Dance/NYC Opens Request For Expressions Of Interest For New York City Dance Rehearsal Space Subsidy Program

Dance/NYC has announced 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.

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.

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