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Now Hiring! Paid Summer Internship at Fountain Theatre

Posted on March 31, 2015 | Leave a comment

Seeking Undergrad College Student for Paid Summer Internship

Know a college student looking for a job this summer? A student who likes theater? Enjoys working in an office? Is bright, organized, good with people, and eager to learn? The Fountain has a job for him/her this summer.

Supported by a grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the purpose of the internship is to provide an undergraduate student with meaningful on-the-job training and experience in working in nonprofit arts organizations, while assisting arts organizations to develop future arts leaders. Students eligible for the internship position must be currently enrolled undergraduate college students who are residents of and/or attending college in Los Angeles County.

Students must have completed at least one semester of college by June 1, 2015 or will complete their undergraduate degree between May 1 – September 1, 2015 in order to be eligible to participate. Students who have already earned a BA, BS or a higher degree are not eligible.
Students who have previously participated in the Los Angeles County Arts Internship Program are not eligible to participate a second time.

2014 Fountain interns Gabby Lamm and Alice Kors

A 10 week paid summer internship (40 hours/week) starting no earlier than June 1 and ending no later than August 28. Pay is $400 per week. The Fountain is seeking one intern this summer for Development.

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Development Intern will work closely with the Director of Development to create and launch new fundraising and grant writing campaigns. The intern will assist in targeting and contacting new funding sources, creating and implementing new fundraising materials, assist in individual contribution programs, and facilitate special events for donors and community partners. Under professional guidance, he/she will learn and develop grant writing skills to create and submit new grant proposals to major foundations. To assist in gathering the data required for specific grant applications. Other duties will include general administrative tasks, basic data base management, computer entry, administrative tasks, word-processing, phone activity, daily interaction with office staff. The Intern will be welcomed into the Fountain Family, requiring a candidate who is interested in joining a team and learning many aspects of running an intimate non-profit theatre.

2013 Fountain intern Lowes Moore

SKILLS REQUIRED

The intern candidate must have basic computer and word-processing skills (PC, Word, Excel, Internet), good communication skills and pleasant phone manner, organizational skills, be detail oriented, and have the ability to multi-task in an intimate office environment. A sense of humor and a willingness to learn many aspects of theatre management. S/he should be self-motivated and have the ability to take initiative when required. S/he should also have a passion for theater. Excellent writing and editing skills. An ability to work effectively both independently and cooperatively. Creativity, enthusiasm for learning, and an outgoing, friendly demeanor.

HOW TO APPLY
Please email cover letter and resume to Barbara Goodhill, Director of Development, at barbara@fountaintheatre.com.

Deadline to apply: May 1st, 2015

The Fountain Theatre thanks the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the LA County Board of Supervisors for supporting the 2015 Los Angeles County Arts Internship Program.

Jessica’s Journal: My First Grant

Posted on August 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

Jessica Broutt

by Jessica Broutt

As the development intern at the Fountain Theatre, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I was asked to write a grant. Sure, I had done research. Written a few letters of intent. But last week marked the first time I was really on my own.

With everyone else in the office getting ready for previews of our newest play, the US Premiere of Athol Fugard’s The Blue Iris, I was spending my week looking at old grants, a new project proposal, and a very tricky computer program I like to call Adobe.

Now, the first thing you have to understand about filling out a grant is that the most challenging part is figuring out how to use the required computer software. After downloading the latest version of Adobe, I spent quite a few hours filling in tiny little boxes. While this was annoying and terrifying, seeing as how I never trusted my hard work to be saved upon every return visit, it was nothing compared to writing the narratives.

In the narrative part of the grant, it gives the organization an opportunity to talk about its artistic mission, the history of its organization, what new project they propose to embark on if they do receive the grant. This was the difficult part. As much as I love this theatre and feel at home here, I haven’t been around long enough to know a lot about its history. However, my ten weeks here has been enough time for me to see the type of patrons who come here, the kind of theatre we produce, and our artistic mission in practice. I spent days not only trying to articulate how I saw our theatre, but reading up on how we had described our organization in previous grants. And while there was a lot of regurgitating of previous data, there was also a lot of room for me to explain why I felt we deserved this grant and why this proposal was right for the organization to which we were applying.

I know the idea of sitting down and writing a grant may seem tedious and awful. I assume that most creative types would rather do just about anything else than sit at a desk for hours on end, proving that your non-profit arts organization is worthy of funding. But just like I love hearing the mundane details of other people’s lives or re-reading books, I can now add grant-writing to my list of strange fascinations.

It’s kind of wonderful to be a part of the creation of a grant at The Fountain. Think about it. I was able to have this amazing experience as an intern at the Fountain because someone else wrote a grant for it. Now I can pay it forward by writing a grant of my own and ensure that the Fountain gets more funding. Seems too good to be true.

I have spent 10 weeks learning about every part of this theatre. There is no better final exam than writing my own grant, showing what I have learned.

I felt so emotionally attached to this grant. In fact, when it was finally finished, I felt it necessary to hand deliver it despite the assurance from Stephen that it “just had to be postmarked by the 17th”. The idea of putting our possible grant money in the hands of the US Postal Service made me cringe. I have never been more happy to drive to Downtown L.A. in my life.

As I rode the elevator at the Department of Cultural Affairs and approached the desk to hand in my grant, I felt a little sad. But mostly wonderful. I came out with a weight literally lifted out of my arms, and a new passion for grant-writing. Filling in those little boxes may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but the prospect of doing something as wonderful for The Fountain as it has done for me made it well worth it.

Jessica Broutt is our summer intern from UC San Diego. Our thanks for the support of the Arts Internship Program at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.