As we approach the end of summer (sigh) it’s important to remember the fall deadlines that every indy comics creator and self-publisher should have tattooed on their hands:
The Xeric Foundation – Deadline September 30th, 2009
http://www.xericfoundation.org/xericapplycomicgrants.html
From the site: What Can The Grant Be Used For?
Xeric grants can be used for the physical production and distribution of your new or previously unpublished work: printing, color separation, photocopying, solicitation, shipping, advertising, and securing an ISBN number or domain name. Xeric grant funds cannot be used for website design, T-shirts, stickers, posters, postcards, art supplies, phone bills, convention costs, living expenses, or computer equipment.
The Xeric Foundation awards up to $5000 for the production of your (print) comics or graphic novel project! They award between 6 and 8 projects this money every six months. Their tastes are broad, they think pretty-much every format of comics is ‘valid’, it’s a nearly-free-pass into the Diamond catalogue, and at least here at The Beguiling we order a minimum of 5 copies of anything that wins the Xeric because we like supporting indys and the small press. Oh, and it’s funded by Kevin Eastman’s Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles money, which is amazing. [Edit: As Peter Laird points out in the comments, he’s the kind-hearted fellow behind the Xeric foundation. Mea Culpa.]
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Prism’s Queer Press Grant – Deadline October 1, 2009
http://prismcomics.org/grant.php
From the site:
Every year, Prism awards a significant Queer Press Grant to assist in the publication and promotion of LGBT comics. The grant is funded by donors who are either creators who want to help others just starting out, or fans who want to see more LGBT creators get published.
The Prism folks have funded a couple of comics I really loved, Shirtlifter by Steve MacIsaac, and Glamazonia by Justin Hall, as well as a handful of other worthy recipients. It’s pretty clear that the majority of comics publishers simply aren’t interested in pursuing queer stories, which is unfortunate, but it’s why what Prism is doing is so important. That said, PRISM donates money based on their fundraising throughout the year, so if you want to see more queer comics on the stands please consider donating at http://prismcomics.org/donate.php.
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Free money for doing good comics, it’s one of the things I find most inspiring about the comics industry… so participate!
– Christopher
“Oh, and it’s funded by Kevin Eastman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles money, which is amazing.”
Actually, it’s not. It’s funded by Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles money. Kevin Eastman has nothing to do with the Xeric Foundation. — PL