Editor's note: In this issue our listing of resources for dancers will conclude with grants and fellowships, residencies and festivals, service organizations, and publications.
Grants to Individuals are few and far between, but here are a few, along with grant opportunities for companies. Generally the company must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or apply through a fiscal conduit organization.
Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP)Provides seminars and conventions, funding opportunities, Creative Campus grants, Ensemble Theater Grants, Accessibility Grants, Visa Assistance, Bookstore
up Emma A. Sheafer Charitable TrustProvides performing arts organizations in NYC with project, capacity-building, and capital support grants from $15,000 to $25,000. Approximately 20 grants are made annually. Deadlines are May 1 and November 1, awards paid in June and December.
up Foundation for Contemporary ArtsGrants are awarded by a confidential nomination and selection process in the fields of dance/movement, performance/sound, theater/performance art, poetry, and visual arts. Artists are suggested and selected by their peers.
up Harkness Foundation for DanceHas supported the performing arts since 1936. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and the board meets quarterly. Awards average between $500 and $15,000. Send letter of inquiry.
up Jerome FoundationSupports creation and production of new works by emerging choreographers with general operating support grants to their dance companies, commissions, workshops, and production funding. Most support goes to small and mid-size companies.
Jerome Robbins FoundationSupports performing arts organizations, especially dance and theater. Board meets quarterly to review applications
up Lower Manhattan Cultural CouncilMCAF: Supports local arts organizations and artists that have little access to other government funding sources. LMCC also provides space grants and many other services to artists.
up Mary Duke Biddle FoundationMost giving is in North Carolina, but many grants are made to New York City organizations. Cultural funding is aimed at music, dance and theater. Majority of grants to dance companies are less than $5,000. Send letter of inquiry.
Materials for the ArtsProvides over 2,700 arts programs with materials from corporations that no longer need them. Arts organizations may reclaim these materials simply by registering with MFA.
Mertz Gilmore FoundationProvides general support to festivals and other presenters of small- to mid-sized dance companies, and it offers project support for advocacy and services to the dance field. Initial approach should be a letter of inquiry not exceeding two pages in length.
Metlife FoundationEmphasis on inclusion, diversity, and access. Dance companies throughout the country receive sustaining support with general operating and special project grants for a wide variety of activities such as education, community outreach, and family programming.
up New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)NDP Touring Grants fund the distribution and presentation of dance work. NDP Touring Only Support is available for new work. Grants are paid directly to performing arts presenters to cover a percentage of the contracted artist's fee. Criteria include scale, geography, ethnicity, and diversity of artistic form. NEFA also provides other grants and services.
New York Foundation For the Arts (NYFA)Goal is to support not-for-profit professional resident theater and dance companies in the United States. Awards unrestricted grants for general operating support as opposed to project funding. Artistic achievement, administrative strength, and fiscal stability are important in evaluation, as is the company's contribution to the field.
Also check the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), although they don't have much for individual artists or small companies.
http://www.nea.gov/Every state has a state council on the Arts, which will offer grants. Check these, as well as the arts council for your city and/or county.
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