New Work New England

New Work New England provides grants of $7,500-$15,000 directly to New England artists in dance, film, interdisciplinary work, music, musical theater, opera, poetry, storytelling, and theater to support creating and producing new work that has potential to engage multiple New England communities. The focus of this pilot program is on artists and the creative process and projects that further equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. 

About New Work New England

New Work New England is a three-year pilot program initiated in 2020 and guided by NEFA’s strategic plan. NEFA’s goals for the pilot are:

• Directly support New England artists to grow their practices and develop new work that realizes their artistic vision
• Advance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility through support for artists across all six New England states.
• Provide support and develop relationships with New England artists who have not previously been able to access NEFA grant opportunities
• Create career opportunities by increasing regional artists’ visibility and connectivity to others working in New England's creative economy 
• Increase artist participation in the Idea Swap and applications to NEFA’s touring grant programs supporting New England artists over the next several years.

In addition to grant funds, NEFA will provide networking and visibility opportunities for artists through the annual Idea Swap, and other opportunities to develop relationships with New England organizations to further support the development, production, presentation and future touring of new work in New England communities. Support for organizations, and for subsequent presentation and touring will be available through the  New England States Touring Program (NEST). 

Eligibility 

Eligible

• Applicant(s) must be practicing artist(s) in dance, film, interdisciplinary work, media, music, musical theater, opera, poetry, storytelling and/or theater. There is no minimum for years of experience. Applicants may be individual artist(s), collectives, or artists with their own 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Applicants and payees must be 18+ years old.
  • Artistic collaborations applying may consist of individual artists working together, or more formal collectives/collaborations that have fiscal sponsorship or 501c3 status. 

• Works may be interdisciplinary and can include creators in multiple artistic forms. 

• Applicant artists must reside in any of the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and maintain an active profile as a touring artist on CreativeGround. View the instructions and minimum requirements for a CreativeGround profile. 

• Eligible new works may be in  early stages of development at the time of application as well as in mid- or later stages of development. If the proposed work has had a previous public performance, artist(s) must demonstrate that this grant will fund additional development. 

At least one public presentation of the new work must occur during the grant period. This may include performances, works-in-progress showings, and/or community engagement activities in at least one New England community. During the time of COVID-19 restrictions on in-person public performances, strategies to connect with community members and audiences through digital platforms are included in this requirement.

Note: New Work New England Grants are taxable income to individual recipients and reportable to the IRS. 

Not Eligible

• Applicants based outside of the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
• Organizations commissioning new work from artists outside their organization. The artist(s) creating the proposed new work should be the applicant
• Projects in which the performers will primarily be students

Funding Criteria

New Work New England grants will range from $7,500-$15,000 and will be awarded through a competitive selection process. Approximately 10-15 grants will be awarded in the first pilot round.  Reviewers will base evaluation of the applications on the following criteria:

• Strength of artistic vision and demonstrated experience in artistic practice related to the new work 
• Clear articulation of artistic process and strategies to advance the work during the grant period
• New work will contribute to the cultural and aesthetic diversities available to New England audiences and communities through content, relevance, artists and others involved in the development of the proposed new work
• Artist(s) has meaningful plans to engage with New England communities in the development and/or presentation of the work.  At least one public presentation of the new work must occur during the grant period. This may include performances, works-in-progress showings, and/or community engagement activities in at least one New England community. During the time of COVID-19 restrictions on in-person public performances, strategies to connect with community members and audiences through digital platforms are included in this requirement.

Priority will be given to artists who have not received funding for new work through NEFA programs including the National Dance Project, National Theater Project, and Creative City, and through The Boston Foundation’s Live Arts Boston. NEFA has the goal of funding artists from throughout the New England region.  Final grant decisions will take geographic diversity into account, including all New England states, rural and urban communities.

Process & Deadlines

The application deadline is September 3, 2020.

Funding decisions will be made through a peer review process. Applicants will be notified in mid-November 2020. The grant period will be one year beginning January 1, 2021.