Dance/USA Invites Initial Applications For The Third Round Of Dance/USA Fellowships To Artists Program 

Dance/USA, the national service organization for the dance ecosystem, is inviting initial applications from dance artists for the third iteration of Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists (DFA), generously funded by the Doris Duke Foundation. The initial application period is open until August 15, 2024 at 6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT. 

One of the few regranting programs available to independent artists with an unrestricted financial award, DFA supports dance and movement-based artists from across the U.S. and its territories who work at the intersection of social and embodied practices. DFA recognizes the wide variety of ways in which people engage in social transformation through dance, which often do not fit into established models of arts funding. This includes community-building and culture-bearing practices, healing and storytelling practices, activism and representational justice practices, and more. 

DFA will award $31,000 to at least 25 individual artists, to be used at their own discretion. As part of their Fellowship experience, the Artist Fellows will have the option to participate in an emergent programming process that honors the Fellows' choices around connection, rest, and desire. The facilitated process will be self-directed by the artists and administratively supported by Dance/USA. The program also offers the Fellows additional resources including one-on-one consultations with professional advisors, underwriting professional photography/headshot, press support, access for Disabled Artist Fellows, and family care/childcare subsidies during required Fellow cohort meetings. 

Artists are invited to submit an initial application by Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT. Access the DFA program overview and guidelines. 

"DFA plays a crucial role in the dance ecosystem by amplifying the voices and visions of artists addressing social change through dance. The unrestricted nature of the funds honors their humanity and imbues trust - two critical values embedded in DFA," said Dance/USA Executive Director Kellee Edusei. 

"We are glad to partner with Dance/USA to support the DFA program," said Ashley Ferro-Murray, program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Foundation. "With these Fellowships, we aim to uplift the importance of unrestricted funds that help create the conditions artists need to thrive. We look forward to seeing how this program might impact this new group of Fellows."

About DFA and the Artist Fellows 

Sixty-one artists and culture bearers from across the U.S. have received a DFA Fellowship since the program was created in 2018. Over 90% of the Artist Fellows identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color. Transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary individuals make up approximately 10% (6) of the two Fellowship cohorts. Equitable access is a core value of the program. Over 16% (10) of our Fellows from the past two rounds identify as Disabled artists. Learn about the Round Two demographic data collection and accountability.  

The current round of DFA will be led by program advisors Laurel Lawson (DFA Round One Artist Fellow) and Peter Rockford Espiritu (DFA Round Two Artist Fellow) and administered by Dance/USA. Over 90% of DFA's peer readers and panelists are working artists.