FREELANCE DANCE WORKERS
UPDATE: The application for freelance dance workers seeking funding for the month of June closed on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Dance/NYC invites metropolitan New York City area and New Jersey freelance dance workers to submit applications for awards through the Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund. Made possible by the generous support of the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Arnhold Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund in The New York Community Trust, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Jerome Robbins Foundation, the GKV Foundation, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance, the purpose of the funding initiative is to mitigate the growing impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak on individual freelance dance workers and dance making organizations based in the metropolitan New York City area and New Jersey state, particularly financial losses incurred due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the social restriction measures implemented to contain the spread of the virus. The Fund will prioritize supporting communities most impacted by COVID-19 including African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), disabled, immigrant, and women-identifying artists, as well as those at high risk including elderly and immunosuppressed artists.
Interested applicants who are eligible as both a freelance dance worker and a dance making organization may apply for both areas of funding. Current and past grantee individuals and organizations of Dance/NYC’s regranting programs, as well as direct recipients of Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Arnhold Foundation, Ford Foundation, NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation, GKV Foundation, and/or Harkness Foundation for Dance grants, and individuals and organizations who have not previously been funded by Dance/NYC are encouraged to apply.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Freelance dance workers were eligible to apply for monthly awards of $500 with a maximum of $1,500 across the grant period, from March 2020 to June 2020. Applicants must submit a new application for each month. Applicants may submit applications for any month throughout the grant period.
- Applications for March funds have closed. 180 grants were made of 404 received applications.
- Applications for April funds have closed. 321 grants were made of 653 received applications.
- Applications for May funds have closed. 358 grants were made of 496 received applications.
- Applications for June funds have closed. 223 grants were made of 245 received applications.
Eligibility Requirements for Freelance Dance Workers
Freelance dance workers are eligible to apply if they:
- Are an individual dance worker, as defined by the following:
- dancer, dance performer, choreographer, dance photographer, dance videographer, teaching artist, and
- related artistic and technical personnel such as: technicians (lighting, stage management, production, etc.), dance musicians/accompanists, independent presenters, producers, agents and/or managers, dance theatre personnel (ushers, in-house vendors, etc.);
- Are based in the metropolitan New York City area or New Jersey state.
- For the purposes of this fund, the metropolitan New York City area includes the following counties:
- Bergen (NJ)
- Bronx
- Hudson (NJ)
- Kings
- Nassau
- New York
- Queens
- Richmond
- Suffolk
- Westchester
- For the purposes of this fund, the metropolitan New York City area includes the following counties:
While Bergen and Hudson counties are within New Jersey state, they are counted as the "metropolitan New York City area." Interested applicants residing in Bergen and Hudson counties should complete their application accordingly.
- For the purposes of this fund, New Jersey state includes the following counties:
- Atlantic
- Burlington
- Camden
- Cape May
- Cumberland
- Essex
- Gloucester
- Hunterdon
- Mercer
- Middlesex
- Monmouth
- Morris
- Ocean
- Passaic
- Salem
- Somerset
- Sussex
- Union
- Warren
Dance/NYC is able to offer grants to residents of New Jersey state thanks to support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the partnership of Dance New Jersey.
- Are able to provide the following information to process digital payment:
- A Tax Identification Number, which can include any of the following: social security number (SSN), employer identification number (EIN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN)
- Bank Account Number and Routing Number
Freelance dance workers are not eligible to apply if they:
- Are a dance worker that did not lose freelance or contract work as a result of COVID-19 illness and/or implemented social measures;
- Are based outside of the metropolitan New York City area or New Jersey state; and/or
- Are an organization (501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored group of any kind.
Funding Priorities and Review Rubric
For freelance dance workers, funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds are exhausted for a given month. Priority in grant selection will be given to applicants who:
- Demonstrate need, defined as the amount of income lost in confirmed employment or “gigs” taking place from March 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus and/or related City mandated cancellation of activities that equals or exceeds $1,000/month.
- Please note: confirmed employment and/or gigs must have been secured before March 1, 2020, when the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in New York City, and
- Are able to provide proof of the aforementioned losses, including:
- The date of the cancelled opportunity,
- the monetary value of the opportunity,
- the name of hiring organization/entity,
- the name of the person within the organization,
- the title of the person within the organization,
- the contact information of the person within the organization; and
- a description of the opportunity
- The Fund will prioritize supporting communities most impacted by COVID-19 including African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), disabled, immigrant, and women-identifying artists, as well as those at high risk including elderly and immunosuppressed artists.
Dance/NYC reserves the right to contact employers to verify information provided in an application if deemed necessary.
Proposal Specifications
Required materials for Freelance Dance Workers include:
- Dance Worker Relief Fund Online Application via Submittable
- IRS Form W-9
- Coronavirus Impact Survey
Submission Details
Dance/NYC is using an online application portal: dancenyc.submittable.com. Before completing the application form, interested freelance dance workers 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.
Tips for Completing Your Application
- Check out our application guide here!
- Prepare all of your materials in advance.
- If you have questions, review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page FIRST Dance.NYC/CoronavirusDanceReliefFundFAQ. If your question(s) aren’t answered there, contact us at COVID19@dance.nyc.
- Please check that every portion of your Proof of Income Loss chart is filled out completely. We have received blank or partially completed charts, which makes your application incomplete and unable to receive funding.
- Given the high volume of applications we are receiving, we are unable to follow up with applicants who do not submit all of the required materials. To make sure your application is complete, we encourage you to:
- Please read every question carefully, including the eligibility requirements.
- Make sure you have answered every question before you press submit.
- Check to make sure all of the files you uploaded are visible and uploaded correctly. We have received blank files or files that are not related to the application, which makes your application incomplete and unable to receive funding.
Timeline
| Call for proposals release | March 23, 2020 |
| Freelance dance worker submission |
|
| Freelance dance worker grant disbursement | - April grant disbursement notifications by 11:59 PM EST on April 24, 2020 - May grant disbursement notifications by 11:59 PM EST on May 22, 2020 |
| Final grantee report due | August 2020 |
Questions
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page at Dance.NYC/CoronavirusDanceReliefFundFAQ. Applicants may also submit questions not already addressed on the FAQ page by e-mail: covid19@dance.nyc. Please only send questions to this e-mail account. As appropriate, Dance/NYC’s responses to questions received will be added to the FAQ page.
