Announcing the 2025 New England Dance Fund Recipients

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts awarded $50,000 through the New England Dance Fund to 50 recipients representing all six New England states.

The New England Dance Fund (NEDF) awards $1,000 directly to choreographers who identify and articulate an important opportunity that will significantly impact aspects of their dance making or advance their role within the regional New England dance landscape. NEDF gives priority to timely opportunities with the goal of supporting dance artists from a range of cultures, disciplines, aesthetics, and career stages throughout all six New England states. 

Since its inception in 2016, the New England Dance Fund has been generously supported by The Aliad Fund at the Boston Foundation.

Ten of this year’s 50 NEDF grants are supported by the Rebecca Blunk Fund, established in 2014 in memory of Rebecca Blunk (1953-2014), celebrating her 29 years of service to NEFA and her abiding passion for the arts. Honoring Rebecca’s desire to support artistic creation, connection, and curation, the Fund awards annual grants to New England artists whose work demonstrates creative excellence and professional accomplishment. Thanks to support from NEFA’s community, the Fund has raised over $160,000 thus far and supported 28 artists living and working in New England. 

“Through the New England Dance Fund, dance artists across the region have an opportunity to craft, define, and reinvent their careers by identifying key opportunities that will propel them forward,” shared NEFA’s senior program director of dance, Indira Goodwine-Josias. “From technological exploration to regional connectivity, and new multi-disciplinary collaborations, these grants empower artists to embrace risk and practice self-determination that contributes to the vibrancy and artistic ingenuity of the New England dance landscape, which would not be possible without the support from The Aliad Fund at the Boston Foundation and with additional funding this year from the donors to the Rebecca Blunk Fund.”

Since the launch of NEDF, and inclusive of these awards, $323,648 has been awarded to 351 dance artists. 

Learn more about this round of recipients:

• Alexander Davis, Boston, MA
• Alexandria Nunweiler, Malden, MA
• Andrea Blesso, Wayland, MA*
• ANIKAYA, Somerville, MA
• Anne Tantuico, Westbrook, ME
• Asian American Ballet Project, North Easton, MA
• Assitan Coulibaly, Providence, RI*
• Ballet Bloom Project, Portland, ME
• Boston Dance Theater, Medford, MA
• Carmen Rizzo, Somerville, MA
• Caroline Routh, Portland, ME
• Cassie Wang, Cambridge, MA
• Chloe Schafer, Chelsea, VT*
• Christal Brown, Middlebury, VT
• Clara Ramona, Dracut, MA
• David Dorfman, New London, CT*
• Ellen Oliver, Blackstone, MA
• Garet&Co, West Hartford, CT
• Godelieve Richard, Shelburne Falls, MA
• Hanna Satterlee/ANIMAL Dance, Burlington, VT
• Jaclyn O'Riley, Stoughton, MA
• Janelle Gilchrist, Dedham, MA
• Jeryl Palana Pilapil-Brown, Dedham, MA
• Jessie Owens, Jeffersonville, VT
• KAIROS Dance Theater, Charlestown, MA*
• Katelyn Pustizzi, Woburn, MA
• Katherine Berman, Boston, MA
• Kelsie Steil, Biddeford, ME
• Kristen Stake, Portland, ME
• Kristin Guglietti, Lunenburg, MA
• Layavinyasa, Glastonbury, CT
• Mia Muntu, Portland, ME
• Nell Mancini, Jamaica Plain, MA
• NSquared Dance, Manchester, NH*
• Paula Higa, Williston, VT
• Peter DiMuro, Boston, MA*
• Prnay Chopra, Boston, MA
• Providence Ballet Theatre, Providence, RI
• Rachael Gnatowski, Southwick, MA
• Raymond Pinto, Bridgeport, CT*
• Ruka White, Dorchester, MA
• Sara Juli, Falmouth, ME*
• Sonia Plumb, Washington, VT
• Steven Choummalaithong, Providence, RI
• Takahiro Yamamoto, Portland, OR
• Taylor Butterfield, Portland, ME
• Tony Guglietti, Lunenburg, MA
• Tori Lawrence, Chesterfield, MA
• Tristan Koepke, Portland, ME*
• Urbanity Dance, Boston, MA

* Denotes Rebecca Blunk Fund Recipients

The 2026 NEDF deadline will be in September 2026.

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities, fostering equitable access to the arts and enriching the cultural landscape in New England and across the United States. Founded in 1976, NEFA has grown into a vital national and international leader, advancing opportunities for artists and strengthening the arts infrastructure through grantmaking, partnerships, convenings, and knowledge sharing. 

NEFA’s work is made possible through generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the six New England state arts agencies, private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. As NEFA approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, it continues to lead with creativity, resilience, and vision, affirming the vital role of the arts in civic life and advancing a cultural landscape where all people have equitable access to artistic expression. www.nefa.org. 

Contact: Ann Wicks  | 617-423-1390