G.R.A.F.F.I.T.I Foundation Snapshot

Who We Are:

• We are a group of UTSA Seniors with the Business Entrepreneurship College that are creating a Social Enterprise. Essentially, what a Social Enterprise\Entrepreneurship is, is a business that is for profit, but the profits do not go back to an individual, they go back into the business to facilitate its operational costs and growth.

Project Background:

• We have started the G.R.A.F.F.I.T.I Foundation, which stands for: GatheringResponsible Artists For the Fight In Transcending Irresponsibility. What we want to create is an organization that brings in artists of any medium and gives theman outlet to create work and create products with their images for sale. We want to promote the artists and assist them in business mentoring, art mentoring, and reach out to those that may not have the opportunity for a college education. We want to be able to show artists how to create a business and a living, doing what they love; in addition, to raise funds for those who have an interest in pursuing an academic career. Moreover, we want to create a sense of community, social awareness and responsibility.
• Our organization will basically be a promotional tool for the artists andgive them a platform to showcase their works in various locations, i.e. UTSA Artspace, the Gallery Bound project, and other local art venues. We will use the artist's images to create our products; art prints, t-shirts, calendars, etc, butall original art still belongs to the artists and will be a focal point of an art show for sale to the artists. After the business has reached its rate of return on those products, the artist will receive a percentage of that profit for as long as that product is carried. We will also help them create their online shops as an offshoot of the project for their own profit.
• We will provide all of these services free of charge, all we want from theartists is a donation of their time to community service, specifically workingwith the Graffiti Wipeout project, and if they continue to be a supporter of the G.R.A.F.F.I.T.I. Foundation, then some exclusives for the Foundation to create new products.