Funding

Funding is the total financial resources required to make an eDream happen. Funding is an enablement component of making an eDream successfully happen. Funding Insight provides insight into the potential methods our securing the financial resources that may be required like funding your first film that ends up nominated for an Academy Award.

Funding is a component of Enablement.

• #PersonalFunds - The easiest way to fund a project is with your personal money. It takes away the complexity and doesn’t involve other people. It can be from using money in the bank, saving the money or allocating a portion of your monthly income.
• #Loans - It is money from sources that expect their money to be returned and likely with interest. Credit cards, banks loans, targeted loans (i.e., mortgages, student loans) or from friends, family, banks or angel investors. The emerging sources are online investment crowdfunding from peer-to-peer lending. and equity crowd investing which will be explored in this chapter.
• #Investments - Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists or an investors that owns a piece of the success. The emerging sources are online investment crowdfunding from equity crowd investing.
• #GiftsFamilyFriends - There are many different expectations from these sources. It could be because they love you, want to help, want the mission achieved, want to be a part, expect repayment or another kind of return. If the pursuit is not going well, it could negatively impact relationships that are important to your well-being.
• #Crowdfunding - Donor crowdfunding has been around for centuries with “passing the hat” or placing the jar next to cash registers for communities to raise money. It could be for neighbor’s victims of fire or medical conditions, a worthy project or helping kids go on a trip. The many new online donor crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter makes this easier than ever. The contributors typically don’t expect to be repaid. There are numerous reasons why people contribute and many new ways to do it. These are crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. These are new sites that people contribute small amount, yet they do not own an interest in the outcome (i.e., part owner). The contributors get to feel they are part of project and feel vested in its success. They become brand advocates and are often the early purchasers if the project becomes a project.
• #GrantsPrograms - These are funding sources that don’t expect to be repaid, yet come with strings attached to secure funding. It comes from sources that are trying to achieve a certain mission. It could come from applying for a merit scholarship, a research grant or a government program.
• #FinancialAid - This is funding from sources trying to help people achieve the funding for a certain mission that don’t expect to be repaid. This could be help paying college tuition, health insurance or even home heating.
• #SaleAssetsGoodsServices - Funding from selling assets like a car, home or products. It is also from leveraging talents and abilities to sell what your creations and services. Again, the online world offers many new ways to achieve this with eBay and Etsy for assets and goods and Uber, Airbnb and Task Rabbit for services.
• #Barter - Barter or trade goods and services.

Partners

Partner with people or organizations they may have a similar mission, want to address similar problem or unmet need or help the same beneficiaries.