The New England Foundation for the Arts is seeking applications for the National Theater Project Creation & Touring Grant to provide funds for creation and U.S. touring of artist-led, ensemble, devised projects.
Donor Name: New England Foundation for the Arts
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/27/2023
Size of the Grant: $80,000 to $130,000
Details:
- Support the creation/development and U.S. touring of new artist-led devised, ensemble theater works that demonstrates excellence as defined by the artists’ practice. NTP uses the following definitions in consideration of grant applications:
- Ensemble: A group of two or more people committed to working together over time to develop a distinct practice and body of work.
- Devised: A process of co-creation and joint discovery that prioritizes generative artists, which may include but does not prioritize playwrights or directors, is iterative, and results in original work.
- Tour/Touring: Sharing of the work in multiple communities, locations, or formats, including in-person performance, virtual performance, or hybrid modalities.
- Support work that contributes to the cultural, aesthetic, and form-diversities of today’s theater. Why this project? Why this ensemble? Why now?
- Demonstrate meaningful partnerships with organizations that are involved in the development, performance, promotion, engagement, and/or touring of the new work.
Funding Criteria
- NEFA’s values statements regarding Equity, Diversity, Intersectionality, and Accessibility informs National Theater Project Programs, including the Creation & Touring Grant selection process:
- “NEFA values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, which they interpret as all people having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize creative and community endeavors. They acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunity based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, language, culture, and geography, and strive to counter those inequities in the work.”
- They acknowledge that throughout NTP’s 13+ years of grant making history, at times the processes may have resulted in exclusion, and are tehy actively and continuously seeking pathways to mitigate harm. NTP is committed to disrupting the perpetual exclusion and erasure of artists representing forms, genres, practices, traditions, lineages, experiences, and/or identities through their projects that have historically been structurally suppressed, marginalized, or invisibilized. They value how artists are choosing to advance, enhance, or subvert various forms of theater, contributing to the ever-evolving landscape. They believe in the right of the artists to self-determine the value of their work, including defining success for themselves.
- As the landscape continues to change, they continue to listen and to deepen and evolve the practices. They remain committed to supporting all participants in the devised ensemble theater community on and offstage – artists, presenters, and community.
Funding Information
Awards range from $80,000 to $130,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- The National Theater Project will consider projects submitted by U.S.-based theater ensembles and individual theater artists with identified collaborators. Only one application per ensemble or artist will be accepted per year.
- Ensembles must have nonprofit status or a contract with a nonprofit fiscal agent.
- This grant supports the creation of new work. The project development end date must be at least 3-6 mos post award date to ensure that the project is still in development at the time the grant is awarded.
- All projects must have one committed, U.S.-based development partner relationship.
- Preference is given to those projects which are within two years of being ready to tour from the NTP award date.
- Preference is given to those projects with at least one interested presenting partner.
- Returning Artists: All NTP-supported presentations are completed and it has been one year since the last NTP-supported presentation.
- NEFA defines U.S. as all 50 of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the District of Columbia.
Ineligibility
Projects not supported:
- Projects focused solely on children’s and family theater
- Projects by solo performers
- Projects developed by lead artists who are non-U.S. based.
For more information, visit NEFA.
