The Joyce Receives $6M Capital Grant From New York State Council on the Arts

The Joyce Theater Foundation has been awarded a $6 million capital grant from the New York State Council on the Arts in support of the New York Center for Creativity & Dance, The Joyce’s 58,000-square-foot East Village facility dedicated to the creation, development, and advancement of dance. This award is part of a statewide capital funding initiative through which NYSCA is investing more than $82 million in 132 arts and cultural organizations across New York State and represents a major step toward completing the fundraising effort that will enable the full renovation of the New York Center for Creativity & Dance.

Located at 287 East 10th Street adjacent to Tompkins Square Park, NYCC&D is one of the largest facilities in New York City dedicated to the needs of dance artists and arts makers. Housed in the former Boys’ Club of New York, a historic seven-story building originally constructed in 1901, NYCC&D provides critically needed space for rehearsal, creative development, and educational programs serving artists working across a broad range of dance forms and disciplines.

The grant will support a major capital renovation of the facility, furthering The Joyce’s vision of creating a permanent home where artists can rehearse, collaborate, experiment, and develop new work. At a time when affordable studio space continues to disappear throughout New York City, the NYCC&D represents a significant investment in the future of dance and New York City’s cultural vitality.

Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater Foundation, said, “This extraordinary investment from New York State affirms the vital role artists play in the life of our communities. The New York Center for Creativity & Dance was created to address a critical need for affordable space where artists can rehearse, collaborate, and develop new work. We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul and Erika Mallin, the New York State Legislature, and the New York State Council on the Arts for helping us build a lasting resource that will support generations of dance makers and strengthen New York City’s position as a global center for creativity.”

Since opening the New York Center for Creativity & Dance in 2023, The Joyce has expanded its longstanding commitment to supporting artists beyond presentation, creating a vital resource for the dance field that complements the organization’s internationally recognized performance programming in Chelsea. NYCC&D advances The Joyce’s belief that artists need spaces to create, refine, collaborate, and imagine new work, as well as stages on which to share it with the world.