agree that if we make any future change to this Arbitration Agreement (other than a change to a Notice Address) while you are a user of the Site, you may reject any such change by sending us written notice within thirty (30) calendar days of the change to the Notice Address provided above. By rejecting any future change, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any dispute between us in accordance with the language of this Arbitration Agreement as of the date you first accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms).
Situs, Venue & Jurisdiction

This Site is controlled by the Company from its offices in New York, New York. Visitors who choose to visit the Site from other jurisdictions do so on their own initiative. Those visitors are solely responsible for compliance with their local laws.

Claims relating to the Site, to the use of the Site, and to the information content, material, goods and services available through the Site are governed by and construed in accordance with the Federal Arbitration Act, and by the internal substantive laws of New York, without regard to its conflicts of laws principles. By using our Site you hereby unconditionally, voluntarily, and irrevocably consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts, local and federal, located in New York, New York, United States of America for any litigation concerning the Site, your use of the Site and any purchases made through the Site that is not subject to arbitration, as set forth above. You agree not to plead forum non-conveniens in any such action. You hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any right you may have to a trial by jury in respect of any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement that is not subject to arbitration, as set forth above. Please do not proceed to use the Site if you are not wholly in agreement with giving your consent.

No Assignment; No Third-Party Beneficiaries

These Terms are personal to you and you may not assign them or the rights and obligations under them to anyone. Any attempted or purported assignment shall be null and void, and will automatically terminate your right to use the Site. These Terms are not intended to benefit any third party, and do not create any third-party beneficiaries. Accordingly, these Terms may only be invoked or enforced by you or us.

Limitation on Actions

You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action that you may have arising out of or related to use of the Site or these Terms must be filed by you within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.

Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between us and you with respect to the subject matter contained in these Terms and supersedes all previous and contemporaneous agreements, proposals and communications, whether written or oral. You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use the products or services of a third party that are provided through the Site. In the event of any conflict between any such third-party terms and conditions and these Terms, these Terms will govern.

Changes to Terms of Use

We reserve the right to change these Terms or to impose new conditions on use of the Site, from time to time, in which case we will post the revised Terms on the Site and update the “Last Modified” date above to reflect the date of the changes. By continuing to use the Site after we post any such changes, you accept the Terms, as modified. We strongly encourage and expect that you will review these Terms frequently and each time you log in to the Site so that you will be aware of any changes, since they are binding on you.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions or requests, you can contact us at: privacy@communitasamerica.org.

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