Dance/NYC invites metropolitan New York City area dance makers with operating budgets between $25,000 and $1 million to submit proposals for two-year general support awards of $5,000–$15,000 annually, from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021.

Amounts will be determined on a sliding scale based on grantees’ total expense budget range for 2018: $25,000-$99,999; $100,000-$249,999; $250,000-$499,999; and $500,000-$1,000,000.

Goals
Made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the purpose of the funding initiative is to address the inequitable distribution of resources in the dance field and advance resilience by supporting dance makers with budgets between $25,000 and $1 million. Dance/NYC believes the dance ecology must itself be just, equitable, and inclusive to meaningfully contribute to social progress and envisions a dance ecology wherein power, funding, opportunities, conduct, and impacts are fair for all artists, cultural workers, and audiences. Dance/NYC’s approach cuts across its public programs and all aspects of its operations, and it aims to advance economic justice through the Dance Advancement Fund (the Fund), while recognizing that dance makers with operating budgets below $25,000 also need support.

In alignment with field research, including Dance/NYC’s State of NYC Dance and Workforce Demographics (Dance.NYC/StateofDance2016), Helicon Collaborative’s Not Just Money: Equity Issues in Cultural Philanthropy (heliconcollab.net/our_work/not-just-money), and Yancey Consulting’s What Are the Paradigm Shifts Necessary for the Arts Sector to Nurture More Sustainable THRIVING Institutions of Color (ddcf.org), the Fund will prioritize applications from dance makers that are headquartered outside of Manhattan; led by or otherwise creating work by African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA) and/or women and/or disabled and/or immigrant artists; and demonstrating service of audiences that reflect the diversity of the metropolitan New York City area, with a focus on majority ALAANA participation and disability and immigrant representation. (According to Census data, the New York City population is approximately 77% ALAANA, 10% disabled, 52% female, and 37% foreign-born. Source: US Census Bureau American FactFinder 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.)

Dance/NYC’s goal in focusing outside Manhattan is to help increase activity in areas that are historically undersupported. Dance/NYC’s aim in considering demographics as a selection criterion is to identify a grantee pool that represents the demographics of residents in the metropolitan area 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. 
 

Eligibility Requirements
Applicants are eligible to apply if they:

• Are a dance maker focused on the creation and/or performance of dance, with a history of at least three years of local dance-making activity;
• Are headquartered in the metropolitan New York City area, including the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties in New York State, and Bergen and Hudson counties in New Jersey;
• Have an annual expense budget between $25,000–$1 million for FY 2017 (actual), 2018 (actual), and 2019 (forecasted); and
• Can provide proof of 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship status for at least the last three years (2017, 2018, 2019). For details on how to become fiscally sponsored, please visit Dance.NYC/for-artists/resource-pages.

You are encouraged to apply if you are a current or past grantee of Dance/NYC and/or the Ford Foundation, or if you have not previously been funded by either of these organizations.

Applicants are not eligible to apply if they are:

• An individual artist without a fiscal sponsor;
• A new (fewer than three years) fiscally sponsored project;
• An organization for which dance making is new (fewer than three years of local dance-making activities);
• An organization that is not focused on the creation and/or performance of dance; 
• An organization 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
Dance/NYC seeks to award grants to approximately 25 dance makers. Priority in grant selection will be given to:

• Applicants who demonstrate to a review panel:
  • Above all, clear artistic vision and artistic excellence;
  • A dedication to sustaining practice beyond the two-year grant period, with a well-articulated narrative for how the funds will help advance the organization, and a willingness to share learning with the field;
  • Commitments and measurable actions in alignment with stated values of diversity, justice, equity, and inclusion;
  • Organizational and financial health, regardless of budget size, and a commitment to paying artists and arts workers a living wage;
  • A diversity of dance perspectives;
• Dance makers headquartered in the Bronx; Brooklyn; Queens; Staten Island; Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties in New York State; and Bergen and Hudson counties in New Jersey;
• Organizations artistically led or otherwise creating work by ALAANA and/or women and/or disabled and/or immigrant artists; and 
• Dance makers who serve audiences that reflect the demography of the metropolitan New York City area, with a focus on majority ALAANA participation and disability and immigrant representation.

