Theatre Guidelines

GRANTS TIMELINE:

Applications Opened: Tuesday July 26, 2022 at 10:00 AM EDT
Applications Closed: November 1, 2022 at 5:00 PM EDT
Recipients Notified: March 2023
Funded Project Completion: March 31, 2024

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Projects must be made by, for, or about all who identify as women and/or feature a prominent woman-identified perspective; and/or director; and/or writer; and/or protagonist(s).

• Must be an original play or book of a musical (with dialogue, lyrics and music) that has not been produced previously.

• Must be able to project a professional staging (including paid cast and crew) of the developed work by March 31, 2024 for a minimum of 5 performances in New York City.

• Must be rehearsed and performed in New York City.

• Productions can either be presented to an in-person live audience, and online live audience, or a hybrid of both.

• Applicants can be theatre companies, commercial or not-for-profit producers, or playwrights planning to self-produce.

• The applicant (or, if different, the recipient of the funds) must reside in any of the five boroughs of New York City. Companies may be incorporated elsewhere, but must have New York business address.

• All recipients must complete a final report clearly outlining how the NYC Women’s Fund was used to complete the project along with sharing information on attendance numbers and public access plans or outcomes. 

• Funds must be used to complete the project outlined in the application form. Funds may be allocated as the applicant needs to complete the project. However, funds cannot be used to purchase capital goods.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• A detailed synopsis of the full project. Up to 250 words.

• Please give an overview of your project’s themes and overall storyline.

• How the project represents a prominent woman-identified perspective. Up to 100 words.

• Please provide a statement detailing how your project represents voices, experiences and perspectives of all who identify as women.

• Current state of the project and plans for completion by March 31, 2024.

• The NYC Women’s Fund is a production grant for theatre. Please include a narrative or calendar of events/key milestones.

• Plans to promote and distribute completed project

• Include any commitments from producers, other artists or venues. 
• If the applicant is a theatre company, confirm dates for the production to appear in your season and any associated artists. 
• How do you plan to market your project to your target audience?
• Please identify your target audience. Are there race/ethnicities, ages, genders, or geographic locations for your audience?
• Note: No more than 20% of the award funds may be used towards marketing and distribution.
• All projects must include a public access component as detailed below.

• A list of potential venues and Letter of Agreement or Intent from potential venue partners, if available.

• For independent producers or playwrights planning to self produce: It is not required to secure a venue prior to applying.

• Amount of funding requested, description of anticipated use of funds, and how they will move the project to completion.

• Please include an itemized list to describe the anticipated use of the full requested NYC Women’s Fund award amount.
• Note: Purchases of equipment and other physical items are not an appropriate spend of the NYC Women’s Fund. This includes harddrives, lighting, and camera equipment. Artist or service fees, rentals, and subscriptions for the length of the project only are accepted.

• Complete the budget.

• You may choose to either (1) fill out the budget templates directly in Submittable, or (2) upload a budget.
• The budget must outline proposed totals of artist fees, equipment rentals, marketing, and other project expenses. The budget should also show the total project income.

• Biography for applicant and key artists involved in the project.

• Upload work samples as detailed below.

WORK SAMPLES:

Applicants should include: a 15-page excerpt of the script to be produced. For musicals, operas, or other productions in which music plays a critical role, there is the option to upload a 10-minute music sample.

For devised/company-created pieces, please submit a 15-page sample of the previous project and complete description of prompts or concepts for new work to be created.

PUBLIC ACCESS:

The NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre is a government-funded program. Accordingly, recipients will be required to propose a meaningful way to provide free public access to New York City residents to the project for a limited period of time. Possibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• A free performance or invited dress rehearsal for New York City audiences;

• Free tickets by lottery, or other means to be agreed upon, over the course of the run equal to 25% of the total number of seats in the theatre for one performance.

• Other means mutually agreed to by MOME and NYFA.

ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT:

Anyone can apply and be awarded a grant regardless of actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, partnership status, marital status, disability (including use of a service animal), race, color, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, military status, or any other class protected by City, State, or Federal law.

NYFA is committed to supporting artists from every background, and at all stages in their creative careers. We strongly encourage artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, and artists with disabilities to apply.

To request an accommodation or assistance in applying, please email [email protected]. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible, preferably no later than October 18, to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application on time.