NEFA’s National Dance Project receives $5.2 million

Support from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Strengthens Flagship Program

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts announced receipt of $5.2 million in grants over three years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to support the National Dance Project.

NEFA launched the National Dance Project in 1996 to encourage the creation of new dance work to share with audiences in communities throughout the U.S.  Since then, the program has distributed more than $25.8 million in grants and remains one of the few sources for dance funding in the country. NDP has reached over 3.2 million audience members and funds tours to an average of 37 states annually.

“For 18 years, the National Dance Project has fueled the creation and touring of new dance works in the United States,” said Ben Cameron, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Program Director for the Arts. “We are thrilled to renew our support to this thriving program, which not only has an outstanding history of success but continues to play a powerful role in bringing artists and audiences together.”

In addition to core programmatic support, DDCF has also provided funding for general operating support extended to recipients of NDP production grants. Included in this recent award are funds to support an evaluation of the program as it nears its 20th anniversary. “As we approach NDP’s 20th anniversary, we begin to reflect on the impact the program has had on the dance field,” said NEFA board chair Larry Simpson of Berklee College of Music. “It is because of leaders and partners like the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation that NEFA is able to continue this flagship program.” 

NDP also receives lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional funding from the MetLife Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, with funding for special initiatives from the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, and the French American Cultural Exchange. 

About The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. The Arts Program focuses its support on contemporary dance, jazz and theatre artists, and the organizations that nurture, present and produce them. Visit www.ddcf.org to learn more.

About NEFA
NEFA builds connections among artists, arts organizations, and funders, powering the arts to energize communities in New England, then nation, and the world.  NEFA is a 501(c)(3) that operates in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England state arts agencies, and with additional funding from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

NEFA administers grantmaking programs of regional, national, and international scope that support the performing arts, public art, and Native American artists. NEFA also leads projects and initiatives that range from the analysis of the impact of the creative economy to the creation of online tools which link and advance the cultural community. For more information on NEFA’s grant programs and services, please visit www.nefa.org or call 617.951.0010.

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