Good news: this week a second grant application I researched and wrote for a client has been successful. While the amount Simi Linton will receive from the Puffin Foundation (named after the darling Atlantic Puffin, above) is small potatoes in the scheme of US philanthropic funding, it nevertheless confirms the worth of the project (adapting Simi’s memoir for the stage) and positions Simi firmly within the arts, rather than in academia whence she fled several years ago.
According to their website, the Puffin Foundation seeks to “open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and art organizations who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.”
Why the puffin? Apparently the bird was rescued from extinction by a “concerned citizenry” and now not only survives but flourishes, thus serving as a metaphor for the foundation’s mission. I reckon we could all do with a bit of foundation support now and then.
