The NYC Dance Program encourages the creation and presentation of dance embedding the Foundation’s core values of justice and equity to:
prize differences as a source of creativity,
expand the variety of styles and venues available to New Yorkers, and
enhance the function of dance as an expressive vehicle to illuminate social issues.
Photo credits (left to right): Marc Millman; Ken Browar/Works & Process at the Guggenheim. Alexander Calder, Red Lily Pads, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. © 2017 Calder Foundation, New York/Artists Rights Society (ARS); LEIMAY; Shige Moriya.
Goals
Our principal goals are to make the program responsive to and reflective of the city’s demographic makeup, champion artistic excellence in places where it has not been recognized before, and draw on inclusivity to promote resilience and sustainability throughout the dance sector.
strategies
For our purpose, contemporary dance suggests a pluralistic aesthetic that encompasses a wide range of movement styles and techniques acknowledging that dance is constantly morphing through usage.
Going forward, priority will be given to presenters based outside of Manhattan. The focus is on developing choreographers at early stages in their careers and bringing quality performances to communities not typically reached by conventional arts organizations.
We recognize the significant ongoing contributions of small dance organizations, and do not have a minimum budget requirement for applicants. Lower budget groups add texture to the artistic landscape - serving as laboratories for new styles and fostering creative expressions.
Funding Guidance
Grants in the program fall in three categories – Presenters; Advocacy/Support Services; and Invitation Only Funds.
Presenters of Small and Medium-Sized Dance Companies
We provide multi-year general operating support to presenters of small to mid-sized dance companies. Grant terms are generally two years in length and available only to groups that present contemporary dance.
Advocacy/Support Services
On a limited basis and for opportunities that meet strategic concerns of the program, organizations may submit proposals for projects that advance the dance field by improving conditions for individual dance artists.
Invitation Only Funds
Since 2010, our Rehearsal Space Subsidy program and Late-Stage Stipend program have operated by invitation only.
Affordable rehearsal space - an essential resource for making dance - is in low supply. The Rehearsal Space Subsidy program, in partnership with New York State Council on the Arts, awards grants to a cohort of facilities to reduce this barrier.
The caliber of dance presentation suffers without an opportunity to refine and fully develop work. The Late-Stage Stipend program assists choreographers chosen by the Foundation’s grantee presenting organizations to fully realize a particular pre-determined work.
APPLICATION ELEMENTS
To qualify for a grant, applicants must demonstrate the following:
A current and continuous three-year history of presenting high quality contemporary dance prior to application.
Annual, ongoing dance activities either throughout the year or on a seasonal basis.
A substantial annual budget dedicated to dance. The dance budget should include expenses related to dance presentations; residency and commissioning programs; technical assistance services to dance artists; and rehearsal space and time.
The dance budget should NOT include expenses related to fiscal sponsorships; dance schools or conservatories; or school-based arts education programs.
Sound organizational financial capacity and stable management.
The program will not make grants for individual artists, arts education programs, conservatories, dance films or organizations/projects based outside of New York City.
Prior to submitting a proposal, grantseekers are encouraged to email Leah Krauss lkrauss [at] mertzgilmore.org with a paragraph describing the proposed project.
