IndieSpace Reveals Recipients of The Little Venue That Could Grant Program

IndieSpace has announced Brooklyn Art Haus, Dixon Place, Green Space, Inspiration Point, IRT Theater, New Perspectives Studio, Noosphere Arts (Noo Arts), QED Astoria, St. Lydia's, and The Little Victory Theatre as recipients of this year's The Little Venue That Could Program.

"We are so thrilled to be able to offer resources to the venues that are such an important part of the ecosystem of NYC indie theater," said Veshonte Brown, Programs Manager at IndieSpace. "They work hard every day to ensure that the theater, dance and multidisciplinary artists of this city have safe and accessible spaces to create and share their work with the world, and we hope that this grant is just one step on the path of significant support for small venues."

IndieSpace partnered with The Howard Gilman Foundation to award two-year $10,000 grants to NYC-based performance venues with annual budgets under $500,000. A weighted lottery system was used to determine grantees. Priority was given to venues located in the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island; venues whose NEA funding was withdrawn or terminated; venues who were established by, for and are serving historically excluded artists; and who demonstrate values driven work through community impact, board and staff diversity and accessibility. All applicants were then entered into a random lottery. This year the program received 62 applications.

The Little Venue That Could Review Committee was Azure Osborne-Lee (Board Secretary of JACK), Maya Quetzali Gonzalez (former Grants Manager for the MAP Fund), Christine Bruno (Disability Inclusion Consultant), Karesia Batan (Executive Director of Queensboro Dance Festival), Carrie Blake (Research & Planning Consultant for the Arts), and Sándie Luna (Executive Director of ID Studio Theater). These individuals helped to read, review, and score all applications.

"We are deeply grateful for IndieSpace and the incredible work they do on behalf of so many artists and organizations," said Melody Brooks, Artistic Director of New Perspectives Theatre Company. "Funding for space-related activity is almost non-existent in this City, especially for smaller organizations. And yet, they have found a way to address this need--as they have done with so much else that is essential for a healthy Indie Theatre Community. This grant will support staff and physical improvements to the New Perspectives Studio, increasing our capacity to make it more available to other under-resourced groups. Thank you IndieSpace!"

The Little Venue That Could Grant Program was created to provide unrestricted general operating support to New York City-based indie theater, dance, and multidisciplinary performance venues with expense budgets under $500,000. Due to size, fiscal structure, staffing arrangements, and unconventional leasing and ownership structures, these homes for artists are most often excluded from city, state, and federal funding and may not meet financial thresholds to get significant support from private foundations. Despite this historical absence of consistent financial support and the growing affordability crisis in NYC, small-budget indie theater, dance, and multidisciplinary venues continue to play a critical role in the creative ecosystem by providing artists with affordable performance and presenting space.

The Little Venue That Could Program grants will be $10,000 per year, for two consecutive fiscal years, and can be used to pay staff, rent, utilities, debt or whatever the venue deems appropriate to help them keep their doors open and thrive. Each grantee will have access to a menu of Professional Development services, valued at $5,000, which can be used toward professional services within the two years of the grant period. These offerings may include services like strategic planning, marketing and PR support, or budget and financial analysis in order to further leverage this unrestricted grant. All grantees will receive automatic inclusion in IndieSpace's FREE Advisory and Consulting program, providing access to experts and information throughout the lifetime of their space operation.

The Howard Gilman Foundation is a private foundation that provides funding and support to New York City-based performing arts organizations that are reflective of the City's vibrant cultural community. Its holistic approach focuses on acknowledging, studying, and empathizing with the unique complexities and needs of non-profit performing arts organizations. This approach is informed by the Foundation's core values, which include respect for, and trust in, our applicants and grantees. With an annual grantmaking budget of $32 million, the Foundation is the largest private funder of the performing arts in NYC. Grantmaking dollars are primarily focused on general operating support, with additional investments in organizational financial stability. www.howardgilmanfoundation.org

IndieSpace was established in 2016 to disrupt the ongoing displacement of small theaters and to address systemic inequities in NYC real estate. In 2022, it merged with Indie Theater Fund, an organization focused on a new model for equitable funding for the indie theater community. By contributing a nickel per ticket from their shows to a pot of money for funding, the indie theater community could create a method of self-sustainability and could rethink philanthropy and the process of grant making. Through radically transparent and equitable grants, community resources and advocacy, the Fund supported hundreds of indie theater companies and thousands of individual artists.

Since its founding, IndieSpace has: consulted with 120+ companies and venues making real estate decisions, including The Tank, FRIGID New York, The Chain, The Wild Project, Wooster Group, and Classical Theater of Harlem; helped 23 organizations sign new leases; saved seven theaters from being closed or repurposed; created four real estate operation partnerships; walked four arts organizations through the purchase of their permanent homes. During Covid, IndieSpace supported over 50 venues navigating their leases by helping them stay open, and also provided over $1.7M in relief grants to the indie theater community. In 2023 IndieSpace opened the West Village Rehearsal Co-Op with HERE Arts Center, New Ohio and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. This 99-year lease for $1 per year will serve over 1,500 artists per year. For service to the community, IndieSpace received the Ellen Stewart Award and a citation from the City Council of New York www.indiespace.org