The Coke Oven Initiative:
If you have not guessed by now one thing we’re a big fan of at Coke Oven is seeing people thrive in an environment which allows them to do what they want to do most. As creators we know one of the biggest barriers of this for self expression is not only getting your work seen (Hence the website) but having the funds to even begin. As such we’d like to introduce ‘The Coke Oven Initiative’.
What is the Coke Oven initiative?
It is a small fund available to creators for the publishing of Zines, stickers, prints and small press publications funded by the the owners of this website.
If that interests you I suggest you keep reading.
Why are you doing this?
During our time at zine fairs and art shows, the conversation I have most often with people is the cost of having initial stock to be able to actually sell and show of their work and for many people this in an initial barrier.
Simply put it is a risk to outlay money to bring an idea into the world.
Along side this fact many are often not aware of how much it costs to produce a zine and often think it can be pricey to achieve what they want and thus become put off by ever printing their work.
We wanted to set up a fund to assist with that and so looking at our earnings we were able to set aside a small fund which we would like to use to help small creators and new artists bring their project to life. As in our view too many projects and ideas are hindered by the simple fact that the artist/creative cannot afford to start.
A common mantra we have is art does not have to be expensive and it definitely should not be left to only those who have the money to begin with to create so this is our hope to bridge the gap a little.
How much is it?
As this is funded currently by a single entity the fund is currently limited up to £100/$100 maximum per any one person or project.
So it’s free money?
Yes. Once an amount and project is agreed upon there is no obligation to pay us back – it’s yours. A gift if you will.
You don’t even have to mention us on your product, we’re not a fast food chain or a race car. (Though we’d appreciate you mentioning it maybe once to people as it would help others find the fund too!)
How do I get it?
Funds will be provided via PayPal, bank transfer, Venmo or funded directly to the company printing your product. Whatever works for you.
There has to be a catch?
There are of course some rules to this to try to maintain a level of honesty. It is an amount of free money and sadly there is dishonesty online so where possible we’ll try to verify it’s going to someone who needs it at the time.
Rules
- You can only submit an idea once a month.
- If an idea is not funded/chosen in one month you submit in will need to resubmit it the next month if you’re still interested. You can submit the same idea twice though providing we haven’t funded it before.
- You can only have one idea funded a year.
- We want to help as many people as possible so to do that the limit per person/project is one a year.
- It must be a clear idea.
- Come to us with something finished, not “I’m thinking about maybe doing something” We want to take ideas from being bedroom and under desk notions into the real world. We can’t fund anything which is a maybe.
- You submit the idea and we’ll be in contact to find out more.
- Our initial submission form is simple and we may ask more questions. Again this is just to make sure someone is not taking advantage.
Examples
- I recently created some illustrations and need to get some prints made so I can take them to art fairs.
- I want to produce my first zine to give away or sell online but cannot afford to get copies created from the hand drawn one I made.
- I want to print my own zines but cannot afford the materials. I have scanned my current ones but don’t have access to a nearby printers or the right paper.
- I want to table at a fair but cant afford the fee for the table due to the price of producing things to sell.
These are just some examples. A lot of this is based on trust but we want people to have things they can sell, share or show off and get past the barrier of funding.
How you do that once you have the money though is up to you.
How do i sign up?
Simply fill in the contact form below with your name and e-mail and a bit about what you want to print and we’ll be in touch!
Overall we’re just hoping this helps. We’re looking forward to hearing your ideas and seeing some projects come into the living world from you.