Re-Granting Organizations for Innovation

Reading about funding models and innovation from an economic standpoint reminded me of my internship this summer with Theatre Communications Group. TCG, among many other things, is a re-granting organization; they form partnerships with corporations and foundations to award grants of various sizes to theatres who would have difficulty obtaining funds from these entities on their own. TCG is primarily a membership-driven service organization so only member theatres are eligible for grant money. By coordinating the grant panels, TCG ensures that they're made up of panelists who understand the unique needs of theatre companies.

Theatre from an organizational standpoint is often viewed as innovation-less. To combat this, TCG partnered with the MetLife Foundation to create a grant for innovation, financially backing companies with new ideas in sustainable stagecraft, organizational design and engaging with new media - to name a few. Since at least 50% of theatre companies are sustained through donations and grant money, there isn't a lot of budget flexibility to support new ventures or ideas.

TCG/MetLife Aha! Grant

To my knowledge, TCG is one of the only national re-granting organizations. For smaller organizations who don't have the time or resources to establish relationships with large, national foundation or corporate grants, service organizations like TCG are great conduits. They know the foundations and corporations but they know the intimate details of the organizations they serve. If seems like an underutilized model.