Dance/NYC Awards First Round of Grants Through Dance Workforce Resilience Fund

Dance/NYC has completed the first round of grantmaking through its Dance Workforce Resilience (DWR) Fund, a new initiative designed to promote fair labor practices, support freelance dance work, and reduce wage inequities across New York City’s dance sector. More than 120 freelance dancers applied in the program’s first month, with all not yet selected opting to remain in the pool for future lottery rounds.

Launched in June 2025, the DWR Fund provides one-time $1,000 grants to freelance dancers working in the NYC metropolitan area for contracted dance work completed between January 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. Grantees are chosen through a monthly weighted lottery prioritizing artists most often underpaid or excluded from traditional funding opportunities, including African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA) dancers, as well as disabled, immigrant, transgender, nonbinary, and older (40+) artists.

Supported by the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, and other funders, the DWR Fund is a core component of Dance/NYC’s multiyear Dance. Workforce. Resilience. initiative, which aims to strengthen the city’s dance ecology by fostering sustainability for both individual workers and organizations. It is administered by Dance/NYC in collaboration with consultants F. Javier Torres-Campos and Jo-Ná A. Williams, Esq., and guided by an advisory group of dance workers with expertise in grantmaking and arts labor advocacy.

“The overwhelming response to the DWR Fund reflects both the need and the urgency for more equitable labor practices in dance,” said Sara Roer, Interim Executive Director of Dance/NYC. “We’re thrilled to support dancers in building greater financial stability through contracts and fair pay, and we are excited to continue this work in partnership with the field.”

Grantees selected in the first round began receiving awards this August. Applications will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis through March 3, 2026, with new grantees selected each month until funds are fully distributed.

“I am humbled and very grateful for this award,” said Clarence Brooks, a DWR Fund recipient. “In a field where funding is so often youth-focused, being the recipient of this grant says folx like me—even senior artists—are valued, and appreciated.”

Dance/NYC has developed a range of application support services to ensure accessibility and ease of participation. These include one-on-one technical and legal assistance sessions with Spanish and Chinese translation and ASL interpretation available by request. The organization also provides support webinars, with recordings available on its YouTube channel, along with a downloadable application guide, plus sample contracts and request templates to help dancers prepare their submissions.

For more information on eligibility, deadlines, and resources, visit Dance.NYC/DWRFund.