The Little Venue That Could

A New Grant Program for Indie Theater and Dance Performance Venues

Application Deadline: June 26

About the Program:

Funded with the generous support of the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Little Venue That Could regrant program was created to provide unrestricted general operating support to New York City-based indie theater and dance performance venues with expense budgets under $750,000. Due to size, fiscal structure, staffing arrangements, and unconventional leasing and ownership structures, these homes for artists are often excluded from city, state, and federal funding and may not meet financial thresholds or stated priorities of private foundations in order to get significant support. Despite this historical absence of consistent financial support and the growing affordability crisis in NYC, small-budget indie theater and dance venues continue to play a critical role in the creative ecosystem by providing artists with affordable performance and presenting space.

Selected grantees will receive:

  • Unrestricted grants of $10,000 per year, for two consecutive fiscal years ; and

  • Automatic access to IndieSpace’s FREE Advisory and Consulting program, providing access to experts and information throughout the lifetime of your space operation.

Additionally, in order to acknowledge the labor of submitting an application, IndieSpace has also allotted a total of $5,000 to be split and distributed among all eligible and complete applications. The total amount each applicant will receive will be determined once all eligible and complete applications have been counted.

IndieSpace will select a minimum of 10 grant recipients. Grant funds can be used to pay staff, rent, utilities, debt or whatever your venue deems appropriate to help keep your doors open and thrive. Funds must be applied to fiscal years 2023 and 2024 or fiscal years 2024 and 2025, depending upon the grantee's fiscal year end date.

Grantees will be required to participate in a short interim interview at the one year mark in order to receive the second year of funding. An optional post-grant survey will be distributed to grantees at the end of the second year of the grant to learn about their experiences and needs for the future, and to help us gather information about why a program like this matters.

Eligibility:

You are eligible to apply for this grant if:

  • Your entity is an indie theater or dance venue with a performance space

  • Your venue has at least one space with less than 99 seats

  • Your venue has been in operation for at least two fiscal years, including the current fiscal year

  • Your organization’s expense budget is $750k or LESS in your last completed fiscal year

  • Your venue is no longer closed as a result of Covid and has reopened and is in active use

  • Your venue is rented or owned with a signed lease or deed. Please reach out to discuss if you have a non traditional agreement with your landlord.

  • Your venue is located within the 5 boroughs of New York City

  • Your venue is a 501c3, fiscally sponsored by a 501c3, an S Corp, B Corp, LLC or LLP

  • Your venue IS NOT a direct annual Howard Gilman Foundation grantee. Current direct, annual Howard Gilman Foundation grantees are not eligible for this grant. If you are a recipient of other regrants funded by Howard Gilman Foundation, that is fine. If you have questions about your eligibility please contact your Howard Gilman Foundation program officer or hello@indiespace.org for more information. Venues who have received funding from IndieSpace through any of our other funding programs are still eligible to apply. NOTE: If your venue is chosen in the lottery, you will not be able to apply for direct, annual funding from the Howard Gilman Foundation during the grant period. The grant period will be determined using your entity's fiscal year.

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Application Process & Timeline

Our application process is made with you in mind. Our goal is to be transparent about our process, support you along the way, and make sure that you do not have to spend too much time or resources applying. We want to learn more about who you are, acknowledge and celebrate where you are today, and make room for where you want to be and grow.

For this program’s application process we are trying three new things:

  • We are asking a few more questions than usual, so we can learn more about who you are and what you need. This will help us continue to make a case for why programs like this matter and why indie spaces should get consistent financial support

  • We are working with a committee of artists to review weighted priorities that will be considered in the lottery

  • We are compensating every applicant that submits a complete and eligible application by setting aside a total of $5,000 to distribute among applicants, regardless of the final outcome of the application

Here is what that means for you and for us along the way:

YOU will:

  • Review application materials and details

  • Attend an Open House, virtual or in-person (optional):

    • Virtual Open House, Thursday, May 25, 12pm to 1pm EST, via Zoom

    • Virtual Open House: Tuesday, May 30, 6pm to 7pm EST, via Zoom

    • In-person Open House, Thursday, June 15, 12:30pm to 5pm EST, in the Signature Theatre Lobby, SigSpace

