We are deep into the planning for the 9th annual Short Run Comix & Arts Festival (November 9th!—save the date!).
2019 is all about strengthening and sustaining our existing programs in spite of ever-rising costs. Here are a few examples of necessary expenses:
- Venue rental & associated costs
- Trade Show license fee
- Event Insurance
- Travel for International guests (airfare, lodging, visas)
- Operational costs (1 employee, studio rent, fed & state taxes)
We also compensate artists, designers, and performers for the work they do for us. When we first started, artists volunteered their talents to help us get our feet off the ground; as our budget grows, we’re hoping we can return the favor by factoring in more and more money to pay artists for their time, skill, and expertise. Short Run would not have lasted this long (nearly a decade!) without the dedicated artists who work with us and exhibit at the festival. We want to ensure that artists continue to feel supported financially by Short Run—both by the contract work we offer and through opportunities to sell their work at the festival.
Despite these and other costs, we are committed to keeping the festival free to the public so that we can continue to make the work of our exhibiting artists accessible to all who are interested. To help offset costs, we work hundreds of hours a year writing grants, teaching classes all over King County, selling merchandise online and at local neighborhood fairs and other festivals, and researching other opportunities to widen the pool of money we have to work with each year. We are good at this and have received grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, The Washington State Arts Commission, 4Culture, The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Tulalip Tribes, and The Norcliffe Foundation. But no local arts nonprofit can survive without community support.
Every donation counts! It’s true!!
Thank you immensely on behalf of the Board of Directors,
Kelly Froh
Executive Director
Short Run Seattle is a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization. Our EIN # is 30-0806862. Your donations may be tax deductible. Our Form 990 tax return can be viewed online at GuideStar.org.
