Dance Advancement Fund

Dance Advancement Fund. For metropolitan NYC area dance makers with operating budgets between $10,000 and $500,000.

2022-2023 Grantees

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Made possible by the generous support of the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Ford Foundation, the purpose of the Dance Advancement Fund is to address the inequitable distribution of resources in the dance field and advance its resilience and thriving by supporting dance making organizations with budgets between $10,000 and $500,000. 

In March 2022, Dance/NYC announced the following recipients of funding:

Grantees:

Runner Ups:

Grantees were awarded two-year general support awards of $3,000-$25,000 annually, from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023, in addition to a suite of professional development opportunities valued at nearly $172,000. Runner-up grantees received one time, flat grant awards of $1,500-$6,500. All eligible and complete applicants of the Dance Advancement Fund were provided an honorarium in recognition of the labor and resources required to participate in the application process.

Professional development offerings for grantees, a key component of this iteration of the Fund, are provided by program partners Gibney’s Digital Media Initiative, Pentacle, PURPOSE Productions, and TrustPlus. Each grantee has access to personal one on one consultations with a focus on a variety of professional development topics, access to filming and video editing services, and individualized financial wellness coaching. Additionally, grantees will participate in cohort meetings led by program consultant Ebony Noelle Golden, and professional development workshops led by the consulting partners. 

Grantees were selected by a review panel of dance workers, including members of Dance/NYC’s task forces and committees, and were among a competitive pool of over 200 metropolitan New York City area dance groups who submitted application in response to an open call. Key evaluation criteria included: clear artistic vision and 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; a commitment to paying artist and arts workers a living wage; and a diversity of dance perspectives.

Related Resources:
Announcement of Dance Advancement Fund 2022-2023 Grantees (March 16, 2022)
Announcement of Dance Advancement Fund 2022-2023 (August 25, 2021)
Review Panel and Panelist Guide

Past Funds

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Made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the purpose of the Dance Advancement Fund 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, while recognizing that dance makers with operating budgets below $25,000 also need support.

In January 2020, Dance/NYC announced the following recipients of funding:


Grantees were awarded two-year general support grants of $5,000–$15,000 annually, from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021, based on organizational budget size. The 25 grantees were selected by a review panel and were among a competitive pool of over 100 metropolitan New York City area dance groups who submitted applications in response to an open call. Key evaluation criteria included: clear artistic vision and 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; a commitment to paying artists and arts workers a living wage; and a diversity of dance perspectives.

Related Resources:
Announcement of Dance Advancmement Fund 2020-2021 Grantees (January 31,  2020)
Announcement of Dance Advancement Fund 2020-2021 (August 16, 2019)
Call for Proposals (August 23, 2019)
Review Panel, Panel Charter, and Panelist Guide

These and all products generated by Dance/NYC for the Dance Advancement Fund are licensed to the public subject to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

In October 2017, Dance/NYC announced the following recipients of the inaugural Dance Advancement Fund:

Grantees were awarded two-year general support grants of $5,000–$15,000 annually, from October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2019, based on organizational budget size, as well as pro bono marketing support and convening opportunities. The 25 grantees were selected by a review panel and were among a competitive pool of approximately 150 metropolitan New York City area dance groups who submitted applications in response to an open call. Key evaluation criteria included: artistic excellence and clear artistic vision; a well-articulated narrative for how the funds will help advance the organization; a commitment to the values of equity and inclusion; demonstrated organizational and financial health, regardless of budget size; and a commitment to paying artists; and a diversity of organizational types and perspectives.

Related Resources:
Announcement of Dance Advancement Fund Grantees (October 31, 2017)
Announcement of Dance Advancement Fund (May 16, 2017)
Call for Proposals (May 31, 2017)
Review Panel and Review Panel Charter

These and all products generated by Dance/NYC for the Dance Advancement Fund are licensed to the public subject to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

 

Dance Advancement Fund in the News

More Dance Advancement Fund in the News
A dancer in a black tutu and leotard and pointe shoes stands on one leg, with the other leg extended behind the body in a straight line. One arm is raised above the head and the other extended to the back parallel to the extended leg. The school director is opposite the dancer and wears a red DTH logo t-shirt and black pants and ballet slippers. She holds the hand of the arm raised above the dancer’s head with one arm and her back arm is extended and she is smiling at the student.

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