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NDP Production Grants are made to projects led by professional choreographers or companies to support the creation and U.S. touring and/or sharing of a new dance project.
Visit the National Dance Project Program page to learn more about the program and its advisors.
Production Grants are awarded to 20 dance projects annually through a competitive two-stage application process. Artists/choreographers and/or companies apply to receive a package of support that includes:
Creation funds and general operating funds are paid directly to the artist/company or their fiscal sponsor to cover expenses related to making the new dance work during the creation period (defined as the period from the receipt of funds to the premiere of the work). Works may not premiere before October 1, 2022.
Production residency and/or community engagement funds are also paid directly to the artist/company or their fiscal sponsor and may only be used to
The $35,000 reserved for each work's U.S. tour is distributed by the artist/company to U.S.-based organizations to subsidize a presentation of the NDP-funded work, and must be used during the work’s NDP touring period.
The NDP sharing period for projects that receive a 2022 Production Grant:
* NEFA defines U.S. as all 50 of the United States, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
**NEFA acknowledges that the definition of touring continues to change, however we remain steadfast in supporting artists/companies in however they choose to share their work. This may be via safe in-person gatherings or virtually.
Propose a new dance project to be developed and toured/shared. Works may be interdisciplinary and can include creators in other artistic forms. At the time of application, works may be in an early, mid, or late stage of development so long as it does not premiere before October 1, 2022. Artists and companies proposing works that will premiere after fall 2024 may consider applying in March 2023.
Submit or appear in only one application per choreographer or company, including applications for a project that will be created by a guest choreographer on another company. If you are company interested in submitting an application with a guest choreographer, please be in touch with that choreographer to ensure that they themselves will not be applying or that they have not given permission to another company.
*Please Note: Companies currently in the process of applying for 501 (c) 3 status or who will be engaging in the process during the application process are eligible to apply. If status is not approved by the final decision date, you may need to work with a fiscal sponsor. Please be in touch with NDP staff with any questions regarding 501 (c) 3 status.
**A fiscal sponsorship is not required in order to apply; however, grants cannot be made until a fiscal sponsor is in place. Please be in touch with NDP staff with any questions regarding fiscal sponsorship.
Artists/companies creating dance works that are specifically made for camera or dance film.
* A Production Grant cycle includes the creation period and extends through the selected touring period.
NEFA’s values statement regarding Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility informs all National Dance Project Programs, including the Production Grant selection process:
“NEFA values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, which we interpret as all people having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize creative and community endeavors. We acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunity based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, language, culture, and geography, and strive to counter those inequities in our work.”
NDP is committed to disrupting the perpetual exclusion and erasure of artists representing forms, genres, practices, traditions, lineages, experiences, and/or identities through their projects. We value how artists are choosing to advance, enhance, or subvert various forms of dance, contributing to the ever-evolving landscape.
Throughout NDP’s 25+ years of grant making history, we acknowledge our role in exclusion and are committed to actively seeking pathways to be more inclusive in our practices and mitigate contributions to harm. Some of the ways we have done this include, but are not limited to:
As the landscape continues to change, we continue to listen and to deepen and evolve our practices. We remain engaged and responsive to all members of the dance ecology to dynamically impact our field and all its communities on and off stage.
*NEFA defines U.S. as all 50 of the United States including Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington, D.C., as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
** Due to the impacts of COVID-19, NEFA understands that there are more opportunities and interest in artists/companies to share their work virtually, reaching a global audience. While we support the many ways artists/companies have been able to expand their reach, it is important to note that NDP tour subsidy can only be allocated to U.S. based organizations.
The Production Grant selection process is divided into two rounds:
We look forward to our next preliminary deadline in March 2023.
Useful Information to know if your NDP Preliminary proposal moves to the Finalist (Full Proposal) round.
Grant recipients are required to submit grant reports for both the Production Grant, and General Operating Support. The Production Grant is due within 40 days of the works Premiere. The General Operating Support Report is due with two years of the award date.
General Operating Support Fiscal Requirement:
NEFA does not require applicants to submit financial documentation or information other than a project specific budget. However, grantees will be required to submit one of the following as part of their general operating support final report:
Click below to log in and begin your grantee report. You may save and return at any time.
*If you require an alternate format or assistance to access the tour/sharing plan or receipt form, please contact: Jane Preston, Interim Accessibility Coordinator, by email jpreston@nefa.org or telephone 617-865-1835.
View our list of projects eligible for touring support.
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