Julia Mandle
experiments with costume for the performance KALCH (1998)
(Photo: Said Mahrouf)

The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Lily Auchinclosss Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Laurie Tisch Sussman Foundation remained steadfast in their support of the fellowship program throughout the period and a group of donors made possible the Geri Ashur Screenwriting Award.

Although large monetary awards more easily catch our attention and grab headlines, modest awards of $100 to $600 can still have a salutary effect on an artist’s career, especially when that money allows the artist to take advantage of a concrete opportunity that may not repeat itself. Since 1990, and with full support from the New York State Council on the Arts, Special Opportunity Stipends (SOS) have allowed New York state artists outside New York City to do just that. Whether it means attending the rehearsal of a new work, framing a painting for an exhibition, or travel expenses to study with a master artist, SOS makes artistic growth and career progress possible for hundreds of artists annually. $184,758 was awarded to 482 artists during the period of this report.

The Concordia Foundation Career Advancement Awards also make it possible for artists to move ahead in their careers. This endowed fund makes awards possible to artists chosen by a separate application from among the receipient of the previous year's NYFA Fellows. 2003 was the first year in which these awards were made.

The entrepreneurial sprit that drives so much of the U.S. economy can be seen in the more than 400 artists whose projects received Fiscal Sponsorship by NYFA during this report period. These artists raised $4,376,477 from public and private sources to help them fulfill their artistic vision. This funding would not have been possible without NYFA's fiscal sponsorship for these artists’ projects.

Projects completed and launched into the world during this report’s years included My Architect, a film by Nathaniel Kahn in which he learns more about his distant father, Louis Kahn, by interviewing those who knew him and visiting buildings he designed. This film enjoyed a long run in New York City and received the outstanding directorial achievement in a documentary award from the Director's Guild of America and was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary. Film and radio producer Bill Lichtenstein's West 47th Street premiered on PBS's P.O.V. series in August 2003 and subsequently was shown at many film festivals, winning best documentary at the Atlanta Film Festival. This film follows three people with mental illness over the course of three years.

NYFA’s Artist Fund makes it possible for donors to seek out artists for support whose work matches their particular interests. $1,064,776 was awarded to artists during the report period to provide the means to prepare for concerts and exhibitions, take advantage of advanced study opportunities, and create new work. Both unknown and highly accomplished artists benefited from The Artist Fund. One donor made it possible for a craft artist to prepare a catalog of her work and for a visual artist to prepare work for an exhibition in Sweden. Another provided travel grants to young musicians to go to auditions or participate in a master class.

Although we call NYFA a foundation, NYFA has no endowment and must raise the millions it gives to artists every year. A wide range of public and private funders have remained our partners in this effort for many years, chief among these the New York State Council on the Arts. Yet we know that there will never be enough money to award to every worthy artist. This is why NYFA encourages artists to develop an entrepreneurial sprit and a business sense to garner the greatest return from their artistic work. These efforts are described in the following section.

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