National Theater Project Creation & Touring Grant provides funds for creation and U.S. touring of artist-led, ensemble, devised projects. These grants are highly competitive and are awarded to ten projects annually.
Donor Name: New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)
Country: United States
State: All States
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 02/28/2022
Size of the Grant: $80,000 to $130,000
Details:
In 2009, supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (AWMF), NEFA conducted a study which identified unrealized potential for theatre projects that expand the boundaries of theatre in the U.S. Multi-disciplinary presenters, theatres, and audiences nationwide demonstrated an appetite for artist-led, ensemble, and devised theatre work.
Program Goals
Modeled on NEFA’s National Dance Project, NTP not only provides funding but also animates an informed, interactive network of producing theatres, presenters, and ensembles that promote the funded projects and the development of the field as a whole. Projects are supported through Creation & Touring Grants, which fund creation and preparation for touring of devised projects and Presentation Grants, which are awarded to presenters by the artist and support up to 50% of the artistic fee for NTP projects.
NTP supports work that reflects the evolving environment for theatre, including but not limited to projects that:
- Support the creation/development and U.S. touring of new artist-led devised, ensemble theatre works that demonstrate excellence in the artists’ practice. NTP uses the following definitions in consideration of grant applications:
- Ensemble: A group of two or more people committed to working together over time to develop a distinct practice and body of work.
- Devised: A process of co-creation and joint discovery that prioritizes generative artists, which may include but does not prioritize playwrights, is iterative, and results in original work.
- Support work that contributes to the cultural and aesthetic diversities of today’s Theater. NEFA values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, which they interpret as all people having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize creative and community endeavors. They acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunity based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, language, culture, nation of origin, and geography, and strive to counter those inequities in the work.
- Reflect meaningful partnerships with presenters, producers, and other organizations that are involved in the development, promotion, and/or touring of the new work.
- Offer the potential to deepen engagement because of the work’s relevance, originality, and/or timeliness.
- Produce a viable plan for touring the supported work in multiple communities in the U.S. and its territories.
Funding Information
Awards range from $80,000 to $130,000. Part of the award is distributed directly to the artist to support creation and development.
Funding Criteria
NEFA’s values statements regarding Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility informs National Theatre Project Programs, including the Creation & Touring Grant selection process:
- “NEFA values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, which they interpret as all people having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize creative and community endeavors. They 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 their work.”
- They acknowledge that throughout NTP’s 11+ years of grant making history, at times the processes may have resulted in exclusion, and are they actively and continuously seeking pathways to mitigate contributions of harm. NTP is committed to disrupting the perpetual exclusion and erasure of artists representing forms, genres, practices, traditions, lineages, experiences, and/or identities through their projects. They value how artists are choosing to advance, enhance, or subvert various forms of theatre, contributing to the ever-evolving landscape. They believe in the right of the artists to self-determine the value of their work, including defining success for themselves.
- As the landscape continues to change, they continue to listen and to deepen and evolve their practices. They remain committed to supporting all participants in the devised ensemble theatre community on and offstage – artists, presenters, and community.
Eligibility Criteria
- The National Theater Project will consider projects submitted by U.S.-based theatre ensembles and individual theater artists with identified collaborators. Only one application per ensemble or artist will be accepted per year.
- Organizations must be able to prove non-profit status; for individual artists, an organizational partner may serve as the fiscal agent.
- All projects must have one committed, U.S.-based development partner relationship.
- Preference is given to those projects which are within two years of being ready to tour from the NTP award date.
- Preference is given to those projects with at least one interested presenting partner.
- Returning Artists: All NTP-supported presentations are completed and it has been one year since the last NTP-supported presentation.
For more information, visit National Theatre Project Creation & Touring Grant.
