A project billed as the first micro-philanthropy website dedicated to U.S. filmmakers, writers, musicians and visual artists was launched last week, aimed at attracting small public donations to bring artistic projects to life. Sponsored by the grant-making and advocacy organization United States Artists, USA Projects hopes to connect people with artists and raise tax-deductible contributions for original works.

Many of the participating artists have been winners of the organization’s USA Fellowships, but the sponsors have also created a group of “project partners” to help them identify and recruit artists. Along with Penland, these partners include organizations such as Creative Capital, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation. Through this aspect of the program, a group of current and former Penland resident artists have been invited to participate.

USA Projects invites artists to propose specific projects along with a budget for their completion. These are posted on the site and supporters are invited to pledge money toward projects that interest them. Each project has a time frame of 4-8 weeks in which to generate pledges, and the money is collected only if the entire amount is pledged. The artists also offer specific benefits to people who contribute.

The Penland artists who already have projects up for funding through the site are David Chatt, Jennifer Bueno, IlaSahai Prouty, Margaret Couch Cogswell, and Vivian Beer. Three other artists–Cristina Cordova, Gertrude Graham Smith, and Robert Levin–have created profiles on the site, but have not yet listed projects.

If you would like to read about these projects (and consider helping fund them) or you want more information about USA Projects, visit the Penland organizational page on the USA Projects website.