Milk and Eggs (Cost of Living) Micro Grant for Indie Theater Artists
Please note: the application deadline for the Milk and Eggs Micro Grant closed on Friday, March 10.
IndieSpace has created a new micro grant for indie theater artists. In an effort to respond to the evolving world and our communities’ need for individual support, IndieSpace has opened an emergency Milk and Eggs (Cost of Living) Grant that will be awarding 40 individuals $250 micro grants for indie theater makers to use toward things like groceries, housing, or any bills that have increased over the last year.
It is our hope that by providing this financial resource, we can make a small dent in the burden of the increased cost of living, even just for a couple of months.
Timeline for Micro Grant
February 17 - March 10 – Application is Open
March 13 - Applicant Lottery Number Assigned
March 14 - Lottery
March 14 - Applicants Notified
March 16 - Payment Processed
Who Is Eligible?
This application is open to any NYC-based indie theater artist in need of funds to offset the increases in cost of living. Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply, and funds will be prioritized to BIPOC, Trans/Non-Binary, Disabled/Deaf, and Immigrant artists.
How Many Grants Will Be Awarded?
IndieSpace has allocated $10,000 from our Responsive Fund to get us started. As of right now, this will be a one-time grant. We will hold one lottery and give out all 40 grants at the same time. We are working hard to advocate for and grow this initiative. As always, our goal is to be able to serve every artist in need of this funding. If we receive more funding, we will provide more grants to help more people.
Why Did IndieSpace Create This Micro Grant?
The United States Social Security Administration has predicted an 8.7% increase in the cost of living for 2023. Anyone who has gone grocery shopping or paid an energy bill has felt that. Unfortunately, wages aren’t following at the same pace.
IndieSpace has opened an emergency Milk and Eggs (Cost of Living) Grant that will be awarding 40 individuals $250 micro grants for indie theater makers. This number is based on approximately two months of the increase in Social Security benefits for individuals.
While $250 may not sound like a lot to some, it can make a difference in the burden of the increased cost of living for many members in our indie theater community.
Details of the Lottery Process
Applications will be accepted until March 10. You will receive a notification of your application status by March 13. Eligible applicants will then be entered into a lottery, with priority being given to BIPOC, Trans/Non-Binary, Disabled/Deaf, and Immigrant artists. $10,000 will be given out during this lottery.
A few additional details:
Please note that if you are an individual who has already received funding from us in 2023, you will be prompted to upload a W-9 into your application in order to receive funds again. If you need a blank copy of a W-9, you can download one here.
We will be using the Random Picker software to run our grant lotteries. Screen recordings of each lottery will be made and are available to review by request.
Priority is given via a weighted lottery system in which all applicants who identify as BIPOC, Trans/Non-Binary, Disabled/Deaf, and/or Immigrant artists will be given a weight of 2. All other applicants will receive a weight of 1.
We also ask applicants to rate the urgency of need for this grant. We MAY use this information to increase applicants’ weight in the lottery. If that is the case, the highest lottery weight will be 3.
Additional Questions
If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application via phone or Zoom, please reach out to our Programs Manager at veshonte@indiespace.org