Resources
We believe in a method of giving that provides the connective tissue to deepen the roots of relation. The following resources are available to help guide and support you in navigating the nomination process.
Instructions for Nominators
Welcome.
Hello Nominators — thank you for being here. We are practicing a radical new method of gift giving and we’re glad you’re a part of it. You have been intentionally selected because we believe your leadership and connections in the arts and culture community align you to thoughtfully select the nominees in alignment with our values. For us, the process is a form of community care.
When you’re thinking about who to nominate please bear in mind that: All gifts are focused on individuals. Not the usual “mainstream” artists and organizers. We are interested in those people who are emerging artists or elders; non-owning, carrying debt, or lack access or resources: e.g. online presence, internet access, transportation; and those who do not receive payment or compensation for carrying on traditional practices or organizing. Gifts are free of expectations and restrictions.
All gifts are focused on individuals. Not the usual “mainstream” artists and organizers. We are interested in those people who are emerging artists or elders; non-owning, carrying debt, or lack access or resources: e.g. online presence, internet access, transportation; and those who may not receive payment or compensation for carrying on traditional practices or cultural organizing. Gifts are free of expectations and restrictions.
This is a closed nomination process. You may contact a nominee to share that you would like to nominate them and to confirm the information required for your submission. You will also be asked to submit an alternate nomination in the case the nominee is not eligible. Please note that a nomination does not guarantee a gift. The Waterers will make the final determination and contact the nominee to inform them of the gift.
Once the nominees are contacted, they will be invited to complete a questionnaire intended to share about themselves and confirm their practice as artists and/or culture bearers.
To submit your nomination, please complete the form that was sent to you to submit including your nominees’ name/s, contact info, and a statement of how the nominees match with the Waterers values, plus provide some demographic data to indicate identities. Please select nominees from within your state region and the tribes which share the same geography.
Storytelling
We would like to ask nominees to opt-in to tell stories about their work because we want to reclaim the culture of giving. We will ask artists to answer a few questions like why they do the work they do, what motivates them to continue, what drives them, how did the gift change things for them (if at all), what feels possible?
This storytelling should help artists amplify their work and build relationships. It will also help the Waterers understand who is benefiting from the funds and how, which may lead to future funding when we can accurately describe outcomes.
We want the process of storytelling to benefit individual artists so that artists can identify and tell their own stories and share their work with new potential funders and press and media outlets interested in their work.
To do this, we will provide a stipend to aid in outward facing communications like online presence, blog posts, documentation of work, photography, PR training. We would also like to ask permission to create portrait case studies for our website and social media using assets created.
Narrative Change
The stories shared will be part of a larger story specifically the way the Waterers have shaped the deployment of these gifts. We want to tell this story to other philanthropic organizations to encourage them to be more radical.
Community Building
Artists are encouraged to form or deepen a community within the network of recipients and Waterers to continuously lift and amplify artists.
recipient criteria
Individual Black, Indigenous, or People of Color who identify and practice as artists and/or culture bearers
Nominated individuals may choose to use a fiscal sponsor or redirect the gift to organizations which are Black, Indigenous, People of Color-led and grounded in the work of anti-oppression and focused on growing the wealth and reparations of BIPOC artists and culture bearers
Individuals or organizations as described above whose work and lives are rooted within the hills, lakes, prairies, and woods of the North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and 23 Native Nations geography
Our nominators make sure the nominees align with our values:
Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)-led
Rooted in Belonging & Relatedness
Artist Centered & Narrative Shifting
Decolonization, anti-oppression, reparations
Disbursements should do no harm
Healing
Risk-taking & Trust-building
tools & links
We’re compiling resources to support individuals in this process. This will include tax information, tracking expenses, agreement templates. If you’re looking for something in particular, contact us at waterers@magpiecreative.org.
Talk to a Waterer
We are available to chat about anything related to this process or the gift itself. We understand that there are practical questions, like about taxes, and that there also is sometimes an emotional and social responsibility when money is gifted. We’re here for you.