Proposal Specifications
Required materials include:

• Dance Advancement Fund Application
• Advancement Fund Equity Matrix
• Advancement Fund Financial Information
• Proof of tax-exempt status or fiscal sponsorship for at least three years (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Audited financial statements
• Board of directors list
• Video sample

Submission Details
Dance/NYC is using an online application portal: dancenyc.submittable.com. Before completing the application form, interested 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. This call for proposals is available in Spanish and Chinese at Dance.NYC/DanceAdvancement. The application is available in Spanish and Chinese at dancenyc.submittable.com. If you need assistance accessing any part of this application, please contact us at danceadvancementfund@dance.nyc.

Complete applications, including supplementary materials, must be submitted online by October 1, 2019, 6:00 p.m. EST.

Timeline

Call for proposals release	August 23, 2019
Webinars All applicants are strongly encouraged to participate	September 4, 2019, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. zoom.us/j/463342367 OR Call 646.558.8656 Meeting ID: 463 342 367 September 20, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. zoom.us/j/625453914 OR Call 646.558.8656 Meeting ID: 625 453 914
In-person sessions	September 9, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. September 10, 2019, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. September 12, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in Staten Island September 16, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. September 18, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the Bronx
Deadline for submission	October 1, 2019, 6:00 p.m. EST
Panel review	Mid-November 2019
Grantee announcement	January 2020 (anticipated)
Grant disbursements	Week of January 6, 2020 (1st payment) Week of January 4, 2021 (2nd payment)
Interim grantee report due	November 30, 2020
Final grantee report due	March 31, 2022

 

Applicant Assistance
Webinars
To assist prospective applicants, Dance/NYC will hold two webinars. The content of the presentation for the two webinars is identical. All applicants are strongly encouraged to participate. Webinars will include real-time transcription in English. The transcript from the first webinar will be made available in Spanish and Chinese at Dance.NYC/DanceAdvancement.

We are using a video/audio conferencing platform called Zoom, which invites you to join the meeting using your computer or phone. Please plan on taking a few minutes before the start of the meeting to familiarize yourself with Zoom. When you have joined the meeting, we ask that you use a headset or earphones with a microphone to avoid feedback. When you are not speaking, we ask that you mute yourself until ready to speak.

• Webinar 1: September 4, 2019, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
  To join the meeting by computer, use the following link: zoom.us/j/463342367
  To join the meeting by telephone, call 646.558.8656 and enter meeting ID: 463 342 367

• Webinar 2: September 20, 2019, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  To join the meeting by computer, use the following link: zoom.us/j/625453914
  To join the meeting by telephone, call 646.558.8656 and enter meeting ID: 625 453 914

In-person Sessions
To assist prospective applicants, Dance/NYC will hold five (5) in-person sessions in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Northern Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Dance/NYC will open registration and announce further details in early September. Applicants will be able to register for one (1) 20-minute session to receive one-on-one support. Spanish and Chinese support will be available (details forthcoming). ASL interpretation will be available upon request.

• September 9, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., location TBA
• September 10, 2019, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., location TBA
• September 12, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Staten Island
• September 16, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., location TBA
• September 18, 2019, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Bronx

Questions
If you are unable to join our webinars or in-person sessions, or if you have further questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page at Dance.NYC/Advancement_Fund_FAQ. Webinar recordings will be made available at Dance.NYC/DanceAdvancement.

Applicants may also submit questions not already addressed on the FAQ page by e-mail: danceadvancementfund@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.

About Dance/NYC (Dance.NYC)
Dance/NYC’s mission is to promote the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan New York City area. It embeds values of justice, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization. It works in alliance with Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance.