COVID-19 Relief Fund

Tier II: Dance Making Organizations/Groups

Table of Contents

Skip to Sections
Eligibility Requirements | Funding Priorities and Review Rubric | Application Process | Timeline

Eligibility Requirements 

Organizations/Groups are eligible to apply if they:

  • Are dance making organizations and/or fiscally sponsored groups focused primarily on the creation and/or performance of dance;
  • Are headquartered in New York State;
  • Have an annual expense budget between $10,000–$250,000 for FY2022; 
  • Can provide proof of 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship status;
  • Has never been a NYSCA grantee; applied for FY22 NYSCA funding but were not awarded; and/or are FY21 or FY22 NYSCA Statewide Community Regrant partners (SCR) grantees.

For details on how to become fiscally sponsored, please visit Dance/NYC’s Fiscal Sponsorship Resources page.

Organizations/Groups are not eligible to apply if they are:

  • Individual dance makers without a fiscal sponsor;
  • FY22 NYSCA grantees;
  • An organization/group that is not primarily focused on the creation and/or performance of dance;
  • An organization/group for which dance education is a primary function;
  • An organization/group for which dance therapy is a primary function;
  • An educational institution;
  • A producer;
  • A presenter;
  • A festival; or
  • A service organization.

Funding Priorities and Review Rubric

In alignment with field research1, priority in grant selection will be given to applicants who:

  • Demonstrate the impacts of COVID-19 on their entity's dance making activities, including:
    • a decrease or change in the volume of artistic work; 
    • ​the proportion of income lost in relation to previous income years as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and/or related government mandated cancellation of activities; and

    • the ability/inability to access other forms of relief, including insurance claims;

  • Are based in counties outside of the five boroughs of NYC, including: Albany; Allegany; Broome; Cattaraugus; Cayuga; Chautauqua; Chemung; Chenango; Clinton; Columbia; Cortland; Delaware; Dutchess; Erie; Essex; Franklin; Fulton; Genesee; Greene; Hamilton; Herkimer; Jefferson; Lewis; Livingston; Madison; Monroe; Montgomery; Nassau; Niagara; Oneida; Onondaga; Ontario; Orange; Orleans; Oswego; Otsego; Putnam; Rensselaer; Rockland; St. Lawrence; Saratoga; Schenectady; Schoharie; Schuyler; Seneca; Steuben; Suffolk; Sullivan; Tioga; Tompkins; Ulster; Warren; Washington; Wayne; Westchester; Wyoming; and Yates counties;

  • Are led by or primarily serve members of communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including but not limited to: low-income, ALAANA, disabled, immigrant, elderly, immunosuppressed, and women-identifying, transgender, gender nonconforming and/or non-binary artists; artists that are parents, guardians, or primary care providers; and artists living in zip codes disproportionately affected by COVID-19 deaths and cases; and

  • A grantee pool that is:
    • a reflection of the demography of New York State; and
    • reflects a variety of dance making perspectives and genres.

Organizations/groups headquartered in the metropolitan NYC area are welcome to apply but priority will be given to organizations/groups that are based in counties outside of the five boroughs of NYC. Dance/NYC’s goal in focusing on specific geographic areas is to help increase activity in areas that are historically under supported and which may have had less access to relief funding at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dance/NYC’s aim in considering demographics as a selection criterion is to identify a grantee pool that represents the demographics of New York State residents and address misalignments highlighted by Dance/NYC research, in particular, racial homogeneity in the dance workforce, a general absence of disabled artists, and a lack of income for immigrant artists. 

According to the US Census Data, the New York State population is approximately 44.7% ALAANA, 11.5% disabled, 51.4% female and 22.4% immigrant. Note that US Census disability figures include non-institutionalized populations2. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disabled population in New York State may actually be as high as 25% when all functional disability types (mobility, cognition, independent living, hearing, vision and self-care disabilities) are included.

Sources: U.S. Census, 2020 Decennial Census, 2019 American Community Survey, 2016-2016 NYS Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Telephone Survey Estimates.

