S2 E4: "Sh*t Funders Actually Say: The Lies, Red Tape & Excuses That Keep Artists Broke"

🎙️ The AC Pulse — Season 2, Episode 4
Title: Sht Funders Actually Say: The Lies, Red Tape & Excuses That Keep Artists Broke*
Subtitle: When funders say "we believe in equity" — what they really mean is "on our terms."

Episode Description:

In this episode of The AC Pulse, host Amanda Corrales exposes the shocking truth behind nonprofit funders and the carefully scripted language they use to keep artists broke, dependent, and silent.

🎯 Topics covered:

• The real-life story of how a nonprofit praised for "artist equity" stole a full proposal from Avante Garde and tried to bury it behind legal red tape

• The exact gaslighting language used by attorneys and funders when caught exploiting artists

• How institutions use phrases like “diverse voices” and “innovative models” to extract unpaid labor and avoid accountability

• Why intent is not impact, and how equity becomes a branding tool instead of a practice

📢 You’ll learn:

• How to recognize red flags in grant relationships and nonprofit partnerships

• What funders actually mean when they say your work "isn't competitive"

• The cost of silence — and why speaking up is a radical act of preservation for Black, Brown, and under-resourced artists

🎓 About your host:
Amanda Corrales is an Art Institute graduate, public sector founder, real estate investor, and former PBS marketing manager. She’s worked behind the scenes with elite nonprofits and knows exactly how the system operates — and who it’s built to exclude.

🎧 The AC Pulse is your unapologetic guide to naming names, exposing power plays, and rewriting the rules of the arts world — by and for the artists it tried to break.

🔥 Follow for weekly episodes exposing:
#ArtistExploitation #GrantGatekeeping #NonprofitAccountability #ProposalTheft #CulturalEquity #ArtJustice #DEIWashing #CreativeEconomy #TheACPulse