NEW YORK CITY: IndieSpace has selected more than a dozen organizations for the Little Venue That Could grant program, with support from the Howard Gilman Foundation. 13 NYC performance venues with annual budgets under $750,000 will receive two-year, unrestricted general operating grants of $10,000. The recipients are Actors Theatre Workshop, Bated Breath Theatre Company, Chain Theatre, Culture Lab LIC, Footlight Presents, Hub17, IATI Theater, Land Back Hub, MISE-EN_PLACE, PMT House of Dance, The Fantastic Experimental Latino Theater Inc., TOPAZ ARTS, Inc., and Weis Acres.
“We are grateful to everyone who shared The Little Venue That Could throughout the indie theatre and dance community,” said IndieSpace executive director Randi Berry in a statement. “We were amazed at the number of venues that applied and hope this program helps to pave the way for consistent and significant support for small venues in our ecosystem.”
The Little Venue That Could grants are designed to fund indie theatre and dance performance venues that are often excluded from city, state, and federal funding and may not meet financial thresholds or the stated priorities of private foundations in order to get significant support. The two consecutive fiscal years of funding can be used to pay staff, rent, utilities, debt, or other expenses as the venue deems appropriate to help them keep their doors open and thrive. Each grantee will also be automatically registered in IndieSpace’s free advisory and consulting program.
“We are thrilled to see Howard Gilman Foundation dollars flow to this cohort of indie venues, which are an invaluable part of the performing arts sector,” said Laura Aden, president & CEO of the Howard Gilman Foundation, in a statement. “We know that the pandemic was particularly hard on smaller venues, and we hope this boost will create a pathway to more solid footing as the arts continue to recover. We want to thank IndieSpace for its care and attention as it carried out this program, as well as ADC Consulting and all of the participating panelists.”
The program received 53 applications that were given weighted scores by the review committee. All applicants were then entered into a random lottery. Members of the review committee included Pia Agrawal, Karesia Batan, Carrie Blake, Christine Bruno, Skye Kowaleski, and Azure Osborne-Lee. Alejandra Duque Cifuentes of ADC Consulting provided additional program guidance.
The Howard Gilman Foundation is a private foundation that provides funding and support to New York City-based performing arts organizations that are reflective of the City’s vibrant cultural community.
IndieSpace is an organization established to disrupt the ongoing displacement of small theatres and to create a new model for equitable funding for the indie theatre community. The organization seeks to celebrate and center independent theatremaking in New York City by providing funding, real estate programs, professional development, and advocacy to individual artists, theatre companies, and indie venues. As of 2022, IndieSpace had an approximate budget of $1 million.