Review Process:
As an underlying tenet of its equity and inclusion work, Dance/NYC embraces the concept of “Nothing Without Us”: no program or policy should be formed without the full, direct involvement of those impacted. For this reason, applicants will be evaluated by a review panel of 15 dance workers from across New York State.

Panelists will be selected for:

  • Their expertise in managing a dance making entity, and/or creating, performing, funding, and/or presenting dance in New York State;
  • Alignment with Dance/NYC’s justice, equity, and inclusion values; and
  • Their demographic representation of the local population. Dance/NYC seeks a panel that is majority African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), is majority women-identifying and gender nonconforming/nonbinary/genderqueer and transgender, and includes disabled and immigrant artists.

All panelists:

  • Are trained prior to engaging in the review of applications;
  • Must adhere to confidentiality and conflict of interest policies; and
  • Are compensated for their time.

No panelist can be an applicant. Panelists will have the ability to evaluate and recommend applicants for selection to the final slate of grantees, but exercise no oversight function with regard to Dance/NYC as an entity. Dance/NYC does not have a vote in the scoring of applications, but will make final determinations, including funding amounts.

Amounts will be determined on a sliding scale based on grantees’ total expense budget range for FY 2020:

  • $10,000-$24,999;
  • $25,000-$49,999;
  • $50,000-$74,999;
  • $75,000-$99,999;
  • $100,000-$149,999;
  • $150,000-$199,999; and
  • $200,000-$250,000.

Application Process

Dance/NYC is using an online application portal: dancenyc.submittable.com. Before completing the application form, interested dance making organizations/groups are asked to first complete a series of questions to determine baseline eligibility for the grant program. If eligible, applicants will be prompted to complete the application.

Dance/NYC is committed to accessibility and the inclusion of disabled and immigrant people in its programs. If you need assistance accessing any part of this application, please contact covid19@dance.nyc.

Required materials include:

  • Dance Making Organization/Group Relief Fund Online Application via Submittable 
  • Organizational Equity Matrix
  • FY2022 Budget
  • Proof of tax-exempt status or fiscal sponsorship
  • Audited financial statements and or 990/990T form, ideally for 2019 or 2020

To support prospective applicants, Dance/NYC has created an application guide, which includes a full overview of all application questions and required attachments. Dance/NYC estimates applicants may need approximately 3-4 hours to complete their application if they have financial records readily available.

Grantees will not be required to submit a report. The application will include all information necessary to understand the grantee’s use of grant funds. Grantees may be invited to submit a post-grant survey to help Dance/NYC learn about their experience with the application process.

Complete applications, including supplementary materials, must be submitted online by Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 6:00 p.m. EST. Incomplete applications, hard copy submissions, and applications received after the May 4 deadline will not be considered.

Timeline

Fund Announcement & Call for Proposals March 9, 2022
Tier II: Organizations/Groups Application Opens April 6, 2022
Tier II Application Webinar April 11, 2022, 11 a.m. EST
Tier II Technical Assistance April 12, 2022 - May 18, 2022
Tier II: Organizations/Groups Application Closes May 4, 2022, 6:00 p.m. EST
Tier II: Organizations/Groups Application Extended! May 18, 2022, 6:00 p.m. EST
Tier II Panel Review June 2022
Tier II Grant Notification and Disbursement July 2022

Footnotes:
1Dance/NYC Coronavirus Dance Impact Study (http://bit.ly/CoronavirusDanceImpact)

1Dance/NYC Defining “Small-Budget” Dance Makers in a Changing Dance Ecology (www.dance.NYC/sbdmdata2020)

1Dance/NYC’s State of NYC Dance & Workforce Demographics report (https://bit.ly/StateofNYC2016)

2According to the US Census, the civilian non-institutionalized population is the civilian population not residing in institutions such as correctional institutions, juvenile facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and other long-term care living arrangements.

Dance Magazine Awards. Monday, December 2, 2024 at 7pm. Baryshnikov Arts, Jerome Robbins Theater 450 W 37th St, New York. Established in 1954, the Dance Magazine Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and organizations in the dance industry and are one of the most prestigious honors in dance.

Sign up for Dance/NYC News