Production grants fund the creation of new dance work that will tour nationally by supporting costs incurred through the artistic development of the work.

These grants are highly competitive and are awarded to approximately 20 projects annually. Grants generally range from $25,000 to $40,000. To date, Production grants have supported 231 new works by 161 artists and dance companies. 

Because NDP views distribution and engagement as essential to the vitality of the dance field, projects supported by Production grants also receive Touring support for the season following the work’s creation.

 

General Process & Timeline

The Production grant selection process is divided into two rounds:

ROUND 1

• March 2, 2010: Production grant applications submitted to NEFA.
• May 2010: Production grant finalists are notified and each is paired with one of the NDP Hub Site representatives, who serves as the project’s advocate and assists in developing the full proposal.

ROUND 2

• June 1, 2010: Production grant full proposals submitted to NEFA.
• July 2010: Production grant recipients are notified and announced as eligible for touring support in the following season (June 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012).

 

 Funding Criteria

Projects applying for Production grants should:

• Make possible the creation of regionally or nationally significant work that will tour
• Offer potential to engage audiences
• If appropriate, explore collaborations within and across disciplines
• Involve creative and dynamic partnership with one or more U.S. presenter partners* in the development of the work.
  

* Presenter/artist partnerships are relationships between U.S. presenters and dance artists in the creation of new work, and often in the touring of that work. In the development process, a presenter may provide a variety of resources, including, but not limited to, residency space, audience for work-in-progress showings, administrative guidance or support, marketplace advocacy, tour planning assistance, and the leveraging of additional funds for the project. It is understood that the need and level of assistance between presenting partners and artists varies from artist to artist, but NDP believes strongly in presenter/artist alliances, which can greatly benefit the development and distribution of dance projects.

 

 Eligibility

• Choreographers, artists, and companies are eligible to apply for Production grants. Only one application per artist/group will be accepted
• Projects must have a U.S. presenter partner, as outlined in the funding criteria (below). The presenter partner does not have to be an NDP Hub Site, nor will preference be given to those projects that have Hub Sites involved.
• Artists who have received NDP Production grants for two consecutive cycles are not eligible to apply in the following third cycle (two seasons), but will gain back eligibility in the fourth cycle.

 

 Program Parameters

• NDP can only award grants to organizations with nonprofit status. Production grants may be paid either directly to an incorporated dance company and/or to a fiscal agent (such as the presenter partner)
• Artists receiving an NDP Production grant in any given season are not eligible to apply for another NDP grant in the following season. Once an artist has completed the NDP-supported tour of the project, that artist may again be eligible for another NDP Production grant.
• Work on the project must occur in the season the grant is awarded. The work should be completed and ready to tour in the U.S. the following season. In some instances, and only with prior consent from NDP, touring support may be deferred for one season.

 

Grant Instructions & Forms

GRANT DEADLINES 

• March 2, 2010: Production grant applications submitted to NEFA online
• June 1, 2010: Production grant full proposal submitted to NEFA online

 

ACCESS YOUR GRANT FORM

Follow the instructions below to start or return to your online grant form.

1. Please have your CultureCount username and password ready. You created this account when you submitted your initial application. .
   FORGOT YOUR USERNAME OR PASSWORD? CLICK HERE!
2. Click on the orange button below to access any active NEFA application and evaluation forms.
   ACCESS YOUR ONLINE GRANT FORM
3. Sign in with your CultureCount username and password.
4. Confirm that the applicant is listed with your username.*
   * If the applicant is incorrect or not listed, see FAQ #1 on the Online Grant Process page.
5. Select the Invitation Only: National Dance Project Production Full Proposal June 2010 form to begin.

Need help? Can't apply online? Refer to the FAQs on NEFA's Online Grant Process page or contact Julia Marx.

Online applications must be submitted by midnight on the deadline date. NEFA staff is available for assistance Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM EST.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR FULL PROPOSAL

The Full Proposal requres a five-minute work sample and completed work sample form (found below) to be mailed to NEFA with a receipt deadline of June 1, 2010.

NDP WORK SAMPLE FORM

• The work sample must be in DVD format.
• Label the DVD with the company name and title of piece. If you are submitting more than one clip, it is to your advantage to edit them and place them on one DVD. Time spent changing DVDs and cuing to the appropriate sections is not viewed favorably by panelists. If you must submit more than one DVD, please number the DVDs to correspond to the work sample form.
• Note: Panelists generally prefer DVDs in which work can be viewed in real time. Promotional videos with significant editing or dubbed music are generally less useful.
• Optional: You may choose to submit a press kit, however, it is not required. Panelists generally only look at press kits if they have little familiarity with the applicant company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PDF FORMS
* All PDF downloads require Adobe Reader software. If you have trouble downloading or typing into grant forms, please contact NEFA.

2009 NDP AWARDS

NDP WORK SAMPLE FORM

NDP PRODUCTION EVALUATION FORM