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Dear NEFA Community,
In 2024, we shared an important update regarding the National Dance Project (NDP) and National Theater Project (NTP) as both programs approached concluding in their current forms. Since then, we have remained steadfast in equitably distributing resources, supporting artist and community convenings, and contributing to cross-sector discussions designed to fortify the field. As we continue to navigate shifts in philanthropic priorities across arts & culture, we are committed to celebrating the indelible legacy of our national programs while charging forward with curiosity towards evolution.
For the past 30 and 15 years respectively, NDP and NTP have been leaders in supporting the creation/development and U.S. touring/sharing of new artistic projects for dance and devised-ensemble theater. Both programs have been widely recognized for their artist-centered grantmaking approach and have provided more than $75 million in funding to support artists and contribute to transforming communities. While NEFA values our influence and impact, we recognize that changes in our sector and our world call for us to remain nimble and continue advancing equity through deep listening.
Led by our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, A Mission Forged in Collaboration, NEFA is excited to leverage our expertise in grantmaking to pursue new possibilities that will expand our national grant opportunities and field-building services. This fall, we will partner with a consultant to lead a research and development process that will inform NEFA’s future design of a two-year national pilot grantmaking program. This process will offer us time to reflect on our national scope of work and steward opportunities for learning and intentional collaboration alongside past, current, and future constituents. We value varied methods of study that uplift diverse lived experiences and believe it will be an invaluable part of our exploration and evolution.
In addition to reimagining our national grantmaking strategy, national program staff remain dedicated to our current roster of grantees while championing future support that includes dance and devised-ensemble theater. Over the years, we have witnessed the enduring ingenuity of our grantees as they shape new creation methodologies, navigate the terrains of touring, and intentionally engage with communities near and far. We are proud to aid in the advancement of artistic projects from ideation to implementation that continue to inspire and evoke change. Stay tuned for our upcoming announcements of the final round of NDP and NTP grantees and finalists.
As NEFA celebrates its 50th anniversary and affirms its role as a social impact organization, we believe that our unwavering commitment and support for the creation of new performance works, artist and production mobility, and peer-to-peer exchange will provide a strong foundation for the work ahead. We look forward to harvesting bold ideas that continue to invest in artists and contribute to the cultural ecosystem.
Onward and upward,
Indira Goodwine-Josias
Deputy Director, National Program Strategy
New England Foundation for the Arts
Resources
NEFA
Grants
To support New England touring of works:
- Crossroads: Touring New England: supports tours by regional, national, and international artists to multiple organizations across New England.
- New England States Touring (NEST): supports the presentation of regional artists by New England-based nonprofit organizations.
Our public art programs support artists making work in the public realm that inspires more vibrant public spaces and public life:
- Public Art for Spatial Justice: supports public art in Massachusetts that creatively expresses and embodies a more just version of what’s possible in public.
- Public Art Learning Fund: strengthens the field by public art in New England by providing professional development support directly to artists.
For New England-based choreographers:
- New England Dance Fund awards grants to New England-based choreographers of all genres and backgrounds who identify an opportunity that will advance their careers in dance.
CreativeGround
New England's artists, creatives, culture bearers, arts and culture organizations and creative businesses create and maintain their own profiles on CreativeGround. When creative communities are supported, all communities thrive.
Additional Resources
Dance/USA
Dance/USA is the national service organization for dance, serving a broad cross-section of the dance field. Established in 1982, Dance/USA champions an inclusive and equitable dance field by leading, convening, advocating, and supporting individuals and organizations.
Dance/USA's List of Funding Resources
First Peoples Fund
First People Fund supports the cultural, artistic and ancestral practices of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists, families and communities, helping them to thrive, heal and carry forward Indigenous creative expression, teachings and lifeways.
HowlRound Theatre Commons
HowlRound is a free and open platform for theatremakers worldwide that amplifies progressive, disruptive ideas about the art form and facilitates connection between diverse practitioners.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
The National Endowment for the Arts awards grants to nonprofit organizations, state arts agencies, and regional arts organizations in support of arts projects across the country.
National Performance Network
NPN is a network rather than just an association or service organization. By cultivating long-term relationships and promoting cultural equity, we seek to build a collaborative, non-hierarchical ecosystem based on racial and cultural justice.
- Creation & Development Fund supports the creation, development and mobility of new artistic work that advances racial and cultural justice and results in live experiential exchange between artists and community.
- Artist Engagement Fund advances racial and cultural justice, increases artist mobility, models equitable artist fees, and centers community engagement through the support of artistic activity taking place in NPN National Partner communities.
Regional Arts Organizations
NEFA and our six peer organizations work to strengthen and support arts, culture, and creativity across America.
Arts Midwest's Arts Funding Finder
Their new tool helps Midwestern creatives and arts organizations explore grants and research funders, cutting through the noise and the overwhelm.
Theater Communications Group
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is the national organization for theatre, with a membership network of 500+ member theatres and over 250 university, funder, trustee, and business affiliates, and over 7,000 individuals. TCG reaches over 1 million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year through its programs and services.