    • Virtual Open House: Friday, June 23, 3pm to 4pm EST, via Zoom

  • Complete the eligibility checklist

  • If your venue can correctly complete all of the eligibility questions, start working on your application

  • Request any additional support you may need along the way by contacting us at hello@indiespace.org

  • Submit your application by Monday, June 26, 11:59pm EST

WE will:

  • Open the application on Monday, May 15 at 9am EST

  • Remain available to answer your questions via email and phone

  • Host Open House events:

    • Virtual Open House, Thursday, May 25, 12pm to 1pm EST, via Zoom

    • Virtual Open House: Tuesday, May 30, 6pm to 7pm EST, via Zoom

    • In-person Open House, Thursday, June 15, 12:30 pm to 5pm EST, in the Signature Theatre Lobby, SigSpace

    • Virtual Open House: Friday, June 23, 3pm to 4pm EST, via Zoom

  • Review applications as they come in to check for eligibility and completion (ongoing)

  • Follow up with you in case your application has a problem or is incomplete (ongoing)

  • Let you know your application is reviewed and complete and moving to committee review by Friday, June 30, 2pm EST

  • Send application stipend payment via PayPal to all eligible and complete applicants for their work on submitting an application, by July 10

  • Bring together a committee who will read and determine the weight assigned to each of the narrative questions in application, July

  • Calculate the weights and review final review panel materials, July 2023

  • Conduct the weighted lottery through RandomPicker by Wednesday, July 26, 6pm EST

  • Share the lottery results with all grant applicants by Friday, July 28, 6pm EST

  • Process the first $10,000 payment to the venues that were selected in the lottery, starting August 14

  • Share the final grant results with the community at large, August

How to Submit Your Application

The application closed on Monday, June 26. We estimate the application will take about 2-3 hours for you to complete. You are welcome to use information you have already prepared for other applications to reduce the amount of time needed to complete the process! There is no character or word count minimum or maximum for any of the questions. We have made suggestions to the length to help guide your writing, but you are not required to meet those suggested word counts. Applicants who submit very long responses will not be favored over shorter, more concise answers. We will not be evaluating the quality of your grammar, writing, or formatting. If it is helpful to you, we have created a sample application which you can review here.

You can submit your application in writing directly on Submittable, or if you prefer, an IndieSpace staff member can take your application orally over the phone or via a zoom meeting. Closed Captioning and/or ASL interpretation can be made available for zoom application intake if requested in advance. To sign up for phone or zoom application intake please email hello@indiespace.org. Applications can also be submitted during any of the open house events detailed below.

Have questions?

Two virtual open houses and one in-person open house will be held for you to learn more about the process and to ask questions. Prospective applicants interested in attending an open house must RSVP by emailing hello@indiespace.org at least 24 hours before the open house. Requests for reasonable accommodations must be submitted via email to hello@indiespace.org at least 5 business days before the open house.

Virtual Open House:

  • Thursday, May 25, 12pm to 1pm EST, via Zoom

  • The Zoom link will be provided to those who RSVP at hello@indiespace.org

  • Accessibility: Auto closed captions will be made available via otter.ai. ASL interpretation can be made available upon advance request.

Virtual Open House:

  • Tuesday, May 30, 6pm to 7pm EST, via Zoom

  • The Zoom link will be provided to those who RSVP at hello@indiespace.org

  • Accessibility: Auto closed captions will be made available via otter.ai. ASL interpretation can be made available upon advance request.

In-person Open House:

  • Thursday, June 15, drop in anytime between 12:30pm to 5pm EST

  • Signature Theatre Lobby, SigSpace: 480 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036

  • Accessibility: ASL interpretation can be made available upon advance request.

  • The venue entrance is on the ground floor. You need to tell security that you are visiting the lobby to co-work with IndieSpace. There are two elevators to take you to the lobby on the second floor. The second floor has accessible bathrooms with ramps that are divided by gender, but there is signage that you are welcome to use whichever bathroom feels right for you. There are chairs with no arms and various couches for seating. Masks are optional in this space.

