Expeditions

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Expeditions/Overview

NEFA's Expeditions program is committed to funding cross-disciplinary touring projects in New England. Grants are made to New England-based nonprofit organizations to support the planning or touring of projects with performing, literary and/or visual arts components.

Expeditions offers two types of support: Planning Grants and Touring Grants, and operates on an annual funding cycle.

An important part of the Expeditions funding program is the annual Idea Swap. This one-day event is an opportunity for arts programmers and artists to share project ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration.

Program Goals
The Expeditions program strives to:

support New England as a laboratory for the development and successful presentation of arts projects for region-wide touring.
broaden the range of arts projects and activities available to New England communities.
encourage thorough planning and delivery of innovative cross-discipline, cross-sector, and/or cross-cultural projects that provide meaningful community-artist-presenter interaction.
stimulate better collaborative opportunities in arts touring and presentation.

Types of Support

Touring Grants

Photographer: Marian Gray

Expeditions Touring Grant projects must include at least three New England nonprofit organizational partners in geographically separate communities, and travel across two states. Each Touring Grant partner must submit an application; one of the partners serves as the lead applicant.

Expeditions Touring Grants provide up to 50% of artist fees (maximum $10,000 per engagement site) for a minimum of three partnering site engagements within at least two New England states. Artist fees may include the cost per engagement/exhibition and residency services, travel, accommodations, and per diem.

Each of the three or more engagements must include public performances, readings, and/or exhibitions. Artist fees for multiple performances, residencies, and other contextual outreach activities are considered eligible expenses.

Expeditions Touring Grant projects must occur within the June 1 - May 31 timeframe following award notification.

Projects will not be eligible to receive both a Planning Grant and a Touring Grant within the same funding cycle. The months between the Idea Swap in November and the Expeditions application submission deadline in February should be spent developing and confirming project plans and partnerships and preparing funding requests.

View a list of this year's Expeditions Touring Grantees.

Planning Grants
Expeditions Planning Grants support only activities directly related to the planning of a tour. Only planning grant application may be submitted per project.

Expeditions Planning Grants of up to $5,000 per project provide financial support for the planning of a project that will later tour New England, possibly with Expeditions Touring Grant support. The award of Planning Grant support one year does not guarantee Touring Grant support in the following year.

Project planning expenses for which Planning Grant support may be used include:
     • personnel (part-time, temporary, or consulting)
     • travel and other costs related to planning activities
     • presentations/exhibitions and residency activities
     • technical (not artistic) production costs
     • marketing/promotions

The touring project being planned must eventually meet a minimum 3-engagement/ 3-community/ 2-state reach requirement. Planning processes must be completed within the June 1 - May 31 timeframe following award notification.

Planning grantees are strongly encouraged to develop project plans as soon as possible after the planning period start date of June 1 so that project plans can be initially shared at the November Idea Swap.

View a list of this year's Expeditions Planning Grantees.

Deadline
Expeditions Touring and Planning Grants are due February 15, 2008.
For Touring Grants only each presenting partner must submit a separate application; one partner is to serve as lead applicant. Only one (1) Planning Grant application may be submitted per project.

To apply for an expeditions grant, visit the Expeditions Grant Instructions page.

Funders
The Expeditions program is made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the American Masterpieces initiative, with additional support from the six New England state arts agancies.

Contact Info
For more information about Expeditions, e-mail regionaltouring@nefa.org or call [617] 951-0010.