NEST/Overview
New England States Touring (NEST) is a cooperative program with the state arts agencies of New England, that provides support to nonprofits for performances, readings, and related community activities by artists that have met the eligibility criteria for the NEST program.
Performing and literary artists eligible for NEST represent a wide range of disciplines, such as music, dance, opera, musical theater, poetry, writing, interdisciplinary work and folk arts. Nonprofit presenters* may apply for NEST funding to help support an engagement by a NEST eligible artist, as long as that artist is based outside of the presenter’s home state.
*A "presenter" may be any nonprofit organization interested in bringing cultural arts programming to its community. Libraries, schools, theatres, service agencies, & arts organizations are all examples of eligible nonprofit “presenters” that can apply for NEST funding.
Program Goals
NEST strives to give the citizens of New England access to excellence and diversity in the live performing arts. The program also:
- provides New England artists with the opportunity to enrich their work through contact with a variety of communities
- makes New England artists available to underserved communities
- assists New England artists and companies in building audiences; thereby increasing demand for their work
Grant Guidelines
NEST grants are available in amounts up to 50% of the artists' fees. The total fee may include travel, accommodations and per diem. Minimum grants are $200 and applications with requests below that amount will not be accepted. Grant awards are typically between $200 and $3,000.
Note: In-kind contributions, while always encouraged, cannot be used as match for the payment of artist fees.
Deadline
The quarterly receipt deadlines for NEST applications are:
The first business day of March for projects beginning on or after June 1.
The first business day of June for projects beginning on or after September 1.
The first business day of September for projects beginning on or after December 1.
The first business day of December for projects beginning on or after March 1.
Each deadline is the final day that applications will be accepted for that given quarter. Organizations are encouraged to submit their applications to deadlines early in NEFA’s fiscal year which runs from June 1 through May 31.
To apply for a NEST grant, visit the NEST Grant Instructions page.
NEST-eligible Artists
The searchable directory of NEST-eligible artists is housed on MatchBook.org. To view the directory:
- Go to www.matchbook.org
- Click "Find an Artist”
- On the Enhanced Search side of the page, click the drop-down arrow next to “NEST Eligible”
- Check-mark the box, “Artist is NEST Eligible”
- Select any other desired search criteria
- Click the “Search All” button at the bottom of the form
PLEASE NOTE: the NEST-eligibility process for artists has recently changed with the launch of MatchBook.org. Artists are no longer juried by their state arts agency but instead must complete an artist profile on MatchBook.org in order to be NEST-eligible. We recommend that presenters thoroughly review artists’ profiles on MatchBook.org and consider factors such as experience, professionalism and artistic accomplishment when deciding if an artist is appropriate for their programming needs.
To learn more about the process of hiring artists, click here.
To view the full criteria for NEST eligibility please see the section below entitled “How to become a NEST-eligible Artist”.
How to Become a NEST-eligible Artist
Only New England-based performing and literary artists that provide public performances and are permanent residents in New England are eligible for NEST. Artists that wish to be considered for eligibility should download the following guidelines and complete all required fields in their MatchBook.org profile.
NEST Artist Eligibility Guidelines (pdf)
Once an artist becomes eligible for NEST their professionalism and quality will be evaluated by presenters that receive NEST funding. If comments from presenting organizations are continually marginal or unsatisfactory, the artist will be contacted and interviewed.
It's beneficial for artists to let presenters know that they are eligible for NEST funding and mention it in promotional materials, as potential presenters may be more likely to book an artist knowing that funding assistance for the artist's fee is available from the NEST program.
For questions regarding the NEST Program please contact regionaltouring@nefa.org or call 617-951-0010 x 528.
For assistance with your MatchBook.org artist profile, please contact info@MatchBook.org or call 617-951-0010 x 529.
|
