Dance/NYC Opens NYC Dance Rehearsal Space Subsidy Program Requests for Expressions of Interest 

Requests for Expressions of Interest due December 10, 2021

New York, NY (For Immediate Release) - Dance/NYC is pleased to announce an open call Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the New York City Dance Rehearsal Space Subsidy (RSS) Program, made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The purpose of the program is to make affordable rehearsal space available to dance makers who are in critical need of space for the creation and development of their work, while also fostering a more inclusive and just dance field. Rehearsal spaces selected as grantees will receive funding to subsidize the cost of rehearsal space rentals, resulting in more affordable rental rates for artists and dance organizations.

The RFEI is the first step of the application process and will serve to identify venues that meet the program’s primary eligibility requirements and justice, equity, and inclusion goals. This accessible online form includes short answer questions to provide details on a venue’s ability to offer hours, their mission, and how they work to support individual dance artists through their facilities. Venues identified through artist nominations and Dance/NYC’s research and program analysis from the first iteration of the program will be contacted directly and invited to respond to the RFEI. Current grantees of the program will not be required to respond to the RFEI and will automatically be invited to the next step of the application process. The deadline for the RFEI is December 10, 2021.

COMPLETE YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TODAY
 

Program Overview

The program builds upon The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Dance Rehearsal Space Subsidy Program, established in 2011 as a result of the Foundation-supported study “We Make Do:” More Time is Better, But Budget is King (2010). Dance/NYC assumed administrative oversight of the RSS program in 2018 following two cycles of the Foundation’s administration (2012-2014, 2015-2018). Dance/NYC’s administration of the program was further motivated by Dance/NYC’s research Advancing Fiscally Sponsored Dance Artists & Projects (2017), Performing Disability. Dance. Artistry. (2018), and NYC’s Foreign-Born Dance Workforce Demographics (2018) which revealed affordability to be a chronic challenge for dance artists, who ranked affordable artistic development space as a top need, especially amongst small-budget dance makers and specific populations like foreign-born and immigrant artists. By addressing financial barriers to accessing artistic development space, this program aims to advance dance artistry in the five boroughs of New York City and contribute to the field's overall diversity, sustainability, resilience, and health. While dance rehearsal space facilities are the direct recipients of funding, individual dance artists and dance making organizations are the primary intended beneficiaries of the program.

Following submission of expressions of interest by venues, a review panel of dance artists and workers from across the sector, including program leads and partners, will review the expressions of interest. Applicants selected through the RFEI process, as well as current grantees of the program, will be invited to submit a full application for the program, to be released January 12, 2022. Up to 30 spaces will be invited to submit a full application for consideration for the program.

After a panel review of the full applications, a grantee cohort of an anticipated 16-18 New York City rehearsal space facilities will be selected to receive a total of over $2 million over the grant period. Each grantee will receive grant funds to provide subsidized dance rehearsal space throughout the course of the grant period (April 1, 2022-December 31, 2024); fees to support administrative costs to run the program; in-kind marketing, communications, and outreach annually through Dance/NYC platforms; and professional development support in the form of grantee cohort meetings to drive individual and collective learning about artists’ needs and the landscape of rehearsal space.

The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is December 10, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

COMPLETE YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TODAY
 

Application Assistance

To assist prospective applicants, Dance/NYC will host one webinar and hold one-on-one technical assistance sessions throughout the RFEI phase. Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate or view the webinar. A webinar and technical assistance sessions will also be offered to those spaces invited to submit a full application in 2022. Learn more about how to participate in application assistance by visiting Dance.NYC.

Artist Nominations of Venues

The experiences of artists are central to this grant program, and artists and choreographers, administrators, producers, managers, and all members of our community that use rehearsal space are invited to submit nominations of venues. Any studio can be nominated, regardless of size, location, or business structure. The nomination form is open and will be accepted until November 19, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Nominated spaces will be provided with more information on the program and invited to respond to the RFEI. Artist nominations serve to highlight rehearsal space facilities that may not otherwise pursue participation in the program and further function as recommendations of a venue’s effective service to the field. NOTE: Spaces may apply regardless of whether they have received artist nominations.

SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION TODAY

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About 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.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.

 

About Webb Mgmt

Webb Mgmt’s mission is to advance the arts with sound planning and research. The firm is a leading provider of advisory services for the development and operation of cultural facilities, organizations, agencies, and districts. Our clients include public agencies, colleges and universities, nonprofit arts organizations, community and private foundations, commercial developers, economic development agencies, and various friends of the arts.

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Media Contact:
Michelle Tabnick
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