Currently, straightforward online resources that are comprehensive and transparent about incorporation in the United States are few and far between. Most pages on this topic are written by lawyers and registered agents vying for customers and often leave out the major incorporation steps that individuals can accomplish on their own.

 

I created this website to help college students, professional musicians, and educators understand and access various funding sources, incorporation options, and third-party resources made for them—and create new resources to supplement what's missing. I developed all of the charts, blog posts, interviews, and guides on this website unless otherwise credited. By synthesizing research on LLCs, private sector funding, and educator-specific needs with my prior experience in creating a 501(c) (3) non-profit through public grants and small concert fundraisers, I aimed to present funding and venture opportunities from multiple angles.

 

I began this project wondering whether most teachers use their own money or third-party services, such as GoFundMe or DonorsChoose (which rely on donations from students' guardians and parents), to fund their classroom needs. To choose which grant resources to highlight and to make my grant narrative templates as helpful as possible, I interviewed teachers from the Detroit and Ann Arbor public school districts about how they currently finance classroom expenses. I learned that most teachers pay for classroom expenses themselves and invest the majority of their time outside of the classroom into lesson planning. During the school year, extra (emergency) materials for upcoming lessons are frequently identified a few days before the lesson, and the grant application and reward process can take several months. Most public school administrations in Michigan appear to prioritize funding activities outside of the classroom and outside of the core curriculum. ​I believe this resource is most important for people who are unaware that applying for grants is free or that grants are a useful funding option for individuals, rather than corporations.

 

When I asked my cohort of fellow student writers at the University of Michigan how I could best reach this audience, they gave me an amazing answer: Reddit. I created a Reddit thread to introduce this website and its mission, while also creating a space for individuals to add extra resources, ask questions, and leave comments. The Reddit thread also addressed another issue I had been debating: the extent to which I should monitor misinformation left by comments on this website. On Reddit, any incorrect information left by commentators can be discussed and reviewed by others without requiring me to decide whether to delete certain comments. This allows people to learn and grow while keeping all the information on this website as accurate as possible.

 

Additionally, rules regarding federal funding and actions by corporations are constantly changing due to executive orders issued by the current administration. That's why I created an additional page, called "The Now," which introduces readers to some of these policy changes.