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Join our Patron Program
No matter the size of your contribution, all Level Ground Patrons receive the same perks.
PATRON PERKS
- 01An annual art print from a Collective Artist
- 02Special invites to Level Ground events
- 03Discounts on merch and gift shop items
- 04A quarterly community-only newsletter
- 05Digital downloads of all our publications
- 06An annual giving receipt (for your taxes)
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, as a 501(c)3 all donations made to Level Ground are tax-deductible. Every Patron will receive an annual letter stating the amount of their donation. We recommend connecting with a tax advisor if you have additional questions.
All Level Ground donations go through Donorbox, an online fundraising software that allows nonprofit organizations to easily receive and track donations online. We like Donorbox because the platform is user friendly for donors and organizations, and they offer the lowest fees in the industry.
Level Ground does not have access to any of your financial information. You can manage your membership directly through Donorbox at any time. You can email team@levelground.co if you have any problems or issues with your Donorbox account.
As a small team and program, we would like to encourage you to consider supporting the entire organization. However, if you still feel you'd like to only give to a specific program, project, or artist, please email team@levelground.co and we can work it out.
Patrons support Level Ground for a variety of reasons. To help answer this question, and highlight the diversity of our contributors, we’ve released short videos from current Level Ground Patrons. Check them out on YouTube – or the top of this page!
No, artists do not pay to be part of the Level Ground Collective. If you’re interested in joining, subscribe to our newsletter where we’ll announce when the Collective is open for new members.
Level Ground is an award-winning artist collective and production company that supports Black, brown, trans, and queer artists, projects, and audiences. We create purposeful and sustained spaces where visual artists and filmmakers can learn, develop, produce, and exhibit work with and for each other and our communities. We run three distinct, interdependent programs. The specific events and projects within each program may evolve or even change year-to-year on account of our capacity, budget, and strategic decision-making, but these programs provide the consistent scaffolding for where Level Ground directs our resources.
The Collective is the core Level Ground community and is made up of artists in Los Angeles who share a desire to root our creative lives in care, collaboration, and liberation. Members of the Collective include our staff and board, alongside a curated group of artists and thought partners. The Collective alone has decision-making power over the work, vision, and future of Level Ground and are the primary beneficiaries of Level Ground funding, resources, and programs. A sustainable future for the Collective is directly tied to a sustainable base of support from our Patrons.
The Level Ground budget is around $600,000 each year. These costs break down (roughly) to:
- $250,000 - Salaries and Benefits
- $250,000 - Programming and Events
- $50,000.00 - Marketing, Comms, and Development (getting the word out about Level Ground, growing the health of our team and programs, etc.)
- $50,000 - General & Admin (what you might call “overhead” aka everything related to our office, accounting, subscriptions, etc.)
Level Ground has a diversified revenue stream to support our work including:
- $400,000 - Foundations
- $100,000 - Grants (we apply to 2-3 grants every month for program, project, and general operating expenses)
- $50,000 - Patrons Program
- $50,000 - Earned Revenue (money earned through event tickets, our financial collaboration program, etc.)
In the last 2 years, our financial supporters have included:
- 50+ individuals who are part of our Patrons program and 100+ individuals who made one-time donations
- A few private foundations
- Grants from the California Arts Council, the LA County Arts and Culture Grant Program, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, The National Endowment for the Arts
Whether or not you're able to financially contribute, the best way to get involved in Level Ground is to participate. Come to an event, join a Social Practice Lab discussion, follow each of our programs. You can subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all Level Ground happenings. That’s also where we also put out the occasional call for volunteers.