Virtual Open House:

  • Friday, June 23, 3pm to 4pm EST, via Zoom

  • The Zoom link will be provided to those who RSVP at hello@indiespace.org

  • Accessibility: Auto closed captions will be made available via otter.ai. ASL interpretation can be made available upon advance request.

Can’t join an open house? No worries! You can submit any questions you may have directly to IndieSpace staff or sign up for a one-on-one call via phone or Zoom by emailing us at hello@indiespace.org.

Application Review Process & Program Priorities

What is a weighted lottery?

In alignment with our values of non-merit based grant making and access for everyone, IndieSpace uses a lottery system for a majority of our funding programs. At times, a weighted system is implemented for organizations or artists that meet certain criteria that have been prioritized for a specific grant program, for example, geography, demography, need, etc. This grant will use a weighted system, whose priorities are outlined below. Throughout the application we will note what questions will add a weight or not and which weights are determined just by information in the application and which will be read and reviewed by a committee to determine weight. Regardless of the weights distributed per applicant, all eligible applications will be entered into the lottery.

All complete and eligible applicants will receive a unique lottery number to preserve their anonymity. We will use the Random Picker software to run our grant lotteries. Grant recipients will be determined by the lottery software and not IndieSpace staff or the committee. Screen recordings of the lottery will be made available to review by request after program grantees have been announced.

What are we prioritizing with the weights?

Applications will be weighted on a variety of priority areas. Priority in weights will be given to venues who are located in the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island; venues who were established by, for and are serving historically excluded artists; and who demonstrate values driven work through community impact, board and staff diversity and accessibility.

Points will be assigned as follows:

  • All eligible and completed applications receive one (1) point.

  • Venues who are located in the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island will each receive one (1) additional point.

  • Applications may receive additional points based on the priority areas below as determined by the review committee. These are sample questions the reviewers will be using to assess your application and assign points. Points will be assigned for each of the four priority areas (0: does not meet; 1: somewhat meets; 2: definitely meets, 3: exceeds):

    • Community Impact: Who is the community that you serve? Help us learn about who they are (i.e.: demographics, roles as art workers, geography, number of artists served). How does your venue interact with those artists and the community you work within?

    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Is your venue founded by, led by, and serving Black, Indigenous, people of color;d/Deaf; disabled; transgender/gender non-conforming; non-binary; and/or immigrant arts workers? What are your values of equity and inclusion and how do they show up in your programming and productions? How are they showing up in your staff and board? How do you act on your values? How is your organization working towards making changes that reflect your values?

    • Paying Arts Workers: Are you committed to paying arts workers a living wage and if so, how do you do that? If you’re unable to pay arts workers a living wage at this time, how are you otherwise compensating them and/or working towards being able to pay them a living wage?

    • Accessibility: Is your venue compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act? If your venue is not compliant, please share details on why and what your venue is doing to address that. What are other ways your venue makes its physical space, operations, and/or programming accessible to d/Deaf and disabled people? For more context and detail on what Accessibility and Access means to IndieSpace check out our working guidelines here.

The minimum number of points an applicant can receive is 1. The maximum number of points an applicant will receive is 14. Total points will be determined by taking an average of the entire committee’s scores per applicant. A reminder that regardless of the number of points assigned, all complete eligible applicants will be submitted for consideration to the lottery.

What is the review committee?

The review committee will include six (6) indie artists/workers and venue operators who have a demonstrated commitment to serving indie artists, represent the demography of NYC, and have an ongoing relationship to IndieSpace. IndieSpace staff will select the artist committee in conversation with its Board of Directors and select venue operators who will not be applying for funds. Committee members will be vetted for conflicts of interest. They cannot currently be related to, working in, contracted through or on the board of any of the applying entities to be eligible to serve. Each member of the artist committee will be compensated $500 for the time they dedicate to review and weigh applications. Please note the review committee does not make any recommendations for funding or select final grantees. All grantees are selected through the lottery system.

The full list of artist committee members will be announced along with grant recipients.