$523 Raised. What do we do with the money?

By Hannah Jewel Clark | How To Be Social

We started this fundraiser because artists deserve more than survival.

That's not a slogan. That's a decade of watching talented, committed, brilliant people run out of resources before they run out of ideas. It's watching someone pour everything into their craft and then have to choose between making art and making rent. It's knowing that the gap between a starving artist and a thriving one is often not talent — it's access.

So we built something to close that gap.

What we're raising for

The Empowering Artists: Grants & Video Series fundraiser supports two things:

1. Artist grants. Direct funding for creative projects, wellness resources, and career development — going straight to artists who need it. Not a competition. Not a gatekeeper. A community investing in its own people.

2. The video series. We wrote a book — From Starving Artist to Creative Entrepreneur. Now we're turning it into a video series so those lessons reach people who learn by watching, not just reading. The next chapter, from creative entrepreneur to art investor, is already in development. This is the education layer that HTBS has been building toward for years.

Where we are right now

$523 raised. 13 donors. $377 to go.

That number matters more than it might look like on a progress bar.

Thirteen people decided this was worth their money. Thirteen people said: I believe artists deserve this. I believe this community is building something real. At our last event — even on a night that didn't go exactly as planned — people still showed up, still connected, still gave. That's not nothing. That's everything.

We're 58% of the way to $900. The final stretch is always the hardest, and it's also where momentum matters most.

Why $600 is just the next step

$600 is not the finish line — it's the next milestone.

HTBS has always operated this way: set a real, achievable target, hit it, and build from there. Reaching $600 funds the first phase of grants and production. It proves the model. It gives us the momentum to raise the next amount, and the one after that.

The bigger vision — more grants, more cities, a full video series — requires more. But you get there by taking the next step first. Right now, that step is $600. Something unexpected happened while raising these funds.

We knew we wanted to support artists.What we’re still discovering is: what does support actually look like right now?

Our clearest picture so far:— 2 artist grants of $250or— if we reach $600+, 3 artist grants of $200

But we don’t want to make these decisions in a vacuum.

What would help artists most?

Should recipients create a piece of art? Share their journey? Promote the community? Mentor someone else? Simply have space to breathe and create?

We genuinely want to hear from you.

How To Be Social has never been about gatekeeping creativity. It’s about building a community where artists can survive long enough to become everything they’re capable of becoming.

Tell us what feels right.

How to help

Donate. Even $5 moves the bar. Thirteen donors got us to $523 — imagine what twenty-five could do.

Share the link. The most powerful thing you can do for any fundraiser is put it in front of someone who doesn't know about it yet. If you believe in this, tell someone.

Stay connected. This fundraiser is one part of a larger movement. Follow what HTBS is building — the events, the group chat, the video series, the city chapters — and be part of it.

👉 gofundme.com/f/empowering-artists-grants-video-series

To everyone who has already given

Thank you doesn't feel like enough, but it's true.

You didn't just donate to a campaign. You voted for a world where artists have what they need to create fully, live well, and reach their potential. That vote matters. This community sees it.

We're almost there. Let's finish this together.

How To Be Social (HTBS) has been building community for artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs since 2016. Learn more and get involved at htbs.blog.