For community bands, orchestras and choirs
Grant Reporting for Community Bands
Arts councils, community foundations and state arts agencies ask the same questions: how many people you reached, where they came from, how many concerts you gave and who played them. Backstage Baton keeps those numbers as your season happens, so they're ready when the application is.
90-day free trial · No credit card · On both plans
What funders ask for, and where the number comes from
Application forms differ, but the questions repeat. Here is each one, and the report in Backstage Baton that answers it.
| The funder asks | What you hand them | From |
|---|---|---|
| How many people did you reach? | Audience for each concert and for the whole grant period, counted at the door or entered afterward. | Grant report |
| How many of them were children or youth? | The adult and youth split, if your volunteers count that way at the door. | Grant report |
| Where does your audience come from? | Audience by county, with percentages. You list the counties you expect for each concert, and each one becomes a button on the counter. | Grant report |
| How many public events did you hold, and where? | Every concert in the dates you pick, with its date, venue, city and county, and a count of concerts by county. | Grant report |
| How many artists took part? | How many musicians played each concert, taken from that concert’s roster. | Grant report |
| Is your organization eligible? | Your grant profile: EIN, year founded, annual budget, and your 501(c)(3) status or your fiscal sponsor. | Grant profile |
| What did you perform? | Every piece you performed, concert by concert, with its composer and arranger. | Music usage report |
| Do your members keep coming? | Rehearsal and concert attendance rates, showing both how many were held and how many were marked. | Attendance report |
| What does your organization own? | Every instrument and piece of equipment with its value, for an asset list or an insurance schedule. | Equipment value report |
| Who supports you? | Donations recorded separately from dues, with year-end donor letters for 501(c)(3) bands. (Complete plan.) | Dues & payments |
The grant report, the attendance report and the music usage report are on both plans, in the Reports hub. The treasurer, fundraising coordinator, president and vice president can open the grant report without any extra setup.
What you'll still write yourself
We'd rather say this up front than have you find out at the deadline.
The story
Why your band matters to your community, and what you'll do with the money. The numbers back the story up; they don't write it.
Figures we don't count
Schools served and virtual attendance: type them into the report before you export it, and they go into the CSV with everything else. Volunteer hours fill themselves in from the jobs your members signed up for. We don't split audiences into seniors, or free and paid seats.
Counting the audience without tickets
Most community concerts are free, so there's no ticket count to fall back on. The audience counter is built for that.
Each concert gets its own link. Open it on any phone or tablet, with no login, and a volunteer taps once per person coming in. Several volunteers at different doors can count at the same time and the totals add up. If your funder asks where people come from, list the counties for that concert and the counter shows a button for each; tap adult or youth too if you need the split.
Missed a count, or bringing in last season? Enter the numbers afterward on the concert itself, even for concerts that happened before you joined. The grant report adds up whatever is recorded.
The difference in an application
The same band, writing from memory and writing from its counts. (Illustrative numbers.)
From memory
“The band plays for roughly 800 to 1,200 people a year across the region. We have around 70 to 80 active musicians and good rehearsal attendance.”
Ranges instead of numbers, and nothing a reviewer can check.
From the counts
“Last season the band gave 7 public concerts for 1,047 people, 212 of them under 18, at venues in three counties. Between 38 and 52 musicians played each concert, and members attended 84% of the rehearsals held.”
Specific, and every figure comes straight from a report.
Finding the next grant
Grant Match suggests grants that fit your band, using the same profile: where you are, your budget, and whether you apply as a 501(c)(3) or through a fiscal sponsor.
Every apply link is checked before it's shown, and when a link doesn't work you get the funder's own site instead. Deadlines and rules change, so confirm the details with the funder before you apply.
Frequently asked questions
Which funders does this work for?
Any funder that asks how many people you reached, where they came from, how many events you held and who performed. That covers most local arts councils, community foundations and state arts agencies. The report counts audience by the counties you list; it doesn’t break audiences down by zip code or legislative district.
How do we count the audience if we don’t sell tickets?
With the audience counter. A volunteer at the door taps once per person, and picks a county or adult/youth if your funder asks. No tickets, no sign-in sheet, nothing to type up later.
Can we count at outdoor concerts where there’s no front door?
Yes. Each concert has its own link; open it on several phones and volunteers can count from anywhere. Their counts add up.
What about school visits, retirement communities and other small events?
Put them on the calendar like any concert and count the audience, and they’re in the report. Include only the dates in your grant period when you run it.
How far back can the report go?
As far back as your records go. Bring in your past concerts with Smart Import, then enter audience counts on each one. If you start today, you’ll have a full year of counts by next grant season.
How do we get the numbers into the application?
The report is laid out for copy and paste, and it exports to CSV. We don’t connect directly to grant portals like Submittable or Foundant; the application form is where the numbers go.
Have the numbers before the deadline
90-day free trial, no credit card. Count your next concert, and your grant report starts filling in.