COVID-19 Relief Fund

Tier I: Individual Dance Makers

Table of Contents


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Eligibility Requirements | Funding Priorities and Review Rubric | Application Process | Timeline


Eligibility Requirements

Individuals are eligible to apply if they:

  • Are an individual dance maker, as defined by the following:
    • dancer, dance performer, or choreographer
  • Are based in New York State;
  • Are able to provide 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); 
  • Have never been a NYSCA grantee; applied for FY22 NYSCA funding but were not awarded; and/or are a FY21 or FY22 NYSCA Statewide Community Regrant Partners (SCR) grantee.
     

Individuals are not eligible to apply if they are:

  • Dance workers that are not dancers, dance performers, or choreographers; 
  • Are based outside of New York State; 
  • Are FY22 NYSCA grantees; and/or
  • Are an organization (501(c)(3) or a fiscally sponsored group.

Funding Priorities and Review Rubric

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

  • Demonstrate the financial and personal impact of COVID-19 on their 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; 
  • 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 members of communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including but not limited to: low-income, African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), disabled, immigrant, elderly, immunosuppressed, and women-identifying artists, 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.

Individuals headquartered in the metropolitan NYC area are welcome to apply but priority will be given to individuals 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-institutionalized2 populations. 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. The New York State population’s median age is 39.0 and median income is $71,117. 

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 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.


Application Process

Dance/NYC is using an online application portal: dancenyc.submittable.com. Before completing the application form, interested individual dance makers 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:

  • Individual Dance Maker Online Application via Submittable

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 2-3 hours to complete their application if they have the information required 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., though it may close sooner if more than 1500 applications are received prior to this date. Incomplete applications, hard copy submissions, and applications received after the April 20 deadline will not be considered.


Timeline

Fund Announcement and Call for Proposals March 9, 2022
Tier I: Individual Dance Makers Application Open March 30, 2022
Tier I Application Webinar April 4, 2022
Tier I Technical Assistance April 5, 2022 - May 4, 2022
Tier I: Individual Dance Makers Application Closes April 20, 2022, 6:00 p.m. EST
Tier I: Individual Dance Makers Application Extended May 4, 2022, 6:00 p.m. EST 
Tier I Panel Review June 2022
Tier I Grant Notification and Disbursement June 2022

 


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

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.

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