How We Got a $30,000 Grant To Work On Our Afrofuturist Comic
2019 was going to rock for our little Afrofuturist comic, Outcasts of Jupiter. I said as much at the start of the year, but I’m not sure I really believed it.
I knew it represented a crossroads for Shof and me on the book. After five years of spinning our wheels, we felt a desperate need to tell the story we began in a Kickstarter in 2014. So we looked for comic book grants online.
I can tell you that searching for comic book grants online doesn’t return a whole lot of truly viable options. Most of what you’ll find is relatively small (but nonetheless vital and welcome) endowments that focus on funding a modest self-publishing run, or covering the cost of materials.
We needed something more.
When we found a grant that pledged $30,000 to support the production of a creator-owned comic, we thought it was too good to be true. We applied anyway. One year later, here we are, working on an Afrofuturist epic, getting sent monthly checks to support the building of a brand new science fiction universe of our own design.
Shof and I were awarded the 2019 Creators for Creators Grant, and I kinda feel the need to talk about it, because I believe it’s an incredibly important and unique grant for the medium. More people need to know about it.
What is the grant, and how does it work?
- You get $30,000 paid out over the course of one year, in support of the creation of a 64-100 page comic book or graphic novel.
- Single cartoonist or writer/artist duos welcome.
- An incredibly simple application process. Look.
- It’s an international grant, with no geographic restrictions.
- Some very impressive creators behind the grant, including Charlie Adlard, Jordie Bellaire, David Brothers, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Nick Dragotta, Leila del Duca, Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen, Jonathan Hickman, Joe Keatinge, Robert Kirkman, Jamie McKelvie, Rick Remender, Declan Shalvey, Fiona Staples, Eric Stephenson, C. Spike Trotman, and Brian K. Vaughan.
- You retain all rights to your work. This was massively important to us. Best of all, the grant opens up some seriously exciting publishing options, including Image and Iron Circus Comics.
- There’s precious little paperwork or legalese to stress over once you’re awarded the grant. The entire process has felt surprisingly painless, and help/advice/guidance is only an email away.
- The grant is not an “advance.” Let that sink in for a moment. This is money that you, as a creator can use in any way you see fit to support the creation of the comic. That could mean ditching ramen for proper food, or exhibitor passes to experience-enhancing cons, or simply the ability to take a little time off work and focus on the comic.
There’s a ton more information on the official website. You should have a look.
A few words in closing…
We weren’t lucky. We worked hard for it.
Anyone can apply for a grant, but to “win it,” you’ve got to get your act together. That means producing the best pitch you can possibly muster. I’ll talk more about that soon. For now, if you’ve got a dream and a burning passion, you owe it to yourself to apply for the C4C Grant.
Most importantly, always remember you aren’t alone. There are folks out there who want you to succeed.Rock on, 2019
