Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program

A.R.T./New York is pleased to announce a new partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as we take on the administration of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program (NYTP). This prestigious grant program has long been a crucial source of general operating funding for the nonprofit theatre community in New York City, and it will be the largest and most competitive grant program offered by A.R.T./New York to date. Through this partnership, A.R.T./New York and Mellon aim to strengthen and support theatres across all five boroughs through meaningful general operating grants, which will benefit as many as 40-50 theatre companies. Awarded grants will be for use over a three-year period, paid out once a year upon receipt of a brief Interim Report.

Program Goals:

Recognize the outsized influence of small and midsize New York theatres on the field locally and nation-wide.
Provide multi-year general operating support grants to small and midsize theatres, providing them with the support to build their capacity, make long-term plans knowing they have funding secured, and build their funding portfolio with an eye towards stability and growth.
Fund a vibrant mix of theatres working with diverse aesthetics and serving a wide range of cultural communities across New York City.
Support companies who are impacting the field in New York City and nationally, who work with intentionality and integrity in the creation of their work, and who are making work that is relevant to the theatrical field and cultural conversation more broadly.

2019 New York Theater Program Recipients

A.R.T./New York, in partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is proud to announce the recipients of the New York Theater Program (NYTP) for the July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022 funding cycle. A total of $4,001,000 in general operating support will be distributed over three years to thirty-six New York-based theatrical organizations. This funding comes at a crucial time, providing multi-year, unrestricted funding for organizational sustainability, capacity building, and growth for small and mid-size organizations with budgets of $50,000 to $3,000,000 annually.

American Indian Artists, Inc. (AMERINDA)	Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
Ars Nova	Repertorio Español
Big Dance Theater	SITI Company
Bluelaces Theater Company	Soho Rep
Classical Theatre of Harlem	The Billie Holiday Theatre
Clubbed Thumb	The Chocolate Factory Theater
EPIC Players	The Lark
HERE	The Movement Theatre Company
JACK	The National Black Theatre
Ma-Yi Theater Company	The Play Company
Musical Theatre Factory	The Playwrights Realm
National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO)	The Tank
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene	The TEAM
New Dramatists	Theater Breaking Through Barriers
New Georges	Trusty Sidekick Theater Company
Noor Theatre	Urban Bush Women
Ping Chong + Company	Working Theater
Pregones/PRTT	WP Theater

Crediting Requirements

In any acknowledgment of this grant, such as on your website or in program copy, please list: Operating support for [Theater Name] is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program in partnership with the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York.

2019 Panelists

Becky Bodurtha
John Del Gaudio
Leah Harris
David C. Howse
Matthew Paul Olmos

2019 Auditors

AC Dumlao
Amanda Feldman
Jack Tamburri
Ariana Truman
Jaclyn Backhaus
Natalie Hirsch
Lindsay Hockaday
Emily Stevens
Brittany Crowell
Dorothy Ryan
Andrew Rincón
Kristin Marting
Shirley Taylor
Todd London
Jody Falco
Naveen Choudhury

Applications for the New York Theater Program closed on Monday, May 6th, 2019 at 5:00pm.

The application information below is archived from the 2019 application process.

GRANT TIMELINE ▼

ELIGIBILITY ▼

EVALUATION CRITERIA ▼

Artistic Impact and Excellence

Does the company have an impact on the local and national theatre field? Is the work being produced or presented by the company relevant to the current creative conversation in theatre or in the field at large?
How does the artistic work of the company represent marginalized or underrepresented voices, communities, and/or artists on stage and off? Does the company’s work center ideas, subject matter, voices, or artists that are often marginalized or underrepresented?
Is the company creating work at a high level of creativity, execution, and artistic rigor? Keep in mind the definition of artistic excellence shared in your panelist instructions.
In its larger artistic programming, is the company creating or presenting work that distinguishes itself from others in serving a unique community of artists or audience members?

Organizational Identity

Does the applicant clearly articulate its mission, vision, goals, and core programming? Are these in sync with one another? Is the artistic product of the company in line with the stated mission, vision, and goals of the company?
Does the company make intentional steps around audience building and experience?
Is the company serving a diverse audience and cohort of artists, and defining diversity effectively for their community? Do the artists and administration involved in the company reflect the cultural and aesthetic diversity of theatre and their own community in this moment?

Administrative and Financial Best Practices

Is the company working with an appropriate and effective management and administrative structure?
Does the company explain any deficits and debts, and any plans to address it? Do the company’s future plans make sense within the financial data provided? Is the company fiscally responsible?
Does the company present a healthy, balanced operating budget that includes contingencies, contains realistic projections of revenues and expenses, and explains variances and deficits in a clear way?
Do the company’s artistic and administrative staff receive appropriate and fair compensation? Does the company explain any recent major staffing changes, and do these changes inform and acknowledge the company’s future planning?

Impact of the Award

Does the applicant clearly articulate the impact an award through this program would have on the organization? Would receipt of this grant allow the company to stabilize, grow capacity, or address an opportunity or challenge over the course of the grant?
Most important, does the applicant make a case for funding?

APPLICATION DOWNLOADS & TEMPLATES ▼

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS ▼

Applicants will be asked to provide digital versions of the following documents during the application process.

Narrative Statement. Download the guidelines here.

Artistic Statement, 3 pages maximum. The artistic statement should be written primarily by your Artistic Director or artistic team. This document should outline the artistic scope of your work, and how the mission, vision, goals, and values of your organization are expressed and forwarded by the artistic history and future plans of the organization.
Organizational Statement, 3 pages maximum. The Organizational Statement is primarily your opportunity to share with us the mission, vision, values, and goals of your organization, the breadth of your programming, and any challenges or opportunities that this funding would help your company address. We encourage you to think expansively about your organization's vision for the future and your goals, and share those here with the panel. Companies who have recently applied for the Nancy Quinn Fund or Creative Opportunity Fund will find these narrative questions almost identical. Please feel free to repurpose previous applications to complete this narrative statement.

Budget, 1 page maximum. You may utilize your own budget template, or you can use A.R.T./New York's template (download here). Please upload a budget document that shows income and expenses for the following:

your two most recently completed fiscal years,
your current fiscal year actuals
your projected budget for the current fiscal year, and
your projected budget for the next fiscal year

Budget notes, 2 pages maximum. Please upload budget notes to provide context that you think will help the panel understand this budget, including research where appropriate. Please note:

Any line item that changes by more than 10% (up or down) between fiscal years.
Details for both earned and contributed income, including projected ticket sales and individual and board contributions, and indicate secured and pending institutional funding.
If your organization shows a deficit, explain the cause, and especially take time to explain plans to address year-over-year deficits or an accumulated deficit.

Fiscal Review. Upload a 3-year fiscal review using A.R.T./New York's template (download here). You are welcome to add or delete lines in the balance sheet as is helpful to you. Please note: the information in this document should match submitted audits, and your balance sheets should balance.
Financial Notes. Please upload a document containing financial notes that may be helpful in providing contact for the balance sheet. Please address the following in your financial notes:

Explain any permanently restricted assets.
Explain your organization's Operating Cash Reserve, if you have one.
If your organization holds debt through a loan, line of credit, Board of Directors loans, or any other form of debt beyond monthly credit card debt, describe the purpose of the loans and the repayment plan (if available).

Production history, 2 pages maximum. You may use A.R.T./New York's template (download here) or your own, provided the required information is included. Please include a two-year production history that includes:
You may include up to TWO additional PDF attachments of TWO pages each that will enhance the panel's understanding of your organization and help them evaluate your application.