Why Support Burning Man artists?

Artists creating work for Burning Man face many challenges. They must find a way to raise the money needed to fund their project on top of the figuring out how to actualize their vision in a way that can survive the harsh conditions of the Black Rock Desert, recruiting and supporting a large crew, and getting a potentially massive and elaborate structure, once built, to the playa. For first-time Burning Man artists and veterans alike, these challenges often make for a very stressful, if rewarding, summer.

As one small way to help make their dream a reality, BRAF is launching a pilot program in 2014 to provide fiscal sponsorship to artists bringing work to the playa. This will allow artists who sign up to receive tax-deductible contributions and potentially open up other sources of funding, hopefully easing the burden of fundraising.

Burning Man art engages, creates, and interacts with community in ways that are a perfect fit for BRAF’s mission and values. With recent changes to Burning Man’s organizational structure, BRAF is able to directly lend our support to on-playa art activities.

Who receives BRAF Fiscal Sponsorship?

In 2014, BRAF is offering sponsorship to artists already receiving an honorarium from Burning Man that only partially funds the piece. This will allow us to work in close collaboration with the Burning Man Art Department to ensure that tax-deductible funds are used appropriately, so that you can make such a donation with confidence.

What is Fiscal Sponsorship?

Fiscal sponsorship is an activity by which a public charity (like BRAF) provides financial and some programmatic oversight of projects that serve a public benefit but do not have their own non-profit status.  Fiscal sponsorship allows projects to receive tax-deductible donations and other contributions that an independent project might not otherwise be able to receive.